lest we forget our own

Onion Soup w/ Cheddar Sage Toast

2010-01-29T07:15:00.000-08:00

Jamie Oliver, Jamie Oliver, Jamie Oliver.... if you've seen his perfect cooking show At Home With Jamie on Saturday mornings you know why I'm smitten. Or if you've picked up Cooking With Jamie you've found at least one hearty recipe that caught your eye. His focus is on farm fresh ingredients, foraging, local butchers, outdoor cooking and low fuss fare but his flavor profiles, nostalgia for comfort foods and roguish irreverence toward food snobbery make his food accessible and just fun. Plus he's so damn cute. I don't know anyone gay, straight, male or female who doesn't think he's f'n adorable.

My friends Christina and Patty came to lunch on Saturday. We have missed each other for months. Actually hadn't seen them since Thanksgiving and I needed some face time. So, they graciously gave up some of their precious weekend to come by my house. Patty got a lot of QT with Brody while Christina and I caught up in the kitchen. I put her to work prepping for an apple crisp while I baked off cheese bread with fried sage for the onion soup. There's really nothing I like more than fussing with food while catching up with friends in my kitchen.

I won't repeat the recipes here because I did, in fact, actually use one this time for the Roasted Carrot & Avocado Salad. I may have varied it a bit but it doesn't seem proper to claim it or re-script and give the impression it's mine. As for the Onion Soup I did make one very conspicuous variation that I will share with you here. I don't eat beef, as some of you may know, and I don't care for the idea of beef broth at all so I made a vegan "beef" broth, experimenting as I often do at my friends expense. I thought it came out quite well. Here is the best I can recollect from Science Project Saturday:

Vegan Beef Broth for Onion Soup

2 Leeks - cleaned, sliced lengthwise, green trimmed but left on
1 Lg. Yellow onion - sliced in half, peel dry skin
2-4 Lg pieces of Kambu Seaweed
2 Tbl fish sauce
2 Tbl tamari
1 bnch thyme
1/2 bnch parsley
2 Lg carrots - ends cut off, cut into 3 inch pieces
2 Tbl Mirin
1 Lg handful of dried Shiitake mushrooms (mix in some wild mushrooms of other variety if you have them)
1 Tbl mixed peppercorns
4 Qts water

Now you can really go about this any way that you want. I tend to start with a little oil and sautée onions and leeks for a moment on a high heat to bring out flavors. I add a little sea salt and let them get a bit wilty. Then I add the water. I bring it to a boil and toss in the seaweed, carrots and Shiitake. Give those a second to boil and then bring the stock down to a simmer. I add the peppercorns, Tamari and fish sauce and let simmer for about 5 minutes before tasting. You want that fish sauce to meld in with the other flavors. It's not good straight out of the bottle :-(

Taste and keep in mind it will boil down to a stronger flavor so if it's too salty or strong add some water but if it's too mild leave it and continue adding ingredients that are left, herbs and mirin. Mirin is sweet so again, give it some time and taste.

There is no real science to this. I guess you've figured that out by now. It's a mudpie project. Just keep tweaking it until you get the robustness you desire. But these are the basic ingredients to pull off a deep brown, hearty broth worthy of a multitude of sliced, sauteed onions from the farmers market (spring, red, sweet and leeks in my case this day) slowly cooked with olive oil and sea salt for the better part of an hour.

As for the Cheesy Bread I found the ends of a very good parmesan, something like an aged gouda and some soft shredded organic cheddar in my fridge. Mixed those in a bowl and smeared the mix over some thickly sliced and buttered fresh Asiago Cheese bread I got at the market that morning. Bake it on a sheet pan for 10 and then under the broiler for just one to brown the top. Fry up some sage in Ghee if you have it or butter and put it on top. Plop the whole gooey mess on top of the bowl of onions and broth and eat. At least that's how we did it.

Enjoy!

sunday supper: grilled sardines with fried green tomatoes and persimons

2009-11-15T21:12:00.000-08:00

Hello! It’s been too long. I have missed you. Forgive my absence, I've been in (what the kids these days call) a k hole. I've been letting worry get the best of me. We're all in some troubled chaotic dialog about scarcity these days aren't we? Even the wealthiest of my friends are experiencing their own personal turbulence. It's just the times we live in. But there is really only so much a cancer/goat such as myself can take of that sort of seriousness. It's not really my style. Given an opportunity to slip into a pleasurable hour with friends, family or food I'll take it happily.

As I have said a few times more than many here the farmer’s market and fall foods are two of my favorite things. Yesterday morning my pals and I made our way, still on the early side of the day, to the bustling Hollywood market. We stopped at the coffee stands first. The man at the organic coffee stand scolded me about the exact ratio of milk to coffee he has established as for his blend when I asked for more almond milk. I scoffed and scowled and said I wont be back but I couldn’t help but admire him for standing his ground. These damn foodies. I get it though, I really do. We’ll have that conversation again, he and I, because I liked the coffee. But I liked it my way. With more almond milk and lots of cane sugar.

Then I found B munching on warm spinach pasty from the Jamaican booth. After sampling a bite of hers I rushed off and got myself one pronto. Spicy, hearty and a one-hand meal, it was the perfect compliment to my extortionate beverage. I wish I had one in my hand right now actually, I may have found a replacement to my traditional tamale.

After an hour or so of fondling fruits and vying for vegetables I had a single well-stocked bag of psychedelic items. Persimmons, green tomatoes, Russian kale, leeks, fresh sardines, salmon belly (two very good deals at the fish stand), cauliflower, lemons and fennel weighed my shoulder down. I grabbed a big bunch of burnt orange chrysanthemums with yellow tips on the way out. They’re exploding wildly over my dinning room table right now. Worth every penny of the $5 I spent on them - really splendid and warm.Just what I need this Monday morning.

Back home we got busy busting out an unusual and adventurous meal. It was a visually sensuous and wonderfully tactile few hours with slippery sardines, crisp fruits and the pungent smells of fennel, thyme and lemon. Everyone had to gut at least one sardine. It was kind of fun really. Really.

Grilled Fennel Stuffed Sardines

2 lbs of fresh sardines, slit down the belly, gutted and rinsed. Stuff the empty bellies of the fish with slivered fresh fennel, red onion, lemon that’s been tossed with fresh thyme, tarragon, garlic, salt & pepper. Add a few drops of olive oil if you desire but the fish has enough oil naturally to go without. Spread stuffed fishes into a fish grill cage and grill over a med/high heat about 2-3 minutes per side. Close lid to allow heat to smoke fish a bit.

Fried Green Tomatoes & Persimmons

Slice tomatoes and Hachiya persimmons in ¾” rounds, squeeze a lemon over the slices and then dunk each piece in an egg/milk mixture. Dredge both sides on a plate with sifted corn meal, spelt flour, salt, pepper and paprika. Dredge again in smooshed saltine crackers. Bring corn oil to a near boil on a med/high heat. When water that hits the oils surface sizzles drop in the coated pieces. When the underside is golden brown, almost burning, flip it over and cook about 1-2 minutes more. Remove slices and drain on a paper napkin (or better yet have a few old cloth napkins dedicated to this purpose. I should have thought of that this time!). Add a sprinkle of sea salt to them while they’re still very hot and then keep them warm in a low oven (150 or 200 degrees) until ready to eat.

These two items are plenty rich so we simply placed the fish on a bed of steamed, thinly sliced kale tossed with lemon juice and added an assortment of spicy green olives and a glass of crisp white wine to finish out the plate.It was a wonderful Sunday supper. Thanks to my friends for their inspiration and participation! xo

And remember, never leave any guest, no matter how small, no matter which seat he occupies at the table, never leave any guest hungry.

roasted carrot soup w/ dill or ginger or not

2009-08-13T16:15:00.000-07:00

So simple it's silly but when they're in season and sweet and abundant and cheap don't forget about carrots! Best roasted with salt and olive oil at a high temp (I do it a 400) until you can slide a knife through effortlessly. Then sautée some spring onion or leek or sweet yellow onion and toss it in a blender with veggie or chicken broth. I like to throw in a dollop of sour cream but you can add milk or yogurt or soymilk. Sprinkle fresh dill on top or back up to the onion sautée and add a bit of fresh ginger to give it zip. Too easy to write a whole recipe for it. And really, if you roast them and blend them you've got the soup basics. The rest is up to you and your palate.

Make a little extra and take it to a friend. No better bonding than soup!

fennel grilled fish in tomato saffron broth

2009-07-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

serves 2

1 bunch fennel - cut stems off and keep them, slice bulb into thin julienned wedges
2-3 fillets of halibut (or firm white fish)
3 large soft tomatoes (or half a can of stewed)
1/2 med sweet onion or 2 large shallots - chopped
1/2 cup white wine (not sweet)
1 cup water
4-8 saffron threads
olive oil
sea salt
cracked pepper
wedges of lemon

Optional: if you have a spice rub or marinade you like for fish you can use that but keep in mind that you want the flavors to enhance not overwhelm or clash with fennel, saffron and tomato. I suggest anything with cayenne, lavender, fennel seed, lemon, thyme, savory and i love fresh chervil if you can find it.

Wash and pat dry the fish. Rub it with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs or spices of your choice (not the saffron, that's for later). I like to take the fish and smother it in the fresh fennel tops. Even better is to squeeze and twist the tops to release the aromatics and the juices from the leaves and then wrap the fish steaks in the leaves and in foil or a container that seals. You can leave it like that for a few minutes, hours or overnight in the fridge.

turn on or start your grill and let it get nice and hot.

Take the sliced bulb of the fennel plant and the onion or shallot and sautée over a med flame in a little olive oil until semi-soft and near translucent.

Add saffron threads and stir a moment and then add tomatoes and white wine.

Bring mix to a strong simmer, then reduce heat to a low flame and cover loosely. Add water throughout to keep the flavors blending and the broth liquid.

Add salt & pepper to mingle flavors. Not too much. Just a pinch of each.

While the broth is simmering take the fennel plant stalks (cut off any excess leaves) and line them up on the grill for about 3 minutes. Just long enough for the heat to start roast the skins. Then let cool a moment and line the stalks up on a piece of tin foil.

When stalks are cool enough to hold your finger on indefinitely drizzle with a little oil and lay the fish steaks on the stalks. Wrap the whole thing in tinfoil leaving a little tent at the top for the heat and steam to infuse the fish with flavor. Place on the grill stalks down.

Grill/roast on the grill for about 10 minutes depending on thickness of the fish. Don't be afraid to open the fish at around 8 minutes and check it with a knife. It's better to put it back on the grill for another 3 or 4 minutes than to over cook the fish. No undoing that!

When fish is done. Open the foil, squeeze it with lemon and let stand for a minute while you plate the fennel onion confit and the tomato saffron broth in a large dish.

Carefully remove the fish steaks from the stalks and place the steaks over the broth on the plate.

Serve immediately.

kale & olive summer salad

2009-07-22T12:01:00.001-07:00

serves 4

1 bunch kale
8 -12 good, garlicky marinated black olives
(for god's sake don't even consider canned olives)
1 clove garlic chopped (optional if not in marinade)
2-3 Tbl olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
sea salt
cracked pepper
red pepper flakes

As a rule I always cut the leaves away from the spine of kale, chard and other dark greens because I find that they are just extra work and require a second chapter to each recipe (what to do with the spines and how...). I also just don't like the texture. That said you could, if you like, cut them out and then chop them into bite size pieces and simmer, steam or boil them a few minutes before you add the leaves and they should get tender about the same time. I'm sure there are lots of nutrients getting tossed when I omit them. Your call.

So, cut the kale into bite size pieces, rinse well and drain (if you only knew how many bugs you eat a year you'd always wash your produce).

Bring salted water to a boil and add kale for about 5-7 minutes.

The leaves should be darker but still vibrant, soft but still holding there shape (not a metaphor for women of a certain age but occurring as such in my current mood)...

When the leaves are in their prime, so to speak, pluck them out with a slotted spoon or drain them in a colander and then quickly submerge the kale in a bath of ice water. This is blanching and will cool the leaves quickly so they retain their bright color and texture for the salad.

Drain the leaves and pat dry.

In a bowl, toss leaves with oil, lemon and olives. I like to slice the olives but that's usually because I forget to buy pitted ones and can't bare the thought of a friend losing a tooth on pit.

Salt, pepper and flake to taste.

Serve with lemon wedges or a fresh sardines or as a bed for an egg salad.

San Francisco Goodies

2009-07-21T21:06:00.000-07:00

Recently, I went to San Francisco for the weekend with my dog Brody and dear friend Antonia. We left at noon and 6 hours of hot, dusty highway 5, 2 pee brakes and a roadside fruit stand later we were paying our toll and pushing through cars to get the green light on the Bay Bridge. It seems no matter how I plan my travel to SF I always end up delayed or rushed until I'm in perfect sync with the setting of the sun as I roll across that bridge. The deep shadows of the skyline and the haze and the fog and the silver gold sunlight on the water always make me doubt my reasons for leaving my old city.

I should have a post card or photo for that nostalgic hiccup but I don't so I'll share this Still Life With Produce moment from Niki and Tony's house where we arrived moments later.

My sister and Tony's home was cozy and inviting. More than ever their little abode was busting at the seems with life, beauty and many projects. The little guys production station....only my sister can make such a pretty mess.

Tony's strawberries. Check out the awesome container garden in the back of the house.

Saturday night we (they) had a dinner party made especially sweet by the effortless pairing of lovely people and good food. Smartly organized as a potluck Tony made mashed yams and potatoes then baked with parmesan and bread crumbs, a garden salad from his actual garden and rubarb juice for mixed drinks. He also made, more delicious bread, of course, and peppered the table with pickled condiments from his summer stock. His sister (my sister, we are family) Bridget, my cancer cohort, made collard greens (yes also from the gard... you get it) stewed with onions. I made nothing. Niki made the place warm with candles and set things right. Dusty and Brody made things hairy and extremely charming.

The table was expanded all evening by the chef's and foodies that attendended, every bite a starchy delight thankfully, and we completed the feast with Mission Pies and ice cream around a pit fire in the garden.

****

And oh, you don't even know the heaven I'm in. Tony has been canning~!
I have bread and butter pickles, white vinegar pickles, cherries, strawberry lemon jam (yes, sooooo good), strawberry rubarb jam, pickled onions and more and more. You wish you you knew. Really.

The bread and butter pickles have a flavor like cornichons and they are excellent chopped up into an egg salad.

Tony lamented that he's not sure what one does with pickled onions and I'll admit right here mostly I just eat them out of the jar with my fingers but I also topped my carrot soup with them, layered them into a quesadilla with smoked tomato salsa and added them to my beet and corn salad last night.

getting edumakated...

2009-06-24T09:36:00.000-07:00

I spend a lot of these grey mornings meandering on the web. It's amazing where you can go in a couple hours with tea and a bowl of fruit and yogurt in your lap. I've been to goose farm in Spain, a sustainable organic farm in Connecticut and I fell in love with the rural east coast again, watching lambs and cows and pigs happy in grass fields surrounded by woods. I hung out with renowned chef Dan Barber at TED and he took me to a goose farm in Spain where the goose whisperer has his flock call wild geese to their utopia for the winter. I actually considered trying froi gras for the first time in my life (something I have found so deeply offensive that it detoured me from taking being a chef seriously - the disgusting practices that chef's celebrate and support - don't even get me started) but you'll have to watch the whole 20 minute TED lecture to understand why . I took a trip down memory lane to my favorite secret Northern California cherry find off highway 1 and revisited my young lover's dream to restore an old stage coach stop and turn it into our own Whistle Stop Cafe. We lingered around this one shop town for hours walking up and down old roads imagining planting a kitchen garden and serving prefixed dinners to the folks around the area (Neil Young most notable among them)....

Anyway, one of my favorite new discoveries today is Blue Hill Farm. Please go explore their site. Go to the know thy farmer farms map and click on the video interviews of the farmer's this restaurant buys from. It's a weekend away in a morning. It made me want to drive all the way there from here just to visit a mushroom farmer while he inoculates tree trunks with psyllium (I didn't know those terms before this morning)

Have you seen Food Inc. yet? You must. If you haven't read Omnivore's Dilemma or Fast Food Nation or seen Super Size Me you must. Really, nothing is more important. Everything stems from good health and good food is the obvious first step. It's astonishing how far away from common sense we've gotten.

Tell me what you find....

mastering perspective or a latte break

2009-06-19T20:41:00.000-07:00

I am noticing patterns in my life lately and like any pattern if you stare at one long enough it starts to invert. The pattern you thought you were looking at becomes it's own opposite and then it's meaning changes. And then it flips back. It can be entertaining or frightening depending on how serious you are about it but either way it offers perspective. It's the very definition of perspective actually. When you realize there is another way to look at something you must by default recognize that your original way of seeing things was simply the other way of seeing the thing. Your present point of view will never change but your perspective on the matter might shift, usually in hind sight. And this is what makes being human so extraordinary. And this is what makes being human so difficult. Master your perspective and, I suspect, you'll be the master of your own life.

What does this have to do with food? It has everything to do with food. It's at exactly this juncture that things like this show up around me:

decaf soy latte & chocolate cherry scone from Fix

sweet corn, cheddar & green chile tamale from
(you guessed it) the Hollywood Farmer's Market

breakfast at the office

2009-06-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

My camera walked into the room this morning while I was staring at my tea steeping demanding that I play with her. I can't I said, I have tea to drink, the room to stare at, news and facebook to read, my journal to write, sleepy dog to walk, I have to work out and I have to make breakfast. My camera heard, blah blah blah BREAKFAST! She stomped her little lens and batted her aperture at me. How could I resist? I was helpless. I am at her beck and call. So, here is how my little camera saw breakfast this morning. Looks tasty no?

The office. Tea steeping while sun moves across the room....it's lovely.

Baked eggs with goat cheese and Japanese tomatoes
aka
breakfast at the office

I like to keep breakfast simple. I like to keep everything simple actually (at least where food is concerned). Start with these ingredients. Trader Joe's baby. Love them. Although, this cheese is not organic and I will probably have to find an alternative soon it worked well for this dish. Forgive me. I won't let it happen again. This dish is single summer friendly, meaning, it's calorie lite. Healthy, tasty and quick. 15 minutes to make, swear.

Spray some olive oil into a ramakin.

Have we talked about Japanese tomatoes? I may be repeating myself here but these are the best things at the farmer's market. I've never seen them at the grocery store. They are a little less vibrant in color than we expect from a robust tomato but the flavor is always light, sweet and wonderful. They are much lower in acid than normal tomatoes. Also more watery.

Slice one into 4 1/2" rounds. Put one round in the bottom of the ramekin.

Sprinkle some goat cheese onto the tomato.

Pour in egg white. Repeat ....until the ramekin is full.

Finish with cheese on top.
Add ground pepper to taste but wait on salt. The cheese is salty and you can always add more after the first bite.

Pop the ramekin into the toaster oven at 350 for 10 minutes.
Take it out once to drain some of the water that the tomato will release.
I always toast a piece of rye bread along side the eggs. Flipping the toast once.

Eh... Voila! Yum.

A perfect way to start the day. Good call camera.

zucchini spinach basil soup w/ corn

2009-06-14T22:36:00.000-07:00

I came across this soups beginnings at a little bistro in Silver Lake called Blair's. Dependable for lunch, really really decent for dinner. It's a charming place and the dinner menu is my kind of eating. Homey, farm to table centric, creative. Understated but elegant.

I have no idea what Blair's actual recipe is but I found myself craving it one day and noticed I had the key ingredients in my fridge and freezer so I set out to make it as closely as I could. This one is pretty close actually. So, here it is, loaded with vitamins, iron, fiber and really tasty. Excellent paired with a salad of red oak lettuce, currents and blue cheese dressing. Make it in large batches. It freezes well. Add corn to each dish never to the whole pot.

Ideally we pick our own squash, corn, basil, leeks and perhaps even our spinach straight out of our own kitchen gardens, those beautiful landscapes we look out at every morning as we sip our tea and plan our day. But maybe you, like me, get most of your goods at a local farmers market and make up the difference at your local Trader Joe's or if you can afford it, Whole Foods. Or Maybe you get all your goods from Ralphs or the corner bodega's freezer section or maybe you pull your fresh veggies out of your neighbors garden! No matter, this is a soup worth the jail time.

If you do have a Trader Joe's near by I want to point out a few quick tricks that will make quick work of this dish. See the cheat sheet photo below....

Leeks are good but any onion will work.... but leeks are good.

Zucchini Spinach Basil Soup w/ Corn

5 large zucchini, washed, sliced and salted
2 quarts fresh chopped or 2 bags frozen spinach
2 large bunch basil or 1/2 package of Dorot's frozen
2 large leeks, washed, halved and sliced
2 quarts vegetable broth or water
2 ears of fresh corn, sliced off the cob
salt & pepper
very fruity extra virgin olive oil

Toss sliced leeks into a large pot with a couple tablespoons of olive oil.
Sautée until soft.
Pat excess liquid from sliced/salted zucchini and add to pot.
Stir over med heat until zucchini is soft and changes texture, about 10 minutes.
Add spinach, basil and broth. If broth doesn't cover vegetables by 1/2" add more water. I'd add a couple generous shakes of salt here. Always coarse sea salt never that iodized table salt (just break up with that tiresome "the sun 'll come out tomorrow" girl already....).
Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Cool for 10 minutes and portion soup into a blender. Blend each batch on high for 2 minutes at least. Soup should be smooth and velvety. Don't worry if it seems frothy the soup will settle and lose the air.
Complete puree and return batch to the pot to simmer a bit longer.
Add more water, salt and pepper to attain your desired consistency and taste.
Corn can be flash sauteed over a high heat or steamed or even served raw if it's high summer and the corn is sweet.

This soup serves well poured hot with a mound of corn in the center, a garnish of fresh basil and a generous drizzle of your best olive oil. You could even add a dash of paprika or fresh ground pepper over the top.

Eat up!

the hatfields have no fued here...

2009-05-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

I hear Karen and Quinn Hatfield are taking over the new Red Pearl Restaurant space just a few blocks east and one block north of their endearing but oddly shaped cubby on Beverly Dr. What is it about those two always with their eye on the habitats of Asian cuisine. Wasn't their current abode previously the home of many a steamy pork stuffed orb and tamari sodden green beans? Now they're moving into the ridiculously red pan Asian now defunct last ditch effort of the Goodell's who also opened the late Mason G. I waited for almost 2 hours at that place for a plate with the tiniest piece of sea bass I've ever seen and a virtual sea of (get this) parmesan foam.... yeah. Luckily they sent us over to unrecognizable and totally forgetable cocktails that knocked us way past tuesday so who's crying here. Not me. Anyway, I love that the Hatfields are getting a bigger and more glamorous place to hang their shingle because well, I love that their the Hatfields. And Their food is really spot on. And I spent the sweetest evening there with my mother last year oohing and ahhing over everything. There was a carrot gnocchi amuse-bouche that brought both me and my mom to silence - momentarily. A feat none the less. I'm looking forward to more, bigger, better but hopefully just as homey as before.

pickles, eggs & rye

2009-05-15T10:49:00.001-07:00

My dear and much admired brother (ICL) Tony Cross sent me home from last weeks trip to San Francisco rested, loved and baring the fruits of his recent labors. Fresh kitchen pickles and a newly baked loaf of rye bread. He is a fascinating man, Tony is an extraordinary musician, a naturalist-hiker-leaf-presser, a published writer, an uncanny photographer and perhaps best of all a connoisseur of artisan green teas, handmade pickles and homemade breads. Yay for me and mom and sis (especially sis since she lives with him).

Beckoning back to a time when sharing canned goods, fresh bakery and items from one’s own kitchen garden was simply the neighborly thing to do I have to say I relished waking up in their sunny guest room, padding into the kitchen and seeing on the counter two loaves of bread wrapped in cheese cloth, one marked Rye for Romy and one marked White for Joan (my mom who I was to see later that day). Tony had left these for us before heading off to NY. He had already turned me on to their new dinner of choice pickle cheese sandwiches the night before so I knew about the crisp, vibrant pickles in the fridge, slightly sweet and not too vinegary. This morning I stumbled on to my own perfect American breakfast…

Pickles, eggs and rye toast.

Now this easy little meal is simple and yummy but lets be honest what makes it exceptional is that the ingredients are special. You can’t do this with goods from your last trip to Trader Joe’s or even Whole Foods. This breakfast has to be prepared from fine ingredients, ideally organic of course, made with love and care preferably by someone else who loves you.

Pickles Eggs & Rye

Ingredients:
Rye bread
Two eggs
5 or more sliced homemade pickles
15 small sugar plum tomatoes
butter
olive oil
maldon salt
cracked pepper

Slice into a freshly baked loaf of rye bread and toast two pieces
Using an iron pan, turn flame to medium, add a spray of olive oil and a pat of rich Plugra butter.
Toss halved sugar tomatoes (one thing that you can get at TJ’s – organic always so good) into the butter and fry (pardon sauté) for 2 -3 minutes.
Throw bread in a toaster oven or under the broiler until golden brown and crisp on both sides.
Push tomatoes to one side of pan.
Crack two farm fresh organic eggs into the butter.
Sprinkle with salt.
Cover loosely so the tops of the eggs cook or flip the eggs in about 2 minutes.
Butter toast, plate eggs and tomatoes along side of the eggs and toast.
Place pickles on plate or directly on top of eggs.
Salt.
Pepper grinder.
Eat.
Yeah!

Schwartz falls short

2009-04-29T13:27:00.000-07:00

More Fruits and Vegetables for Seniors: Low-income seniors will find it a little easier to buy locally grown fruits, vegetables, honey and cut herbs starting in May thanks to California’s Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. The California Department of Food and Agriculture teams up with California’s 33 Area Agencies on Aging to distribute check booklets to eligible seniors who will receive one booklet per year. Each booklet consists of 10 checks worth $2 each to be redeemed at certified farmers’ markets. Checks may be used to purchase fresh, nutritious, unprepared, locally grown fruits, vegetables, honey and cut herbs. Seniors interested in participating in the program can find their local Area Agency on Aging (listed by county) by contacting CDFA’s Federal Funds Management Office via email at grants@cdfa.ca.gov, or via phone at (916) 657-3231. The list and other information about the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program are also available online at www.cdfa.ca.gov/seniorfarmersmrktnutritionprgm/

i don't mean to be negative. I really don't but come on. Really?! $20 in $2 coupons a year for elderly people (who qualify) to get some fresh produce at local markets? Have you ever spent $2 at a farmers market? I'll tell you what you can buy for $2; 1 bunch parsley and 1 bunch chives. You can buy 1/2 a head of lettuce. You can buy about 10 mushrooms. You can buy 2 or 3 carrots or 1 loose beet. And though they put honey on the list I've never seen honey priced so low. Maybe a honey stick? It's paltry and insulting.

And I never even got in the pool.

2009-04-20T23:00:00.000-07:00

Me and my gang headed to Palm Springs for yet another Coachella Music Festival last week. Older, wiser and still big fans of so many bands we decided to go in style. Mind you, we've stayed some pretty fancy places, the Parker, the Korakia, a few million dollar villas (we used to host events for DKNY in other peoples mansions :-).

However, this time we decided to take it down a notch and kick our heels off at the Ace Hotel and Swim Club. We LOVED this place. It is full of unassuming, indie charm and just enough undeniable effort to fit in nicely with say, South Congress Blvd in Austin or Silver Lake in LA or Nolita in NY, there are already Ace Hotels in Portland and Seattle. It’s visually appropriate for Palm Springs. Low, flat, white-washed rectangular buildings cut perpendicular designs across a patch of reservation flatland which is butted up against steep, jagged hills. Palm trees jut out of the landscape at odd angles moving to a steady breeze that you don’t much feel on the ground. There are two pools, both open to everyone. The front pool just behind the restaurant, lobby and bar is loaded with young, sexy hipsters wearing mismatched bathing suit, primary color plastic sunglasses, tattoos & shaggy asymmetrical hair styles. Most this weekend looked lifted from an American Apparel billboard. But hip or not at all hip you can still enjoy sipping an agave (no salt) King's Margarita in a big goofy hat, nodding to the excellent alt rock mixes poolside or tucked into a corner low backed booth in the tiny, dark bar sandwiched between the lobby and the pool.

The real treat here for me of course was the food. The menu is well done. It’s fresh, smart, location appropriate food and while it hovers between comfort and classic diner fare with the occasional regional dish thrown in for balance everything is done with a fresh take. Salads have jicima, sliced kumquat, shaved fennel and vinaigrettes that don’t over or under whelm. Homemade thick cut white and wheat toast, peppered fat strips of bacon and roasted tomatoes accompany breakfast. Homemade sweet pickles accompany the stinky grilled cheese in ½ pt mason jars. We have had every meal this weekend here. We’ve over ordered every time and licked our plates clean. We have repeat ordered a few things. The list of yummy’s so far; the mezza plate (crisp herbed pita, homemade hummus, babaganoosh and tablueh with a mason jar of marinated feta), the veggie pot pie, the fish tacos (have made it on every order), handmade flat bread with white bean puree, sautéed greens and generous chunks of moist smoked trout, a smoked salmon (cooked) salad of nothing but shaved fennel, tender green beans and cured black olives, hand cut fries with a garlic herb sprinkle and today I had a semolina cake (olive oil cake) so moist and light and rich I could not believe it, with roasted nectarines in a red fruit coulis and a dollop of whipped crème fresh - extraordinary.

The food at the Ace Hotel and Swim Club is cared about. Everything comes out with pride and love. It is simply undeniable and puts every meal you’ve had out recently to shame. While I may have had some higher end food (whatever that means) I have not had any meals out in quite some time where I felt through the the table setting, the mood of the staff, the ambiance but mostly through the actual prep, portioning and assembly of a plate that whoever put this meal together for me really cared about what they were doing.

They've only been open for 3 months so there were, naturally kinks to be worked out. At breakfast on Sunday we waited a long time for our table after being told by our hostess that it would be 20 minutes. It was actually an hour and ½ before we sat and another 45 til we ate but Linda made it worth it several ways til Tuesday. And here is how

Linda is a petite woman, in her mid 60’s I’d guess, good posture, solid confidence, an ageless social sensibility that enables an easy exchange with everyone. She’s not overly eager to please but takes a personal interest that we are all taken care of. At one point she simply said, I don’t know how long it will be but I’ll let you know when I know. Delivering a line like this to a crowd of hungry show-goers may invoke defensive or even controlling tendencies with so many types of personalities but not Linda. She can deliver that straight and unburdened and easy to hear. Ok, we said, we’ll check back. After being seated we felt very well taken care of by a bevy of servers all pleasant and competent. At one point Linda asked the entire buzzing room of grumbling stomachs for our full attention. She was clearly someone comfortable commanding a room. She had our attention immediately. This may be in part because we were all looking for an excuse to just stare at her. Linda, out of an earlier era in Palm Springs, sports darkly lined lips filled with frosty pink lipstick and red hair. This foxy broad also hosts the most spectacular large frame, gold rimmed wrap around glasses circa 1981 that I've seen yet. Her jewelry matched. She looks like she came from a bridge game of wealthy retirement community ladies who lunch. Walking around the dining room, belting and crooning a Hit Parade classic, she had us all rapt and in love within minutes. As a distraction from our displeasure it worked, as soon as the applause died down the chatter and hum of the room lifted and the mood shifted. The food came eventually with smiles and apologies and many concerns for our happiness.

Wiping the last of my egg yolks up with a hand torn chunk of fluffy toast I asked in all seriousness if they were hiring. I kind of just didn’t want to leave.

Le Petit Dejeuner

2009-04-15T11:07:00.000-07:00

i love breakfast and there is nothing more satisfying than a little goats milk yogurt with a bit of granola and fresh strawberries. For a special treat pour a little maple syrup over the top. Yum!

Did you bring enough for everyone?

2009-03-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Planet Swan came to my studio last month and had me shoot her two girls Everly & Sedona. The four of us had a great time bouncing around, tripping over lights and twirling (because little girls twirl - they just do). When it came time for lunch all things came to a halt and mom Planet whipped out a counter full of supplies and utensils from her Mom Bag. A mom's bag is a wonderous thing. No matter the size or shape there seems to be an endless array of useful things one can find in the Mom Bag.

In true and good mom fashion Planet made sure to bring enough lunchable snacks for everyone. And wasn't I just so damned pleased to get my own apple green sectioned plate and yellow plastic kid fork. And yes I did finish each of those pretzle sticks and every last bite of my salmon salad.

Thanks Planet!

Watercress Apple Slaw Salad with Goat Cheese

2009-03-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

Watercress Apple Slaw Salad w/ Goat Cheese & Cashews

1 bunch fresh watercress, rinsed and air dried, chopped at the base of the leaves, leave the leaves whole, discard stems to compost
1 small or medium crisp sweet apple, cored and julienned thin with skin•
1 large carrot, julienned very thin, same size sticks as apple•
1/4 head green cabbage, sliced very very thin•
1/4 cup dry roasted salted cashews
1/2 round of soft goat cheese, room temp
lemon juice
olive oil
miso dressing

Take sliced apples and dunk them in cold water with 1/2 a lemon squeezed into it. This will keep the apple from turning brown in the open air.
Drain apples and toss apples with carrots & cabbage.
Squeeze the other 1/2 lemon over mix and toss with clean hands.
Add sea salt and fresh ground pepper and a bit of olive oil and let sit (the longer the better - will be best in a couple days)

Assemble watercress on a small plate.
When you are ready to serve salad toss the apple slaw in a miso (any brand from the store will do) dressing and pile on top of the watercress.
Place a round of goat cheese in the middle. If you have the time to bread it and fry it so it's golden brown and warm in the middle, have at it! If the cheese is still cold simply crumble it on top of the slaw and watercress.
Garnish with toasted cashews

• these items can be sliced on a mandolin for even more delicate pieces.

pears

2009-01-24T16:28:00.000-08:00

Preparations for Thanksgiving

2008-12-01T14:48:00.000-08:00

2008-10-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

I always miss the midwest in the deep fall. It's the most extraordinary time of the year and good enough reason to stay there as anywhere in my opinion. But I didn't stay there. I pioneered to the west coast, my family following several years later. And now I hardly ever experience the brilliant warmth of fall colors.

But don't feel too badly for me. I just bring it home in a basket from the market every sunday!

A suggestion for these bloody beets:

steam whole for 20 min. Run the soft beets under cool water and rub the skin off with your thumb. Slice paper thin and sprinkle with Maldon salt (large flakes of sea salt). Chiffinod fresh basil and dab each slice with fresh raw milk ricotta (yet another market jewel sold by a group of suspiciously pretty boys who are far too friendly to be farmers). Run the whole lot over with a stream of your very best olive oil and serve. Moj gets credit for this delight. We had a version of it somewhere but I think she improved it greatly with the basil.

soup for sister

2008-10-28T11:52:00.000-07:00

I love to cook for family. I especially like cooking for my sis who is a very good eater and a great appreciator of the mystical kitchen beast called "the cook". Simple food is best, no fuss, no show. I just really want the people I love to be well fed. I’m a believer in whole ingredients, organics, locally grown and seasonal food. Go to your local farmer's market people! It makes a difference.

I was a chef for a short time and I enjoyed learning new things, running a kitchen and designing balanced menus. But there is something so eternal and edifying about making a meal for the folks you love. And because they're family you can futz around in the kitchen for hours experimenting and trying new things without the pressure of looking good. I was enjoying just such a day of futzing recently making soup in my sister’s kitchen while she worked in her studio designing these beautiful dolls.

This butternut chickpea soup would pair nicely with a large Parmesan crouton or toasted Asiago bread from Acme Bakery. But if you're wheat free like me then roast the pumpkin seeds in a spicy cumin blend and add just a tiny kick of heat as well as a seasonal garnish.

And of course, a crisp dry white wine wouldn't hurt.

Butterpea Chicnut Velvet Soup

1 large butternut squash (look for thick necks)
1 med pumpkin (sugar pumpkin works fine but any will do)
1 lg sweet onion
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (use the good one at the end for flavor an inexpensive organic blend will do nicely)
1 12oz can organic chickpeas (AKA garbonzo beans)
2 leeks
1 qt water or veg broth (fresh or store bought but avoid a bullion they’re so salty)
salt
pepper
nutmeg
soymilk/almond milk/milk

Preheat the oven to 375.
Chop onions & leeks and toss them into a large pot with the olive oil. Simmer over a low/med heat. Sweat onions with some salt. Stir occasionally.
Take a very sharp knife and cut the pumpkin & squash in half. Gut seeds from pumpkin and toss in to a strainer. Toss guts from butternut squash.
Spray or rub pumpkin halves with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and put into oven face down to roast for 15 minutes. Turn halves over and roast another 15. More or less…
Cut butternut squash into large chunks. Now a word about peeling squash, I hear from Jamie Oliver that you don’t have to peel butternut. That, in fact the peel just softens and can be pureed into the soup never to be noticed again. I take a vegetable peeler and peel. But I’m like that. Feel free to experiment.
Toss butternut in with onions. Add a little salt and pepper.
Open can of chickpeas and drain in strainer. Rinse, rinse, rinse! Any time you open a can of beans rinse them under running water several times. This is how you get the gas out before you end up letting it out at inopportune times.
Toss in with onions and butternut and stir over heat for 5 min.
Add broth or water. Bring to a boil over a high heat. Keep a steam lid on it or cover mostly with a little room to breath. Keep the flavor in without letting the pot explode is the point.
Boil it until everything gets soft enough to smoosh with a fork.
Turn heat down to slow simmer.
When pumpkin is soft enough to pierce with a fork easily, pull it out and scoop it out of its skin. Dump pumpkin into pot with other ingredients and remove from the heat.
Puree soup in a blender or food processor. Use every bit of liquid and add more if it seems more like sauce than soup.
Return blended soup to the stove. Simmer over low heat. Add nutmeg, salt, pepper and whatever milk and stir. Don’t boil it again.
Pumpkin seeds
Clean and rinse seeds. Dry with dish towel (not paper). Toss in bowl with olive oil, sea salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne, garlic or onion powder and dried herbs like oregano, thyme or parsley. Spread onto baking pan and bake for 10-15 minutes. Shake seeds occasionally to flip them over so they don’t burn.
Serve soup with pear and aged mild goat cheddar. The combination is lovely.

mom says eat more chocolate

2008-10-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

Mom and I met at the Farmer's Market this Sunday as we often do. She's been in good spirits lately despite a long year of health bothers that have taken a toll on her energy. In fact she said she's had a burst of energy lately and she's really been enjoying herself.
Wonderful, I said, what have you been doing, do you think, to have more energy?

Eating more chocolate! she said.

Singing to the choir mom. Singing to the choir.

Hand Me My Purslane

2008-08-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hello sweeties,

I went to the market this weekend. It's so hot I was motivated to get there a bit earlier than usual. I think I was plodding around by 8am this time. Getting there early is good for two reasons, a less determined sun and the best pick of everything. Guess what i stumbled on? A little herb called Purslane. I've heard it mentioned but never had seen it before. It looks like a cross between Lambs Ear (that lovely dusted ground cover clever people add to their gardens) and watercress. For a buck a bunch I couldn't pass up the opportunity to experiment.

Once home I found this out online:
Medieval herbals describe purslane as ‘cold,’ meaning that it was considered a cure for a ‘burning’ (or malfunctioning) heart and liver. Greeks call it a ‘blood-cleansing’ herb. In Mexico, purslane is considered good for diabetics. Recent research has confirmed that purslane is one of the best vegetable sources of omega-3 fatty acids, as well as carotenes and vitamin C

excellent! I'm on this anti-inflammatory diet a month now - as I mentioned - and I've decided to go another month. But more about that later.

Another attention grabber at the market were the little goblin melons called lemon cucumbers. Again, heard of them, I suppose I've seen them before but had never tasted them. So, I got a sample from a hurried young man at a booth and got myself about 4 of them. I wasn't overwhelmed by the flavor at that point but did detect the lemony essence and I liked the texture. I wasn't in a mood to quarrel with myself about it.

With no real plan for any of the ingredients purchased that day Moj and I went about dinner. We were in foul moods that night. Self pitying and snarling at one another. She took to the grill for fish tacos and I opted for the salad of the evening. Here is what I made:

Purslane Lemon Cuke Salad with Summer Corn

2 bunches of Purslane leaves
3 lemon cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1 cob fresh uncooked sweet corn (yellow is has more beta carotene)
a bit of really good olive oil
a generous splash of white balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper
a bit of lemon thyme if you have it (skip it if you don't the other kinds are too strong)
Or fresh basil chiffinod (roll the leaves together lengthwise and slice, deary, gives you sweet little ribbons of basil throughout your salad)

Toss together and let stand for 15 minutes while making the rest of dinner. Just before eating squeeze a bit of lemon over the salad. Toss and serve.

yum,
Romy

Oh, and Moj's tacos were awesome too. She makes a marinade out of tequila.. not on the diet but overlooked just this once. Maybe she'll give us her recipe sometime.

Almost as good to see as to eat

2008-07-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

Dr. Irina Tsoy is a little woman with an unassuming presence but the minute she turns her attention to you she has you completely surrounded. You won't realize it at first, it'll seem like a warm bath or a cool glass of lemonade depending on which you need more. She'll say your name at the end of every sentence. She'll stand still and confident smiling as she talks to you without the least bit of arrogance or know-y-ness.

By the end of your first visit to her office you'll have been told you're flabby so sweetly that it will take days for your ego to catch up and be offended.

You'll have been handed a piece of paper eliminating almost everything you eat from your diet but you'll be nodding at everything she says and wanting to go home with her for tea all the same. She'll tell you that you should really eliminate sugar from your diet for good but you'll find yourself happily filling your schedule with more plans to visit her unfussy office behind a row of houses somewhere in Silver Lake.

As you're reclined on her table, needles in your 3rd eye and your fingers, you'll listen to neighbor hood hounds howl at the firetrucks and be remembering her last words as she turned out the light "think of something relaxing ________, like a stream or a mountain".

I like to think of the wind blowing through the leaves of a large oak tree as if I were lying underneath it personally.

I don't think about how beautiful, vibrant, perfectly gorgeous strawberries are on the NO list (allergins apparently).

working lunch on hot hot desert day

2008-05-21T10:12:00.000-07:00

LA had a heat wave last week. On a particularly whopping 99 degree afternoon in my apartment I scooted my Herman Miller from the depths of my office (closet) and went into the kitchen for some nutrition. No body really wants much food on a day like this. My organs were feeling as lethargic inside as out. Don't burden us with complicated math or chemistry please, cried my liver. My belly simply looked up and shrugged with ennui. " don esspet muuch" he mumbled mostly to himself. My belly is a surly Frenchman who is more hardy than refined but plays himself a gourmand.

Anyhoo, I poked around the fridge and found the makings of a perfect summer salad. Protein covered, nothing sleepy, a good pop of flavor and chew. Pungent hard cheese finish with the occasional happy burst of a sweet cherry tomato. Yum. With a white Lillet and French Vogue I could have called it a perfect day.

Frissée Salad w/ Beluga Lentils & Poached Egg

2C frisée washed and torn tossed in a bowl with miso dressing,

1/2C little black lentils (cooked and cooled naturally)

a handful sweet cherry tomatoes
1/4C Hard dry sheeps milk cheese

1 soft poached egg
salt & pepper to taste

A friend stops saturday

2008-04-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

My almost-lost-to-time-and-space friend Kadet came to town saturday. She stopped by for a quick lunch. I made crabpots with spicy aioli, roasted asparagus and pea soup and served crackers & cheese.

Those cracker, btw, are the best base for any mild, creamy cheese or blue cheese with fig jam. They are an asiago, herb and cracked pepper blend and very hard so they hold up to spreading a thick flavor body. Sold in good cheese shops and Whole Foods.

So good to see an old friend.

Kadet brought dessert of chocolate cheese cake to which we added fresh strawberries and lemon bars to which we added blueberries. They didn't stay in the open air long enough to capture in 1's and 0's.

Easter Lunch with Mom and Moj

2008-04-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

Mom and I met at the market. Moj stayed behind at my house and walked Brody, cleaned a bit and I suspect mostly spent a good bit on the computer checking stocks and facebook-ing. When I got home I put out a some toasted tunisian flat bread ("crack bread" it's been deemed due to the fact that I wake up craving it with butter every morning). We ate it with an arabic carrot spread and some st. andre cheese. As I was preparing Easter supper everyone agreed they'd spoiled their appetite on the toast so we opted to forego the fish center piece and just go with the sides. More room for dessert!

butter lettuce, vine ripened tomato, snap peas and spring onion boiled in butter and water, some nutty, musky, spanish-y cheese shavings and a mustard/lemon herb vinaigrette. The flowers are edible too!

Red russian fingerling potatoes sliced and tossed with olive oil, thyme, maldon salt and cracked pepper (it does make a difference). I squeezed a fresh lemon over the potatoes and roasted them with shallots and chopped nicoise olives. 400 degrees for 25 min. Toss everything and plop a man-sized thumb of butter over the whole mess. Roast until you can't stand waiting for it another moment.

Mom brought Joan's On Third cupcakes. My sister made me these beautiful napkins for my birthday last year. I hate for them to be messed but they are too sweet to keep in a drawer. Wish she'd been at the table to join us for the yum.

Breakfast Bento at the San Jose

2008-04-01T10:14:00.000-07:00

We stayed at the San Jose Hotel in Austin for South By South West. When we ordered breakfast a cute girl - someone we'd likely meet at any of the pubs in town for a night of indie bands with strange names and a beer - brought us this plain wood box. Upon lifting the lid, voila! Breakfast bento box. The fruit was just as yum as it looks. And the coffee was lovely. A side of magazines and a view of a dirt path and Jasmin vines make for a perfect morning. We could hear the music starting in the courtyard before we were even out of our jammies.

2008-03-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

They are saying that the bumble bees are disappearing. And no one knows why. The way things are going these days I don't wonder why.

So if you see one stop and watch him.

Lunch on Tuesday

2008-02-08T07:40:00.000-08:00

Slice, peel and sauté 2 shallots in bit of olive oil and butter.
Clean and chop sweet red spinach from the farmers market (best to cut away the red stems near the bottom)
Toss in spinach in with shallots
Sprinkle with Maldon salt if you have it, get it if you don't
Pepper, fresh ground is best
Red chili flakes for heat
If you happen to have some reconstituted morel mushrooms lying around as I did slice them and toss them in as well
If you have sweet corn in the freezer add that too - corn is always a good add especially if you're out of tomatoes and want that acid in the dish
Splash with a tiny bit of a yummy white vinegar or a blast of lemon juice - not too much - stir and cook til leaves are wilted but still a bright color
Heat a whole wheat pita in the oven, I buy them from a guy in the market who always tries to give me a deal on two packs and I never buy two because I don't like to be pushed but then I'm out by wednesday so perhaps he's right....
Turn over pita once and sprinkle with goat cheese and crumbled feta from the greek guy at the market.
Add chopped fresh herbs, thyme, marjoram and parsley are best
When cheese is melty put bread on a plate and spoon spinach over top.

Eat with a knife and fork
Enjoy!

my dinning companion

green velvet plums

2007-10-23T15:24:00.000-07:00

the sign said 'super sweet green plums!!" and they were. And the dusty green of an antique velvet ribbon. So I bought more than I'll eat thinking maybe a pie. Plum pie - sounds nice no?

I bought fennel, corn, apples, persimmon, basil and chives, chanterelle and shitake mushrooms and spring onions that I could smell from the booth across the isle. On the way home I imagined a few combinations and reminded myself to shoot the food before consumption - a goal often overlooked post a glass of obligatory pre-cooking wine.

My friend suffering through perfectly timed mid life divorce had called that morning before market. So we met at Cafe Figaro on Vermont St in Los Feliz. Sitting outside on rattan chairs at tiny round tables we were squished between a handsome man who resembled jason statham and a duo of pretty young girls and a papillion. I handed her a bag of tart/sweet fuji apples and a couple of the plums. She had a croque monsiour and I had zucchini soup. We reviewed her grueling week of despair and lonliness and to her credit quickly moved on to the possibilities of the near future - where to move, what to sell, when to buy and all other kind of adult talk (in which I am at best only an interloper). A young, chic, size-zero-if-even swished by in a mini poodle skirt, thick black patent leather belt sinched around an 18" waist, some kind of asemetrical modern sweater and ankle boots, grey and rolled at the top. Everyone watched her walk, heads turning and silencing as she passed each table. She owned it, we were all transported to Paris proper. "Fucking brilliant" I said, too loud.

My friend and I agreed - Life is just like that sometimes. We've had our days like that each of us. We don't begrudge the next up.

We kissed cheeks and went in opposite directions.