When you're all Americaned out from turkey, stuffing, and potatoes . . . nothing does it like sushi. No, nothing ever quite does it like sushi. We had a special birthday feast tonight for my mom's best friend, Sharon.
Dan, Josh, Sarah, and I became sushi chefs for the evening. My brother now works at Hapa, so we used his enhanced expertise and rolled roll after roll of delectable sushi combinations. . . . more to come when I am not about to go out. . . Or pass out. And when I can post the incredible pix of the night.
Last night I set about making my televised food preparation premiere, shooting a test pilot for a series of online videos that are intended to pair with my weekly web food column for the newspaper.
While the results of the film shoot were debatable, the Greek-themed dinner was decidedly a success. First off, Dan made a great greek salad with Kalamataolives and feta and a lovely light vinaigrette. The substance of dinner was slightly more complex.
I also made my own version of the classic mediterranean dishes braised Chicken Marbella and baked Spanakopita, both of which use the authentic flavors of Greek cuisine. If I had been really on the ball I would have made whole baked fish crusted in sea salt, but alas, I'll have to leave that recipe development up to Shosh because of my allergic restrictions.
1. Thaw frozen spinach or saute fresh spinach. Place in colander and wring dry. This is a very important step. Pre-thaw the phyllo dough in the refrigerator.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet and place over medium heat. Saute onions, coriander and garlic for 3 minutes until translucent soft.
3. Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper.
4. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. This prevents the phyllo from becoming soggy.
5. In a bowl, beat the eggs with feta, green onions and nutmeg. Fold in the cooled spinach mixture until well blended.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. Brush a 9" x12" baking dish with some melted butter. Unroll the phyllo dough and lay a sheet flat on the bottom. Brush the sheet with melted butter and repeat several times.
Take care to keep the phyllo covered with a damp towel to prevent it from drying out and becoming brittle.
8. Spoon half of the filling atop the phyllo dough,
Well hello World! While most of you may be unaware, this is my first ever blog posting. I have many loves in life; food, art, running, beaches, sexy shoes and more . . . but technologically related activities just dont make the grade. But, as you may have deduced from the theme of this blog, food has brought me here. Ah, the power of food. Food is why we are all here and that is what Steven and I will endlessly discuss. So sit back and relax while you are seduced by our scrumptious ramblings and various expressions of flavor and YUM! xo s
I had the pleasure of snoggling down some delicious food this past week in Portland that I've been dying to write about, although I've held out until this new section of the blog was up and running.
On a very rainy Friday night on 23rd St. I found myself at 23 Hoyt (formerly Balvo). The food was pretty much fantastic, the service was subtle and not too pushy and the indoor ambiance kept giving me the eerie (but pleasant) impression that I was outside on a patio of a chic cafe.
The food was still the real star. I had a hard time deciding between the duck and the rabbit (I know, shades of Looney Tunes) but Jess and I eventually worked out a split: She got the former and I the latter. Here's the gory details:
Spätzle with braised rabbit, chanterelles, leeks, creme fraîcheand dill ($15.00): My dish, very fresh flavor from the dill and creme fraîche. Filling, but not too heavy and the rabbit was well-cooked.and deliciously gamey.
Roast duck breast and braised leg with spiced red cabbage, roasted apples, and yukon gold potato-parsnip puree ($22.00): Jess had this, and I had a few bites. The duck was flavorful and not overcooked, which is a usual suspect, but I was disappointed with the soggy skin. In my mind duck skin should crack like a thick potato chip, this was more like softened butter.
Yes, the KitchenAid has arrived and I love it, but today I'm posting with even greater culinary significance.
As you may or may not know my friend Jess just returned from the Middle East and year in Israel and is presently residing on my sofa. In her travels to Turkey she picked me up some authentic spice mixes and most amazingly - a few ounces of the most precious and luxurious spice: Saffron.
I'm not going to get into it now, but this stuff is pricey (it's slightly more expensive than actual gold) and hard to come by because it is made from the delicate stigmas of crocuses. It takes a football field of these flowers just to make a pound of saffron and the work is all done by hand. Jess brought me back a little baggy stuffed (about three times the amount shown here) with the exotic crimson stems. Needless to say, I am excited, but I now feel like I need a safe in the kitchen. And here is the rest of it.
