Bringing the Family Together

Growing up, one of the things that I always remember is our family meals.  Every night we would sit down together as a family for dinner.  Each of the children had a chore; be it setting the table, clearing the table or feeding the dog.  And every evening my mom would come home from work and cook us a very nice, simple meal.  We would sit down, talk about our day, enjoy a little bit of family time without the television on, and inevitably laugh as my youngest sister always seemed to get up having sat on something (Jello seemed to be the most common).  It's been almost ten years since I officially left home, and while some things have changed, one remains the same: we always sit down to family meals together, though the meal itself has evolved.

In the years past, it would always be my mom making dinner, with my dad occasionally do some cooking if it involved the grill.  But the past few times, as I've gotten more into cooking (and also one of my sisters), the preparation of the meal has become a much more family oriented affair.  Take this recent trip home.  We decided that we were going to cook dinner, and that the main protein would be trout.  This meant my dad would take on the grilling duties.  For a vegetable we opted for asparagus because it is in season.   I volunteered to work on the asparagus because I had a couple of Michael Chiarello recipes in mind (pesto for the fish, roasted bundles for the vegetable).  And my mom took on the dessert and the cornbread, pretty much a staple in our house when serving trout.  Plus, it gave her an opportunity to try a new recipe as she continues her search for the best cornbread recipe ever.  

About an hour before dinner, we all set to work.  I got started on the bread crumbs for the roasted asparagus as well as the pesto while my mom worked on the dessert.  We were able to talk about different flavor combinations, techniques and recipes that she had never done (or had the time to do) while we were at home.  Then we poured ourselves a glass of wine and just talked about food; different chefs, different recipes, different nutritional facts that we'd learned and different places that we'd eaten.  The entire prep time dedicated to talking about food (and giving my grandma a little bit of a hard time being that she's less adventurous than the rest of us), and not once did we feel bored.  As dinner time approached, my dad fired up the grill.  We had talked about different fish cooking techniques, and decided to give low and slow a try this time.  Previously we had both cooked fish at medium, but after a recent fish taco party with friends where I had referred to a Bobby Flay recipe, I had dropped the heat even further in an attempt to maintain the moisture in the fish.  To go with the fish, he whipped up a little lemon butter sauce, and seasoned the fish simply with salt and pepper.

While my dad was grilling the fish, I put the roasted asparagus in and pulled out the cornbread (in our talking we let it go about two minutes too long; whoops!).  We also sauteed up some regular asparagus for Grandma just to make sure that everyone was happy.  About this time, my dad brought in the first of the trout to see how it was, and we decided it just needed a minute or so more on the grill, assuming he could keep it lit in the wind (one of the disadvantages of gas).  When he brought in the second batch, it was perfect.  Instead of really have to peel it off the bone, I simply had to start it, and it just fell off onto the plate (and I'm not just saying this because I know he's reading my post).  It was very moist and tender, quite possibly the best trout I've had.

In the end, our timing was a little off, having finished the pesto and the roasted asparagus a little ahead of the fish, and having to reheat the pesto, but all in all everything came together.  My mom commented that if I had decided I'd liked to cook (and learned about different foods) earlier in life, we definitely would have eaten "better".  I don't think it was necessarily better, but we definitely ate differently than we had when growing up, with things like asparagus pesto, roasted asparagus bundles, cornbread muffins from scratch and slowly grilled rainbow trout.  Though, I don't know if any of us picky kids would have been interested anyway.  But when it was all said and done, no matter what food was put out, we all once again sat down at the table together, and shared a wonderful meal.

Tis the Season for Asparagus!

Normally when I cook, most of my energy goes into the protein. It's all about coming up with different preparations, sauces, presentations, etc. And then I'll add on some white rice from the rice cooker and some steamed broccoli or something. But last night, I decided to do something different, and focus my energy on the "sides" so to speak. I had decided on the Asparagus Pesto with Tiny Potatoes and Pasta from the Tra Vigne Cookbook by Michael Chiarello. I figured it would give me the opportunity to try something new and take advantage of the fresh aspargus of the Spring.

Pesto is one of those flavors that I quite enjoy, but I've never taken the time to make it myself. Usually it's just been grabbing a package of Knorr's seasoning, adding some olive oil, and calling it good. So, I was excited to learn how to make it myself, and it turns out it's pretty darn easy. For the pesto, the prep consisted of simply chopping some basil and garlic, toasting some pine nuts, and cooking some asparagus. All of this is then thrown into a food processor and combined. Then I add in some olive oil slowly while it is processing to try and get to the consistency of mayo, then some parmesan cheese to finish it off. What resulted was a beautiful green, and delicious pesto. It probably took me a total of 15 minutes and most of that was waiting for the water to come to a boil.

But making the pesto was only the first part. The next step was to make the potatoes and pasta. Not that making potatoes and pasta is difficult. I wasn't able to find the tiny potatoes, so instead I used baby reds that I cut up into small pieces. I then boiled them, using my brand new Calphalon pot (so excited about my Calphalon cookware) and then sauteed them in some olive oil. This double cooking technique is something that has been pretty new for me, but something that really enhances the flavors. The pasta (from a box) was cooked in the asparagus water that had been salted, which really did add some additional flavor to the pasta. I mixed with a cup of the pesto, added some cheese, and was ready to go.

To accompany this beautiful pesto dish, I decided to do a very traditional Pacific Northwest protein, Sockeye Salmon. The preparation is one that I learned from a salmon cooking expert in Alaska.

You simply melt about a table spoon of butter over medium-high heat in a skillet. While the butter is melting, season the salmon with salt and pepper. Lay the piece of salmon in the butter and pour a little bit of water around the outside. This will create steam. Put the lid on the skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let steam for about 5-7 minutes. At that time, remove it from the heat, but leave the lid on for about 3 more minutes. Then, open the lid, and serve. The times will vary depending on the thickness, and definitely takes some practice to get just right. There is a pretty fine line between beautifully cooked and overcooked. To finish the dish, I sauteed the remaining asparagus in a little bit of butter and olive oil, with some salt and pepper.

The overall meal turned out pretty good. I say pretty good because I was so focused on making sure that I got my pesto dish correct that I wasn't paying attention to the salmon and overcooked it by about 2-3 minutes. I actually feel a little embarassed because I've been cooking salmon this way for 3 or 4 years now, and totally blew it. It wasn't inedible, but it definitely wasn't the succulent salmon that I've made before. Oh well. The pesto was delicious (and I added it to the salmon for a little additional moisture), and I learned a valuable lesson; pay attention to everything that you are cooking.

Rib Roast - Delay Cooking for a delicious dinner

On the days where I get home late, there really are two options.  One is to find something quick, easy and delicious like I did last night.  The other is to use the slow cook feature on the oven (or a slow cooker should I get one).  The first time I did this, I did the forever roasted pork from Michael Chiarello that turned out amazing.  So tonight, I decided to try the slow cooking approach tonight.

For the meat option tonight, I decided to do a beef rib roast.  I've never cooked with it before, but I'm a big fan of ribeye steak, and it was on sale, so I thought I would give it a whirl.  So, this morning, I put together a rub for the roast.  It consisted of white and black peppercorns, paprika, garlic powder, sea salt and a hint of seasoned salt.  I pulled out the mallet and broke down the pepper corns and salt to try and make it a fine powder.  Looking back on it, it would have been better to do in a spice grinder.  Unfortunately my spice grinder's primary usage is as my coffee grinder, and in the morning, coffee trumps everything.

After I had firmly beaten the spices, I took out the roast.  I cut a half dozen slits in each side of it, then rubbed it down with a little bit of butter prior to spreading the rub all over it.  I tried to make sure I stuffed some of the peppercorns that didn't get smashed into the slits.  Then I popped it into the oven, and set the delay to come on.

When it comes to beef rib roast, the cooking is a little different than the pork.  With the pork, the entire dish is cooked low and slow.  However, based on various recipes that I read, when cooking the beef rib roast, if you are not going to be able to sear it in a pan on the stovetop prior to putting it in the oven, then you start at a high temperature for a short period of time to sear the outside, then reduce the heat to finish it.  So, I set the temperature to 450 on the delay for 30 minutes, and let it go.

When I got home, I could definitely smell the roast cooking, and the timer was going off.  I opened the door, and stuck in a thermometer to find that the temperature was almost 160, quite high for a beef roast (it should be in the 130-140 range in the middle).  I quickly pulled it out to stop the cooking and let it rest for a little bit.  When I cut into it, it was still juicy and still tasted pretty good.  I warmed up some rice, sauteed some red peppers, and had dinner ready 15 minutes after we walked in the door.

While this was good, it wasn't quite like the pork.  One of the challenges for me is figuring out cooking times.  When you are looking at recipes they tend to look at bigger roast, 4 - 6 ribs (6-8 pounds).  But, when I'm only cooking for two, I don't want to have the many leftovers (or spend that much money).  So I have to try and adjust for much smaller roasts.  In this case, I was using a 1.75 lb. roast with a single rib.  I had it cook at 450 for 30 minutes, but looking back, should have only done it for 20 minutes.  Also, I think I need to be more generous with both the slits and the rub so that the flavor permeates the meat, rather than just sitting as a crust on the outside.

But, even with the couple of issues, I'm realizing that doing a little work in the morning, and leveraging the delayed cooking capabilities will allow me to do more than just quick and simple when I get home.  I just need to remember to keep in mind the starches and vegetables, and factor that into the cooking time (fortunately I had leftover rice from last night, and didn't have to make any).  And one of these days, maybe I'll try and do something with the sides and not just the main course.

A Grocery Shopping Routine

When I'm not out on the ski slopes, or traveling for work, Sundays are my lazy days at home.  This usually consists of sleeping in, having a cup (ok, a pot) of coffee and grocery shopping!  Since today was one of those Sundays, I figured it was the perfect topic for a blog post.

The grocery shopping process has started to take on a little bit of a ritual for me.  In the morning, I start planning out the menu for the week.  I grab my four cookbooks and a cup of coffee and sit down on the couch.  My current collection consists of 2 Bobby Flay, 1 Rick Bayless, and 1 Michael Chiarello cookbooks.  It's a little limited at this point, but it's a nice variety that is helping me learn a little bit more about flavors and techniques.

Before I can start planning, I have to figure out what the weekly schedule looks like for us.  Some nights we have sports or meetings or happy hours that can alter dinner decisions.  Once I get that figured out, I start flipping through the cookbooks.  I usually like to pick one or two things that are completely new that I haven't tried before, and see what ingredients are needed.  Then I jot down a few of the other things I need to make sure I remember, and head to Whole Foods.

Once I get to Whole Foods, I start in the produce section.  I get fruit, typically oranges and pineapples, vegetables, and herbs.  I then look for some of the new ingredients based on the recipes.  This is how I've discovered tomatillos, a variety of peppers outside the bell family, and fresh herbs.  After a couple more laps, just to see what else is around (found passion fruit tonight!!), I head over to the meat section.  This is where I spend the most time.  I start by looking at the fresh fish, then to the pre-seasoned meats, just to get some ideas, and then work my way down the counter from beef to pork to poultry.  In my mind, I'm trying to balance out the proteins, as I don't like to serve the same thing two nights in a row.  Finally, I'll step up to the counter and make my decision.  Tonight I opted for halibut, lamb chops, bone-in/skin-on chicken and a beef rib roast for slow-cooking.  And of course some bacon.

From there, I head up and down each aisle.  There are definitely some things that I always get like milk, yogurt and bread.  Beyond that, I'm taking in the different things, trying to figure out what would be good to have on hand, what would be good to try, and what I need for lunch for the week assuming I'm not going to have leftovers to take with me.

All told, I usually spend anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half in the store.  When I walk out, I only have three or four bags of food, but it is enough to last the two of us a week, and maintain as much fresh food as possible (I end up freezing a few meats for later in the week, but that's all).  Before going home, I will stop by Safeway just to pick up a couple things I can't get at Whole Foods, namely Coke Zero.

All that is left at this point is to put everything away and get to work on a delicious dinner from all of the great ingredients.  Tonight that was a pan-seared pork chop, green chile rice and a simple spinach salad.  It turned out very good, thanks in part to the wonderful ingredients I picked up today.

Taking it nice and slow

Days that I'm not at work are great for two things; relaxing and cooking.  I really like being able to sleep in, make a pot of coffee, and just take my time getting going in the morning.  And then, I get into the cookbooks and figure out what I want to do.  I usually look for things that require a lot of prep and or slow cooking or a lot of ingredients.  This way I can fill up my entire day in the kitchen which is actually quite a bit of fun.  So, for today's all day cooking adventure, I went with a forever roasted pork dish from the Michael Chiarello Tra Vigne Cookbook.  

I'll admit, going for a slow roasted pork dish is a little bit of a cop out.  I mean, I don't really cook it all day. I do a little bit of prep work, pop it in the oven, and then go have an amazing lunch at Paseo.  But, I was able to learn a couple of new things today.  First, I learned how to use the delay start option on my oven.  Great technology that I think people absolutely need to take advantage of.  And second, I learned a new way to cook a pork roast.  Up until now, my pork roast consisted of mixing up some onion soup mix, sticking a pork roast in it, and cooking it up for an hour or so.  Not any more.

It was actually an incredibly simple dish that turned out well.  I cooked down some onions and a little bit of Meyer lemon, and stuck it inside the roast (I chose a shoulder butt for this one).  Then I rubbed a fennel spice rub all over the outside of it (fennel, coriander, white peppercorn, salt).  I put it in the over, and set the delay timer to cook it at 275, and took off for lunch.  The roast ended up cooking for a total of 5 hours.  Once it hit about hour 4, I started to get a little nervous.  Is it going to dry out?  Is it going to taste ok?  Should I order Thai just in case?  So I opened the oven and stuck a fork in it to see what happened.  Juices came pouring out, a piece flaked off, and it was delicious.  When we finally sat down to dinner, I added some steamed white rice, broccoli, and a lovely Oregon Pinot Noir and made a fantastic dinner (I know I'm biased, but it was gooood).

The delay timer on the oven and slow cooking process is an incredible find for me.  One of the biggest challenges to my cooking is my day job.  I am usually at the office from 8 in the morning until at least 6 at night, so I don't get home until almost 7 with the commute.  That means it is difficult to whip up a meal that requires any type of prep, or various cooking steps (fortunately there are the classics that I can whip out quickly).  But now, I know that I can put something in in the morning, or even the night before that can cook slowly throughout the day, and have the great dinners that I aspire to every evening.  

I can't overlook the local talent

When I travel, going out to eat is becoming more and more fun.  At first, I was more into staying in the room and just getting room service.  I felt a little awkward going out to dinner by myself, or I wouldn't want to take away time from work.  Now, it's a compltely different story.  I go for the food and the experience.  In fact, next week I head to Boston for work, and am already picking out my dining locations.  I scheduled my flight to ensure I would get in early enough for dinner, sleeping be damned!  There will definitely be some posts relating from the trip.

But I'm not writing to preview my trip.  Rather it's something my pending trip made me think about.  I've started a spreadsheet with different restaurants in different cities that I want to try as a travel across this great country (yes, a spreadsheet...I'm still a marketing geek at heart).  I'm thinking about my annual trip to Chicago and where to eat.  I am trying to figure out an excuse to get to NYC or the Bay Area or even South Florida.  There are so many places with renowned chefs and great restaurants and tempting cuisine that I forget what is in my own backyard.  But one city was consipicuously absent...Seattle.  That's right, my home city (though it has now moved to the front of the list).  It's not that I forget that Seattle is a great place for top-notch dining; I've had many amazing meals around the city.  I think it is more a symptom of me enjoying cooking, and I wonder if other home cooks do the same thing.  When I'm out of the city, I'm more or less forced to go out to eat.  But when I'm home, it's time to experiment, try new things, and save a few bucks by cooking at home.  

Last night I was looking at the chefs that will be participating in the upcoming season of Top Chef Masters.  These chefs are the best of the best.  Last year's competition featured the likes of Hubert Keller, Rick Bayless and Michael Chiarello just to name a few.  I watched them put together meals in a dorm room on a bunson burner that I could never imagine making in the finest kitchen with the finest ingredients and all the time in the world.  Anyway, this season there are 21 different chefs competing.  The most represented cities are New York and Los Angeles with 5 each, followed by Chicago and Seattle with 3.  That's right, not Boston or Miami, or the Bay Area, but Seattle.  Chefs Maria Hines (Tilth, Earth & Ocean), Thierry Rautureau (Rover's), and Jerry Traunfeld (Poppy, formerly the Herbfarm) will be representing Seattle.  And sadly, I have to admit, I have not eaten at any of their restaurants.

Going beyond the chefs featured in this season of Top Chef Masters, you can find celebrity chefs (Tom Douglas, John Howie), Iron Chef participatns (Tamara Murphy, Brasa), and so much more.  The Seattle restaurant scene is actually quite impressive, and I think I'm doing myself, and readers of my blog, a disservice if I don't take advantage of these wonderful places right in my own backyard. 

So, be sure to check out the Seattle chefs in this Top Chef Masters (free endorsement for Bravo, maybe next year I can charge when my readership is up), and I'll do my best to get out more often in my local community to provide some feedback on the various Seattle restaurants.  And maybe in the process I'll learn a thing or two that I can take back to my own cooking.

Soup's On!!

For the past couple of days, it has been uncharacteristically stormy here in Seattle.  Strong winds and heavy rains have made it quite unpleasant outside.  But, the stormy weather has done nothing to dampen my spirit, and has in fact stoked my appetite...for soup that is.  Soup is just one of those great comfort foods.  It's filling and delicious, and on cold and blustery days, it's just the perfect thing to warm you up from the inside out.  I'm sure there are plenty of you out there that feel the same way.

So, I decided that tonight would be one of our soup nights.  Up until this point though, I had always "cheated" a little bit.  My favorite soup was one of those powdered cheese and broccoli soups.  Add 8 cups of water bring to a boil, add the powder, stir, simmer, serve.  Easy enough, and usually pretty good.  But, I'm moving away from the simple powder mixes and into the world of "from scratch".  So tonight's plan of attack was a potato soup, based on a recipe by Michael Chiarello of Bottega in Napa Valley.

When I got home, I jumped right into it, and quickly realized that this was pretty easy.  I cooked down some aromatics, then added some potatoes and chicken stock.  I let that cook for awhile so the potatoes could soften.  The hardest part is at this point is that I wasn't able to taste what was going on as it would have just been leek infused chicken stock.  I had to ride it out, and if the flavors didn't come together, pull out the leftover fajitas from a couple nights ago.

Once the potatoes were soft, I dumped everything into a blender to puree.  It was at this point that I realized the importance of one of those hand blenders.  I could have simply blended all of the ingredients in the pot rather than having to dump it into the blender and splashing it all over myself.  But, I managed to get it blended smooth and back into the pot where I added a little cream to smooth it out.  Then I added my own twist on it with some sauteed Canadian bacon, and a smoked mozzarella and cheddar blend, making it more of a baked potato style soup.  When I took my first bite, the taste was just what I had hoped for.  It was hearty and full of flavor, and the addition of the Canadian bacon really balanced out the potato flavor.  The only thing missing was a little green on the top, something like scallions, and maybe a little additional cream or butter to thin it out just a little bit more.

Overall, I would say that the first step down the homemade soup path was quite a success, and one that will definitely be repeated in the future, with a few more tweaks of course.  I had a lot of fun with the process as it was simple and not overly intensive, but created a lot of wonderful aromas throughout the process that just stoked the hunger, and made the final result just that much better.