What's cooking?

My day's work - pickled okra!

Wow, Jo Ann, really interesting. I've been working through different ways to use okra (gumbo is somewhere on my agenda) but I never heard of pickling it. What do you do, the obvious thing, "just eat it"? Or is it used in cooking?

[Jenise]

I like it better than a regular cherry tomato, if for nothing but the aesthetic value. But, there are others that I prefer for flavor.

Perfectly put, same here.

Pickled okra can be used in the same way as any other pickled condiment. I most often use it to top a plate of mustard or collard greens for people to cut up and add another flavor profile to the dish. Place one pickled okra atop a bowl of steaming hot gumbo, or any other Louisiana traditional dish -- it'll make you slap yo' mama! Martini anyone? Rather than those olives or cocktail onions, slip a spicy pickled okra into the glass. Slice and top a dilly deviled egg... You are all cooks, you know what to do!

Tomato, Basil, Cheese Tart with Crumbled Bacon Crust.

Oak Tree and Tart 020.JPG

Tomato, Basil, Cheese Tart with Crumbled Bacon Crust.

Oak Tree and Tart 020.JPG

Beautiful, Winger. And, I'm sure it was delicious. Bacon crust, YUM!

[Jenise]

Tonight, buccatini alla Amatriciana. One of my very favorite pastas when made with fresh tomatoes, so it's kind of an end-of-season dish for when there are suddenly have more tomatoes on hand than even a tomato addict like me can manage. A bittersweet kind of event, then, as it signals that summer is truly over.

Tomato, Basil, Cheese Tart with Crumbled Bacon Crust.

Oak Tree and Tart 020.JPG

What kind of cheese? I'm trying to taste it with my mind.

What kind of cheese? I'm trying to taste it with my mind.

Ricotta.
I re-heated a slice for today's lunch...yummmmm.

On the grill this evening is a backstrap of venison (harvested by Gail last November) marinated in Balsamic, oil and steak seasoning, along with pesto flatbread (made with Princess Pizza Dough). Too soon after Sunday's harvest to have chicken.

In the churn now: the last watermelon-lime sorbet of the season.

[Jenise]

Last night: big fat dry packed FRESH diver scallops, three each pan-seared, served on a puddle of a raw garlic-orange-tomato sauce with a mesclun greens and on the side, fresh Bow Hill baguette with local pasture butter. Dear god, it was good! I'd had other plans for dinner but a stop at the amazing Co-op in Mt. Vernon on my way home from Seattle changed all that. I never see scallops like that up here. Almost as good was the wine pairing: an Encruzado from Portugal, which I remembered as having an orange blossom scent about it. Well there it was in spades with that bit of orange rind in the sauce--fabuloso!

The kitchen remains cold and clean today. We have been out on the Munich Oktoberfest.

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A liter of good "Paulaner" beer with a huge soft pretzel

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together with half a well grilled duck

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and back home we had some coffee with a piece of Galaktoboureko (Sweet greek semolina cake) and homemade vanilla ice-cream

A liter of good "Paulaner" beer with a huge soft pretzel

Helles?

Last night: big fat dry packed FRESH diver scallops, three each pan-seared, served on a puddle of a raw garlic-orange-tomato sauce with a mesclun greens and on the side, fresh Bow Hill baguette with local pasture butter. Dear god, it was good! I'd had other plans for dinner but a stop at the amazing Co-op in Mt. Vernon on my way home from Seattle changed all that. I never see scallops like that up here. Almost as good was the wine pairing: an Encruzado from Portugal, which I remembered as having an orange blossom scent about it. Well there it was in spades with that bit of orange rind in the sauce--fabuloso!

Sounds fabulous Jenise. I love Sea Scallops and these hand harvested ones would be a dream come true for me. I hope our new fish market in town can get this as a special request. That Co-Op sounds great. A group here in Redding has been working on that idea, they even had the building in mind. They wanted to bring in all sorts of fresh seafoods and source produce from all the growers in the area. The City has given them such a hard time....fees, restrictions (they wanted to have alley access for customer pick-up) that is just made the entire project overwhelming. There is still hope, however.

Tonight it is a family favorite and an unusual application for a tri-tip. The meat is well seasoned with Montreal Steak Seasoning, and Ponzu Sauce, then placed on a bed of baby leeks and red onion. It is sealed tightly in a foil wrap and oven cooked long and slow at 250° for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. This time, young carrots will be placed with the meat for the last 90 minutes. The odor in the house from this roast is amazing.
A side dish of Chili-Brown Sugar Delicata Squash with Pears roasted in the oven and to round out the dinner, sliced Cherokee Purple tomatoes placed on a bed of young, leaf lettuces, different varieties, both green and purple, with a drizzle of fig balsamic, and a sprinkle of purple basil.

A liter of good "Paulaner" beer with a huge soft pretzel

Helles?

No it's something like Vienna export. It is made of the commercial Vienna malt. The original alcohol content is about 7 % . Vienna export with its coppery color is stronger than the Munich bright (Helles), but lighter than the classic Munich Dunkel. It is comparatively strongly hopped. Most comparable with the beer that today major Munich breweries pour at Oktoberfest as "Wiesenbier".

[Jenise]

In the kitchen now: 19 pounds of fresh raw whole salmon filets for me to prep for smoking on Friday. One filet was to become our dinner. I feel oddly sick to my stomach, however, and can face neither. This is not good.

Tomato, Basil, Cheese Tart with Crumbled Bacon Crust.

Oak Tree and Tart 020.JPG

Beautiful, Winger. And, I'm sure it was delicious. Bacon crust, YUM!

I'd eat it!

Tonight, buccatini alla Amatriciana. One of my very favorite pastas when made with fresh tomatoes, so it's kind of an end-of-season dish for when there are suddenly have more tomatoes on hand than even a tomato addict like me can manage. A bittersweet kind of event, then, as it signals that summer is truly over.

My favorite also, Jenise. Did you make it with pancetta or guanciale and which do you prefer?

Tomato, Basil, Cheese Tart with Crumbled Bacon Crust.

Oak Tree and Tart 020.JPG

Beautiful, Winger. And, I'm sure it was delicious. Bacon crust, YUM!

I'd eat it!

Me too! Yum!

My parents come to town tonight. It'll be so good to see them. I'm making my Dad's favorite...lamb shanks. (Sometimes I wonder if he is a little Greek.)
Well I had two in the freezer and went to get a few more but the store didn't have any so I bought a boneless leg and will put that in with it on a very low braise for about five hours. It'll braise with onions, shallots and garlic, with some white wine, chicken stock and fresh rosemary. Serving over mashed Yukon Golds and carrots and parsnips that will cook with the meat. Salad will be baby greens, apples, walnuts and Champagne vinaigrette.

Serving over mashed Yukon Golds and carrots and parsnips that will cook with the meat. Salad will be baby greens, apples, walnuts and Champagne vinaigrette.

Sounds great Carrie. How did the lamb leg compare to the shank....any difference?

I did not realize until this week how much more flavorful Yukon Golds are than Russets. I have been using Yukons for years now and this week the store I was in only had little ones. I bought Russets (for the first time in years) to make mashed potatoes, they were blah!

[Jenise]

Tonight, buccatini alla Amatriciana. One of my very favorite pastas when made with fresh tomatoes, so it's kind of an end-of-season dish for when there are suddenly have more tomatoes on hand than even a tomato addict like me can manage. A bittersweet kind of event, then, as it signals that summer is truly over.

My favorite also, Jenise. Did you make it with pancetta or guanciale and which do you prefer?

I used an uncured local bacon that's not overtly smokey.

[Jenise]

On the stove right now: tiny Seckel pears poaching in blueberry wine with fennel seed, cloves and grains of paradise. In another pan, wild rice is cooking that is destined for a cold chicken and jerusalem artichoke lunch salad which I'll serve mounded over red mustard leaves. And in still another pan, leftover peach gazpacho is turning into a fruity habanero granita. I am a happy girl.