Butternut Squash & Chanterelle Mushroom Risotto

Here's the kicker with this recipe: millet.  I can't remember ever having eaten millet before, let alone purchased it in order to cook risotto, but here we are.  Buttery, creamy risotto without butter or white rice or gluten.

• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 1 cup coarsely chopped chanterelle mushrooms
• 1 cup millet
• 4-6 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 20 sage leaves
• 2 cups cubed butternut squash

To start off, sautée the shallots and mushrooms in oil until soft, about 5 min.  Add a cup of water and bring to a boil before adding the millet.  Then start adding in the broth, 1/2 cup at a time, every time the stock is about absorbed by the risotto.  I thought it was way too soupy at first, but after stirring and adding for 2 hours, I had added the full 6 cups of stock.  Meanwhile, in the oven, toss the squash and sage leaves in a Tbs of olive oil and roast for 30 minutes until the squash is soft and the leaves are crispy.  Stir in half the sage leaves, crumbled.  Serve the risotto first, then top with the roasted squash and a few leaves for garnish.  I don't know how it's achieved, but this is the butteriest risotto I've ever tasted!

Chicken & Quinoa Tabbouleh

This is a great spring or summer salad or one-dish dinner for a lighter night.  It's inspired by a Clean recipe but modified to be appetizing for even my husband.

Ingredients:
• Rainbow quinoa (or really any type)
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1/2 cup parsley, chopped
• 4 carrots, chopped into small but crunchy pieces
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• Juice of 2 good-sized lemons, plus teaspoon zest
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped into small bite-size pieces (I poached them in vegetable broth but would grill them with olive oil and sea salt next time)

Cook the quinoa in water, making sure to wash the grains first.  While quinoa is cooking, chop the vegetables and mix in olive oil, salt and lemon and grill the chicken, setting aside to cool before dicing.  Mix everything together in a large bowl and cool to room temperature.  (This is ok to refrigerate, but best served at room temp rather than ice cold.)

For some extra greens, I served it with dino kale sauteed in olive oil, sea salt and turmeric.

Balsamic Roasted Chicken & Wild Rice Pilaf

This is a wintry meal with strong and sensitive flavors.  The recipe came from Clean but includes my modifications below.  It's gluten-free, dairy-free.

Balsamic Roasted Chicken:

• 2 chicken breasts (I used skin removed, but can use skin-on)
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly lengthwise
• 1 1/2 cups balsamic vinegar
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

In an oven-proof skillet, cook the balsamic vinegar, rosemary and garlic until it's been reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 20 minutes.  Heat oven to 425°.  Rub chicken breasts with olive oil and salt, then place in skillet.  The balsamic reduction should be about 1/4" to 1/2" of liquid in the skillet.  Cover the skillet with a lid and place in the oven for about 10 minutes, until breasts are cooked through, and spooning the reduction over the tops of the chicken every few minutes.

Wild Rice Pilaf Ingredients:
• 2 cups cooked wild rice, made with a vegetable stock
• 2 shallots, diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, soaked for 2 hours
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Bring vegetable stock to a boil according to the directions of the wile rice you purchase.  Cook the rice, about 50 minutes.  While the rice is cooking, chop the shallots, cilantro and mint and toss in olive oil and salt.  Once cooked, stir in the rice and drained sunflower seeds (soaking them for water for 2 hours gives them a nutty, chewy texture).  Served with the chicken, the pilaf contributes a foil for the intensity of the chicken.

Clean Eating

2011 was the year of feeling under the weather.  To kick-start 2012, I decided to attempt the Clean Program, a cleanse meant to reset the immune system and some other bonus side-effects.  The main concept is to reduce food toxins in the body that cannibalize your immune system by requiring too much of it for digestion.  Once those foods are eliminated and the toxins make their way out of the system, you sleep better, see greater skin clarity, feel less joint pain and even shed some pounds.

The first step was to eliminate gluten, dairy, sugar, soy, caffeine and alcohol.  Whoa.  At first, I thought there were tons of recipes and options.  After literally three days, I felt the opposite.  It's crazy how many gluten-free products contain soy or milk and how vegetables start to taste like eating grass after weeks of exclusive consumption.  The shakes I ate for breakfast and dinner were horrible—gritty and flavorless—yet satisfying in a way that helped me not be hungry for real food.

Did I feel different after 3 weeks?  Maybe.  I felt lighter and was sleeping great.  But let's get real for a minute.  I write a food blog.  I'm obsessed with fine dining.  I want to taste ever flavor on the planet and I want to cook for as many hours a day as I can manage.  Removing delicious food from my life did not a happy Ellen make.  I would certainly recommend removing dairy from your diet for a few weeks to see how you feel.  I noticed a big difference in something random, my throat was totally clear every morning.  Now that I've added cheese and yogurt back into my diet, I often wake up with a sore throat that takes an hour or so (and a shower and a multivitamin) to clear up.

I'm still going to post the best recipes I tried, since they're worth trying again!

Quinoa Cooler

Lunch at Cafe del Sol is a multiple-time-per-week occurrence, mainly because of the Quinoa Cool dish comprised of warm and soft quinoa, rinsed and cold black beans, halved cherry tomatoes, diced avocado and the silkiest, most crave-able lime dressing.  I attempted to recreate this masterpiece at home on a Saturday night when I was craving Mexican food yet trying not to overindulge.  Here's the recipe:

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• Juice of 2 very juicy limes (go for three if you're not sure)
• 2 Tbs olive oil
• Generous sea salt
• 1 avocado per person (no need to skimp on the best part!)
• 1 can black beans, rinsed
• 1/4 chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup cilantro, mostly chopped with a few leaves for garnish

After tossing the quinoa in the lime juice, olive oil and salt, tenderly stir in the beans, onion and cilantro.  Top with avocado and garnish.  Healthy, light, but very filling!

Sherry's Succulent Shrimp "Ceviche"

Imagine me using giant air quotes to call this dish "ceviche" because you don't actually have to use raw shrimp.

• 3 limes
• 1/2 lb shrimp
• 3 tomatoes
• green pepper
• diced white onion
• bunch of cilantro
• salt pepper
• oregano
• jalapeno
• 1 tb white wine vinegar

This citrusy, cilantro-riddled tapa is a great way to kick-start a Spanish or South-American meal, which is exactly how I first encountered it, skinny marg in-hand.  The key is to totally overdo it with the cilantro.  You'll think, "that's probably enough" and then my advice to you is: double it.  Chop up the whole bunch and go nuts, you won't regret it.

Lemon Roasted Chicken

I recently saw a cooking segment on the Today Show with a roasted chicken stuffed with lemons and decided I had to try it.  So with a bag of cute, mini lemons and a whole chicken (with the goods still lounging about inside), I set to work.  In the roasting pan went chopped rutabagas, turnips and tiny multi-colored fingerling potatoes tossed in olive oil, Italian herbs and garlic.  Chicken prep was super simple: after cleaning out the (I can never think of a decent word for this) "cavity," went 2 lemons thoroughly poked with fork holes.  The skin was rubbed with Pam spray and Italian herbs including dried basil, parsley, oregano and thyme.  Over the top of the veggies and chicken went the zest of 2 more lemons plus their juice for extra kick. 

The final product was juicy and zesty with lemon.  After removing the vegetables and while waiting for the chicken to cool before carving, the roasting pan went on the stove.  The pan deglazed with white wine and chicken stock was still in need of something more, so in went a healthy half cup of dijon mustard.  The sauce was delicious and just thick enough.

Green Monsters

My cousin Debbie has an amazing blog, Savor Life Blog, with amazing, healthful recipes, always taking advantage of fresh, in-season ingredients.  She's helped me realize I am seriously not getting enough greenery in my diet!  One solution?  Green breakfast smoothies!  My first attempts were rather good, if I say so myself, now the goal is to increase greens, flavor and time before I get hungry again.  It's delicious and I love knowing I'm getting some veggies in the morning!  Here's my daily recipe:

• 1/2 cup diced mango
• 1 cup spinach leaves
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1 banana
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 1/2 cups water

Two-meat Meat-balls

To carb-load for the Second Annual Carmel Half Marathon Invitational (wow, that's a mouthful), Chris and I whipped up lamb and pork meatballs.  Panko breadcrumbs and chopped herbs made all the difference with more white pepper than you'd think you could handle; also known as just the right amount!  Given the measure of meat, one egg should have been enough but a second yolk made the meatballs much softer yet still stick together.  Sauteed mushrooms in garlicky tomato sauce sealed the deal.

Shepherd's Pie

Fresh off our quick trip to London, John and I were craving the comforting, hearty mushiness of shepherd's pie like no other.  It didn't help that our search for a good country pie in London was impossible what with pubs offering more culinary options these days.  (And it's hard to count the one we ate on the plane home, for obvious reasons.)  I made ours from a combination of recipes, both low-fat and, well, high.

Meat Mixture

• 2 sprays of canola oil
• 1 onion, chopped and softened in the skillet
• 2 carrots, peeled, sliced and softened
• 3 celery stalks, chopped and softened
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 lb. ground beef, browned in the skillet with softened vegetables
• dash worcestershire sauce (or a couple)
• 1 cup beef broth (extra boullion)
• 1 cup frozen peas added right before the oven
• salt & pepper to taste

Whipped Potatoes

• 4 large potatoes (I used 3 goldens and 1 russet)
• 1/2 cup no-fat sour cream mixed in while whipping potatoes
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan mixed in
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup low-fat mozzarella grated and sprinkled over the top of the casserole in the oven

Once the potatoes were whipped and the beef was browned, they were layered and sprinkled with cheese for 1 hour at 350º.  We ate it two nights in a row and had second helpings each time!

The Gift of Greek

 For mom's birthday this year, a Greek feast seemed quite fitting.  After such a decadent year, we went for a rustic, simple meal:

• Tzatziki with sweet baguette
• Kalamata olives
• Avgolemono soup
• Lamb Kleftiko
• Baclava with vanilla bean ice cream

The tzatziki recipe called for more attention to detail than I'd given the dish before—2 Tbsp lemon juice and white pepper were impressive additions.  From past experience, I reduced the suggestion of 6 cloves of garlic to just 1, and was glad for it.  For the cucumbers, I grated one and thinly sliced the other for texture contrast, before drying them on paper towels for 30 min.

• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced finely
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. white pepper
• 4 cups greek yogurt, strained
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and grated or sliced extra thinly
• 4 tsp. chopped fresh dill

My mom would prepare avgolemono soup from time to time when we were growing up and it was always comforting and surprisingly tangy, a wonderful remedy for a cold winter night.  Our version was made with rice instead of orzo, so it had less lemony tang and more starch. 

• 12 c. chicken broth
• 2 c. rice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 eggs
• Juice of 4 lemons

While we found a variety of Kleftiko recipes online and in the Greek cookbooks I brought home, it seemed like the best way to achieve the glory of a Mama Thira dish would be to go by feel.  We started with a pound of lamb and diced it, removing all fat so only the olive oil would flavor it.  In a deep sautee pan, we simmered chopped yellow onions, diced golden potatoes and as much oregano, fresh dill, basil, mint and garlic as we could.  The kitchen was so filled with the aromas of a Greek taverna, I could practically feel the Mediterranean sun.  Once the potatoes were softened, after about 20-30 min, we added the lamb, salt and pepper.  Separately, in the oven, super-thinly sliced potatoes sprayed with olive oil and sea salt were broiled until golden and crispy.  To create each plate, we first made a ring of crispy potato slices.  On top went a serving of the herbed lamb and potato.  Finally, chopped tomato was placed around the meat, tzatziki drizzled on top and a sprig of rosemary for garnish.

• 1 lb. lamb, trimmed and diced
• 2 large yellow onions, diced
• 4 medium golden potatoes, sliced thinly
• 4 medium golden potatoes, diced
• 2 Tbs (or more, to taste) fresh dill, oregano, rosemary & thyme
• Chopped tomato, for garnish
• Tzatziki, for garnish

We made the baclava while the Kleftiko was in progress.  Ignoring the recipe's suggestion to layer up to 5 pieces of phyllo between each brushing of butter and nuts, we made each layer its own contributor to the final product:

• 1 package phyllo dough
• 1/2 lb. butter
• 1 lb. chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, pistachios)
• Lots of cinnamon
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup water
• Lime zest

We actually used much more than a pound of nuts and discovered that only one cup of water boiled with the honey wasn't enough syrup.  Next time, enough syrup to practically drown the pastry is a must!

Carmel Clam Chowder

New England and Manhattan were already taken, so Carmel now has a signature clam-based chowder.

On a super cold, rainy night in Carmel with some of John's Alaskan salmon, I undertook my first chowder.  The best recipe I could find began with bacon.  What recipe which begins with bacon could possibly be mediocre?  The other major selling points were the cup of half and half (instead of boring old milk) and that I would be grating a carrot instead of chopping it.  What fun!

• 6 slices thick cut bacon, sliced into 1/4 inch strips
• 2 cups yellow onions, diced
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 3/4 cup celery, chopped
• 3 cups cooked potatoes, in 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 Tbs dill
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/3 or 1/2 cup flour
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups clam juice
• 3 6.5 oz cans of chopped clams, juice included
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1 cup half and half
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3/4 lb fresh salmon, in 1/2 inch cubes
• (plus a good tablespoon of brandy for kick)

After the bacon is crispy and the veggies are softened with spices, you make a roux with the flour and bacon drippings and stir in all the liquids except the cream.  As it came to a boil, I put a bunch of chopped vegetables in the oven as a side dish.  Just before serving, sourdough rolls went into the oven to warm up, the half and half was stirred in, and finally this comfort food feast was ready to devour!

It was a wonderfully wintry meal, complete with a fire in the fireplace and rain pouring down outside.  I thought the soup itself was super creamy, almost to the point of being too much and when I warmed leftovers, I added a few cups of seafood stock and more sauteed vegetables (in bacon of course).  The dill really makes this soup, it's not a shocking combination of cream, salmon and dill, but it's certainly a time-tested classic.

Butternut Squash & Cinnamon Soup

One of the new, exotic items in my kitchen thanks to our wedding registry is a Bamix hand mixer, perfect for blending vegetables to make soup.  Given the autumn turn of the weather and upcoming Thanksgiving, comfort food like squash soup is often on my mind, so I sauteed a pan of butternut squash cubes in a bit of olive oil.  Adding white pepper, salt and cinnamon, the squash softened and slightly carmelized in the pan. As soon as I was sure they were cooking through, I added just enough chicken stock to cover the vegetables and brought it to a boil before letting it simmer for a few minutes.  Transferring hot liquid is not without a few splashes of terror, but once it was safely in a deep glass bowl, I was able to start using the Bamix to smooth into a soup.  The texture was pretty thick, so I added more stock until it was just right.  I was really happy with how the soup turned out and how quick it was to whip up!  Next time: burnt garlic and creme fraiche on top, or perhaps the "so hot right now" fried sage leaf and sage oil.

Joys of Cooking

Many things make the "art" of cooking especially gratifying: pleasing your taste buds, pleasing your guest's taste buds, successfully achieving a difficult result...others are less obvious; finding you have just the right ingredients already in the fridge, discovering a new, delicious sauce combination by accident...and my favorite today: filling the entire house with inviting, mouth-watering scents and using pristine cookware!

On a lazy, rainy Sunday, I was looking for a meal that would make for an extra challenging and enjoyable afternoon of cooking.  Beef Bourguignon?  Done!  This time I would follow Julia's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" recipe to a T—hours of prep and all.  I wish I could somehow capture the aromas wafting around our apartment; fresh rosemary and thyme mixed with carmelizing cippolini onions, bacon, fresh pepper and wine...it's warmth and coziness in the form of food.

I must say, cooking with our new cookware makes the experience about doubly delightful.  Our knives are so sharp and adept, I was able to peel 25 cippolini onions in record time.  The giant le Creuset dutch oven John bought me for Christmas last year is a much better suited size for the 3 lbs. of beef.  The All Clad sautee pan is about as even a skillet as ever, allowing me to leave the onions carmelizing with herbs for 50 minutes without trouble.  We even have prep bowls to store chopped garlic and thyme!  And enough mixing bowls to set aside the bacon, meat, onions and mushrooms separately and sanitarily!  Oh, such joy of cooking!

Moussaka Attempt #1

While honeymooning in Greece, I ate baked moussaka more than anything else.  At Byzantine, it was a choice slice of casserole while at Blue Moon and Mama Thira, it was baked in an individual clay pot.  I couldn't wait to learn how to cook this classic dish.  Below is the recipe I used, plus notes on what I changed and what I need to change on the next round:

Casserole:

• 3 eggplants, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices - next time, 1/4 inch slices or thinner
• salt - go nuts
• 1/4 cup olive oil - a teensy bit at a time in the pan to flash fry the eggplant
• 1 tablespoon butter - ok to use oil instead
• 1 pound lean ground beef - used half lamb, half beef
• salt to taste - go crazy
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 onions, chopped - only used one since it seemed like so much
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon - used 1/2 teaspoon and it still wasn't enough!
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg - ditto on the nutmeg, recommend a full teaspoon
• 1/2 teaspoon fines herbs
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup red wine

Bechamel Sauce:

• 4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• salt to taste
• ground white pepper, to taste - the more, the better

Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

I also added quarter-inch slices of potatoes at the bottom of the casserole since that's how it was served in Greece.  Although the cinnamon, nutmeg, fines herbs and parsley add a bit of flavor, I still felt it wasn't nearly as flavorful as I was hoping for.  On the next batch, I won't be so hesitant to double and triple up the spice quotient.  This experience also taught me how underrated white pepper has been in my cooking repertoire.

To prepare, slice the eggplant and potato, sprinkle with salt and layer in a casserole dish.  The recipe called for browning the eggplant in olive oil but I made one casserole without browning the eggplant at all and it tasted and cooked the same.  In a skillet, brown the beef and lamb in some olive oil.  Then add garlic, chopped onion, herbs, spices, and finally the tomato sauce and wine.  Layer half of this mixture over the eggplant, then sprinkle a half cup of parmesan.  Layer more sliced eggplant, the other half of the meat and another half cup of parmesan.

For the bechamel sauce, prepare as you typically would but add in another teaspoon of nutmeg.  Pour this over the final layer of the casserole and sprinkle the final half cup of parmesan on top.  Bake at 350° for one hour, then let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

Fiesta Time!

To kick off my amazing Seattle weekend with the girls, Sherry hosted a fiesta on her fab "new" deck.  I couldn't believe how lucky we got with the weather—sitting outside all afternoon across the street from Greenlake, sipping margs and powering through months of much-needed girltalk catch-up.

She began with homemade shrimp ceviche loaded with spicy onions, jalapeno, tomato and bell pepper.  If this wasn't impressive enough, Melissa chimed in with her now-famous hummole (guacamole hummus!)  By dinnertime, I was expecting simplicity given the obvious trouble of the ceviche, but it only got better!  Tamales FROM SCRATCH!!  Amazing and so delicious with pork, potato and the creamiest cornmeal.

The piece de resistance was a chipotle brownie with basil-infused mango sorbet.  Sherry, you've outdone yourself.

Seattle Wedding Shower

Since the most amazing women in my life are spread out all over the world, my mom and my aunt hatched a plan to host a few of them in Seattle last month.  Wendy sent out the most adorable invitations, enticing guests to celebrate not just my upcoming wedding but to do it with my favorite kitchen color: red!  As you must have guess by now, everything we registered for is food-related, whether for entertaining or for cooking.  Too fun!

Three of my four aunts were on hand, as well as my cousins and bridesmaids (all except my maid of honor in London, but we'll get there soon enough).  Wendy put together a gorgeous spread of spinach-bacon quiche, fruit salad, tomato salad, cheese (obvi) and cupcakes.  There's nothing more comforting than warm quiche for a late brunch.  Pair it with a coffee and glass of Walla Walla white wine and I'll be happy as a clam!  She did a really nice job with the presentation too, tomato slices roasted on top and a flaky, just-made crust.

The cupcakes were a different story.  I'm not usually a fan of sweets, but the frosting was lavender-flavored, and they were from Cupcake Royale so I had to give them a try.  Having been one of those enticed by the adorable ceramic pots of "cooking lavender" at Williams Sonoma, I've been constantly trying to find the right place to use it.  I've added to a quiche with herbs de Provence, coq au vin, all those funky French dishes in which flavors can be distracting from the ultimate goal.  So while I have all kinds of hopes for this floral "herb," I've yet to experience its mastery.  Until the shower!  The frosting was unreal, a sort of gentle lavender flavor with crunches of candied lavender seeds—just enough to make you hope you get one in the next bite but not enough to overpower.  Done right.

Payback is a... Halibut?

Usually, payback is a bad thing, commonly referred to as a B and not in the endearing (I hope?) way my friends refer to me.

In this case, however, my payback for giving John a flight to Alaska for 10 days to visit Drue is an endless supply of the freshest, most delectable smoked salmon!  In just over a week, the man caught over 100 lbs of halibut and salmon, which means that annoying, top-loading extra freezer in our kitchen is finally full of something I can't wait to thaw!

Look at my impressive husband-to-be! (if you're impressed by this sort of thing, which I guess I am, even though I have no idea how they got a stick through 6 salmon or whose idea it was to put a stick through the gills of these fish)

We've been eating smoked salmon with nearly every weekend bagel, savoring the texture and barely-there fishiness I've never experience with store-bought lox.  The halibut—impressively thick steaks so fresh it's nearly impossible to overcook them to dryness—have provided endless opportunities for new recipes.  We've made baked halibut with blue cheese cream sauce (a John concoction), grilled halibut with chipotle lime butter (low-calorie Ellen option), lemon and red onion pan-seared halibut, even white wine and mushroom halibut with fingerling potatoes!  I can't get enough of it.

Payback is awesome.  Where will I send John next?!

Second time is a charm!

The second attempt at the First Class Cooking green garlic soufflé was a success! Give credit to the real, actual souffle dish or the expert second try, either way it was a fluffy, creamy achievement. Voila!

Dinner Theater

You know what most dishes are missing? Presentation! Our friends had us over for dinner last weekend and impressed us with a multi-flavor masterpiece presented as beautifully as if we were dining in their restaurant. (Yes, they own a restaurant) My favorite part of the meal were the crispy fried shallots sprinkled on top. Great idea and it turned the down-home American dish into a work of art.
Sliced, marinated steak topped garlic mashed potatoes and fresh creamed corn. I'm looking forward to attempting the cream corn with chopped red onion and parsley. Crimini and shitake mushrooms added some texture to the plate: mushy potatoes, crunchy corn, chewy mushrooms, tender steak and crunchy shallots. Texture-tastic!