Fresh Tart

So, as I mentioned yesterday, I had a cooler full of fresh, delicious CSA veggies to work with for dinner tonight.  I opted for pasta, tangled with ribbons of collards, fennel, and spring onions, as well as bites of zucchini (the zucchini was not from my veggie share - it was just chilling in the fridge, biding its time, waiting for a veggie dish needing some moisture and the ability to absorb the flavor of garlic, yeah).  But really, any tasty combination of vegetables would work - choose what you like.  I had intended ziti or penne - the thickness stands up nicely to a coarse "sauce" - but when I opened the cupboard, alas, the thickest, heartiest shape I could find was linguine, so linguine it was.

I seared the veggies on the grill, chapa-style (yes, again - what can I say, not heating up my kitchen is a nice thing in the summer).  Wait, I should back up - I started by searing two slices of bacon, chopped.  When it was crisp, I removed to a large bowl and then added the ribbons of collard greens and zucchini to the pan (and drippings).  Collards are tougher than, say, spinach or chard, so need a longer cooking time and some moisture (zuchhini adds quite a bit of moisture, but I added a few drizzles of water as well) to achieve truly tender.  Make sure to add a sprinkle of salt as you stir.  When both achieved melty and lightly charred, I added a clove of minced garlic, stirred it around a bit, and then transferred the whole pan to the bowl with the bacon (toss, toss).

I then added a couple of teaspoons of olive oil to the hot pan, then stirred in the fennel and onions (and a sprinkle of salt) and saute-seared them until also lightly charred.  I scraped them into the bowl with the bacon, collards, and zucchini, added a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, a crumble of Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste, and the veggies were ready to toss with pasta.

Here's how to finish - cook pasta (1/2 lb. to serve 3-4) according to package directions until al dente.  While the pasta cooks, in a small skillet, saute one clove of minced garlic and 1/2 tsp. of red pepper flakes in 1-2 Tbsp. of olive oil, until garlic is just barely colored.  Remove from heat.  Just before draining the pasta, reserve 1/4 c. of the pasta cooking water.  Drain the pasta, return to the warm pot, and toss with the garlic/oil, reserved water, and salt and pepper to taste until "creamy" (the starch in the cooking water creates a bit of a "sauce").  Toss in the vegetables and an additional grating of cheese to taste.  A shower of freshly minced herbs would be nice.  I use probably 2/3 veg to 1/3 pasta - a perfect opportunity to enjoy a small taste of pasta (no more than a couple of ounces) with lots of delicious vegetables (go whole-wheat pasta if your family won't revolt - mine, sadly, would/has).

Enjoy thoroughly.

I'd say I made a lovely dinner tonight with the bounty of La Finca CSA produce I received yesterday (fennel, dill, broccoli, collards, onions, carrots, strawberries), but no.  Not after a late, bountiful lunch at 20.21 with John and Nathan, followed by a not-digestif-enough walk through the Sculpture Garden and the Walker's permanent exhibit.  We shared juicy, pork-filled potstickers; sticky, spicy chicken lettuce cups; chewy noodles studded with silky beef short rib pieces, crunchy bok choy, mushrooms, and asparagus; and spicy-sweet calamari salad.  Mmm, all so good that we're all still stuffed.  And so, the veggies will have to wait for tomorrow night.

Except the strawberries - the strawberries are gone baby gone...

Stay tuned for what I'm thinking will be a pasta for tomorrow's din - I'll likely saute a bit of pancetta, then the fennel, collards, and onions (separately, chapa-style on the grill) and toss it all with ziti, a handful of fresh herbs, and a generous grating of Parm.  A nice way to eat lots of delicious veggies, with a small amount of pasta.

...chapa being the process of cooking food on a skillet over a hot (600-degree) fire (technique from Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way).  Tonight I grilled thinly-sliced fennel, onions, and wild mushrooms (tossed with chopped herbs and fresh-sqeezed lemon off-heat) before searing Vital Choice Wild Seafood King Salmon fillets, rubbed with a bit of olive oil and sprinkled with salt before setting them in the hot pan.  Five minutes (two minutes on one side, three on the other) is all it takes for crusty, just-done salmon.  Tonight I topped the fillets with Whole Foods' pineapple-n-mango salsa (found in the produce section - would be tasty on any fish), seriously delicious.  From chopping to plate, I'd say about 20 minutes - very, simply doable after a long day at work, and coming in easily at less than 400 calories.

I lucked into a delicious dinner at Debbie & Stu the Wine Genius' on Sunday night.  After a dry, dusty afternoon spent watching Little League baseball, it was oh-so-nice to sit in their lovely, shady backyard and sip a cool glass of white wine, ahhh.  Bill & Karla Forsythe were there as well, with their dachshund Sophie, joining Williams' two dachshunds Margeaux and brand new Sophie (yes, two dachshund Sophie's, ha).  All three girls are darling, but Puppy Sophie stole the show with her round, pink belly and happy napping.

While Sophie played musical laps, Stu grilled bison tenderloin and ribeye steaks.  I've eaten a fair amount of bison in my day, and certainly enjoyed it, but this version (from Whole Foods) was positively divine - tender-yet-beefy-beefy-beefy (despite being, technically, not beef), I imagine it tastes the way steak is supposed to taste.  I absolutely loved it and can't wait to throw some on the grill, rarrr. Stu and Debbie plated the sizzling steaks alongside roasted potatoes and asparagus (I forgot my camera, and Stu hadn't pulled his out yet, so I missed the gorgeous pic of all three piled on the same huge platter, set down in the center of the table, shame).  Stu poured a delicious Cote du Rhone alongside, Andezon 2004 - get this, it's $10/bottle!

For dessert we dug into two pastries (pictured above) from divine Rustica Bakery - a chiffon cake and a berry tart, served with a scoop of melty vanilla ice cream, so good.  Thanks to Debbe & Stu for another fab meal and evening!

Francesco Tonelli for The New York Times

On another note...you must check out this Mark Bittman article titled 101 Simple Salads for the Season which popped onto the NYTimes website this afternoon.  What a jewel!  Completely genius, do not miss it - in fact, print it out (I linked to the printable version) and get ready to hit your farmer's market this and every weekend for the rest of the summer.  Made my whole day - nice.

Date Night, Bar La Belle Vie, all good.  We skipped wine and sipped truly yummy summer cocktails - tasties such as Old Cubans (Mount Gay Rum, Fresh Mint, Bitters, Fresh Lime and Cava) and Prince Alberts (Earl Grey Infused Bombay Sapphire Gin, Fresh Lemon Sweet & Sour And Soda).  We sat down at the bar and both said, "Gosh, I wish we'd invited Stu (the Wine Genius) and Debbie" and lo and behold, in walked Stu and Debbie and Debbie's awesome sister Michelle, no kidding.

We munched on the best - The Best - bar burgers in Minneapoils, the mini-lamb burgers, topped with a spicy pepper and yogurt sauce, juicy, lamb-y, spicy-creamy perfection, they kill me, seriously.

We also noshed on crispy-salty pommes frites, and downed a mache-baby artichoke salad tossed over a pool of cumin-yogurt and slices of artichoke that was particularly divine with swipes of pommes frites.

Fry this, fry that, shake this, shake that, all fab, yum.

A drive home around lovely Lake of the Isles and despite the cold (it's 58 degrees out there as I type, nice July, puhlease), a gorgeous night.

Well, I try.  And really, there's no reason that whole-grain bread, a moderate amount of cheese, as well as a generous amount of veggies and lean protein shouldn't be a perfectly nutritious dinner - it's just the gut-bomb delivery and restaurant version that does the major damage.  (And can you say sodium?  Pizza Hut = serious balloonness, I'd hate to know the sodium content and I like salt.)  I've linked to this whole-wheat crust recipe before and I'm here to say again that it is really, really fantastic.  It makes two baking-sheet size thin-crust pizzas, or three slightly smaller, cracker-thin crusts (that's how I like it).

I pre-bake the crusts, on a pan, for about 5 minutes first.  Then I top with a quick, chunky sauce (crushed tomatoes simmered briefly with a couple of cloves of minced garlic, a generous pinch of red pepper flakes and dried oregano), a small amount of shredded cheese (mozzarella works, of course, but provolone or fontina packs more flavor-punch), and a whatever-I'm-in-the-mood-for mix of vegetables and protein.  Pepperoni and green olives for my son.  Caramelized onions and pancetta for adults.  Shirmp and artichokes if I'm motivated (which I was - above are baby artichokes, sauteed with garlic).

After topping, I slide the pie directly onto the oven rack (no pan - thus the pre-bake, it has enough shape to sit directly on the rack) and bake until the toppings are bubbling and crust is crisp, about 10 minutes at 450 degrees F.  If you add heavier toppings, bake at 400 degrees for a bit longer.  Have fun and improvise freely.

It's been quite a run of parties, entertaining, and dining out lately, whew.  Loads of fun, no doubt, but I'm itching to get back to my "normal" routine of eating lighter, simpler foods.  Especially after last night's hurrah of a dinner/feast, sending off my brother David, whose 4th of July visit has officially come to an end.  David, Stacey, John, Cooper, and I put away a seriously fabulous dinner at Cafe Maude last night, my first time eating there (and definitely not my last, we all loved it).  We shared an assortment of fresh and creative small plates - salad with duck confit, croquettes, crab cakes, scallops, lamb skewers.  We went a bit wild for the desserts as well - particularly strawberry-rhubarb tartlets, chocolate cake with intensely pistachio ice cream, and warm chocolate cookies-n-milk, with a little scoop of ice cream floating in the milk!  I had to leave early to pick up Nathan, but I smiled as I left when I caught sight of Cooper's chocolate-smeared "wips."  If you go, definitely check out the interesting wine list and creative cocktails (both buzzy and non-alcoholic).

So, anyhow, back to reality!  Despite including vegetables and salads in my entertaining menus, I'm still not hitting my usual quota of greens, so I made myself a quick veggie sandwich for lunch.  I love a sandwich for working vegetables into my lunch, especially if I'm a bit tired of salads.  Sometimes I go Greek in flavoring (tomatoes, spinach, feta, onions, cucumber yogurt), sometimes Italian (tomato sauce, zucchini, broccoli, onions, beans, mozzarella cheese), but today Indian sounded good.  This is not authentic cuisine I'm talking about here, just borrowing some tasty seasonings.  I warmed half of a loaf (piece) of naan, spread it with a bit of chutney and Greek yogurt, and topped it with vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, jalapeno) stir-fried in a teaspoon of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder (I added some chopped seitan for protein).  Warm and spicy, sweet and tangy, it hit all the right notes.

Tonight, I'm thinking grilled salmon.  We've really enjoyed the king salmon fillets I got from Vital Choice Wild Seafood - in fact, it's time to order more.  Perhaps a miso glaze, perhaps some dill and shallots.  With some grilled vegetables alongside, we'll be back on track.

Hello friends!  Yes, I'm still here, still cooking, despite falling way behind on taking pics and posting.  Like everyone, we are in full summer mode and that has meant non-stop entertaining and dining out, whew. Funny thing, you'd think that since I step up my cooking game for guests that I'd have more to write about, but lately it just hasn't panned (pun!) out.

Whirlwind overview of recent tasties, I hope it inspires a fun night out or some barbecue fun at home:

Last Thursday night, John and I broke out of our usual groove and headed over to Bradstreet Craftshouse, in the Graves 601 Hotel, for the finest drinks in the Twin Cities.  We had some nice food too - mini burgers, marinated vegetables - but Bradstreet is all about the drinks, highly crafted and beyond delicious.  I particularly loved the Juliet & Romeo (Plymouth gin, lime, mint, cucumber, rose water), refreshing with just a hint of sweet, perfect on a 90-degree day, ahhhh.

Last Friday night, we were invited to a Farewell to D'Amico Cucina (at least in Butler Square) Dinner with Debbie and Stu The Wine Genius Williams and Genie & Joe Dixon (as well as Genie & Joe's daughter-in-law and son, Twyla and Joe Jr.).  Lord what a feast, completely immoderate, ah well. I (over) indulged in seared foie gras with fresh figs (badly pictured above) and the most seriously kill single ravioli I have ever encountered.  Filled with smooth-creamy ricotta, and a whole egg, I cut into it to spill cheese and yolk into the browned truffle butter drizzled at the edges of the plate.  Oh yes, beyond decadent, luckily small portions, I won't say more, uff, except it appears the D'Amico Cucina team will soon be taking over the Chambers Kitchen.  When one door closes, another opens...

Saturday, we...golfed.  Yes, golfed!  I just started playing, oh about a month ago, John doesn't play at all, but we golfed anyhow, with our kindly neighbors Kasey & Dan Hatzung, in our neighborhood's "Better Half Invitational," hosted by Ellen & John Skahan and Lindsay & Dave Polyak.  Such fun, such non-serious golf, we had a complete blast, topped off by a lovely party at the Polyak residence.  I brought an appetizer - a thin-crust "pizza," lightly topped with pancetta, caramelized onions, tomatoes, and fontina cheese and served at room temp - and enjoyed the buffet of gorgeous appetizers brought by all the golfers.  Yum, I do love myself a pot-luck buffet...almost as much as my husband does...

Monday night we hosted my cousin Peter, his wife Kristin, and their adorable - adorable! - twin three-year-old daughters Emily and Erin.  Stacey and Cooper were here too, to dig in to garlicky pork tenderloin, tsatsiki (yogurt sauce with cucumber, garlic, and dill), grilled pita bread, a giant Greek salad, and Suz's to-die-for blueberry kuchen for dessert (she served it to me on Friday Afternoon Coffee with Suz.  I crave it - bonus, it's a breeze to make...).

Tuesday night, Kim The Maven of Mischief and I snuck out to Barrio Tequila Bar for mid-week tasty drinks and Mexican snacks.  Crab empanadas, potato-chorizo tacos, and shrimps grilled on sugar-cane skewers didn't put a dent in their fine menu, but put us in a fine mood nonetheless, completely making up for the fact that I didn't make a res (which the annoying hostess gravely told me was a BIG mistake - ugh).

Tonight, no entertaining, but a recipe I'll (re)post, in case you're looking for a tasty appetizer for weekend entertaining.  Crab cakes, baby, this version from our friend Carol Mack via Andrew Zimmern, is a stellar recipe.  The focus is the crab (not breading), tender in the middle, crispy on the exterior, not too thick, not too thin.  Basically, Perfect Crab Cakes.  For a twist, tonight I stuffed them in toasted buns (moderate it: cut the middle out of the bun to make it much thinner, spritz with nonstick olive oil spray, then toast) and giggled that we were having Krabby Patties for din.  Sauteed kale - fresh from my veggie share, likely picked this morning - alongside, a nice foil for the richness of the sandwich.

And this weekend, ah yes, another party, woo hoo!  I'm counting 15 of us at this point, including my bro David, for a big ol' 4th of July Barbecue.  I'm planning pork ribs, mini-burgers (with home-made mini-buns, I'll let you know how they turn out...), broccoli salad, garbanzo bean salad, potato chips (Cape Cod 40% reduced fat kettle-cooked chips are seriously yummy), and bing cherries, along with snacks by the pool (guacamole, raw veggies, and tortilla chips), along with dessert (compliments of Suz), along with cold beer and wine, along with fireworks on the golf course...  Ooh, aah, one of my fave holidays.

Happy Independence Day!