after too long

I'm not sure what the purpose of this space was/is. I originally wanted to put together a space to document recipes, then a place to discuss food, then a place to discuss...

So now it's Feb 2006. The last post was unsure where we would live now and what this year would bring. We've made it to San Francisco. I'm now working for Digidesign and adapting to both a new job, a re-emergence into the audio world and being in the bay area again for the first time since 92/93.

Conclusion:

No Regrets!

If leaving LA was the singular acheivement then that is enough. There is much more though and it centers around living in a city in which we are able to be ourselves, wander, explore, interact in a way that suits us.

I will do my best to continue on food - there is so much good food here - so many ingredients queueing up to enter out kitchen. A kitchen that allows me to spread out and cook as cooking should be done. And still above all in Jenne and your's truly an accepting set of palates for whatever comes across our stove. We have now as well, with the availability of the organic and local variety, taken on many other foods to our diet.

more to come...

a break from food

friday 4:30

the work week is settling to a stop, my neighbor and friend vacated the office next to me so now i truly sit at the end of a lonely hall. i for my part am doing my best to follow suit. we have been trying for some time now to leave this place (LA) and not suceeded. For all of our efforts we have met more than our share of obstacles; health, money, jobs, timing, inertia, and the list goes on. We did finally narrow down the three places we would choose to be:

1. Portland
Pros:
close to family (still far from bay area family)
cheap
could afford a house with a yard to garden
good people
creative town
beautiful surroundings
clean
EASY
Cons:
not much work

2. Seattle
close to family (still far from bay area family)
cheapish - not as cheap as PDX
could probably affor a house with a garden
fairly creative town
some good people
beautiful surroundings
clean
EASY
familiar
Cons:
not enough work

3. San Francisco
close to family (still far from nw family)
great people
creative
beautiful
exciting
decent air
good food
beautiful surroundings
Jobs
Cons:
EXPENSIVE
not quite easy

now on friday 09/16/05 I am in the midst of interviewing for a position that would move us to the bay area. I am closer to the "just don't fuck it up and you'll get it" point than not and half to look at the possibility that my office will soon most likely be vacated as well. we will be boxing all of our belongings, comforting by then worried cats (both from our neighborhood of echo park) and closing down home for a truck to the bay area.

questions:
where will we live?
how much will we have to pay?
what pieces of our current life will we have to give up?
When do we become regulars instead of transplants?
where do we shop?
where do we eat?
how long until the cats adjust?
Do we play music?
where?
how?
how is my job?
am i good at it?
bad at it?
do i like it?
the people I work with?
does J have space work at home?
does she find comfort at home?
what does she pursue out of the house?
what do i pursue?
what do we pursue?
share?
where do we walk on a saturday?
sunday?
what do we see out of our windows?
are we happy?
happy we moved?
where we moved?
how and when we moved?
can we find space in our hearts for what we've left be?
who we left behind?

do my allergies go away?
do we keep health?

What i need to do:
cook more - meaning more challenging foods, learning not just relying on old tricks
play music - find folks to play with that make sense
write - often
stay active
learn something everyday

appreciate what i have!

a simple grilling marinade/rub

The other day we brought Opa steaks and some eggplants, zucchini and squash from the garden to a friends bbq. Opa is a warm water Pacific fish that has big steaks that are somwhat similiar to Tuna crossed with swordfish - a little more on the tuna side.

For all of the above I used the following marinade (made 4 hours earlier)

1/3 cup olive oil
1 medium sized shallot diced
tablespoon fresh diced flatleaf parsley
tablespoon fresh diced cutting celery (substtitute with more flatleaf parsley)
juice of one lemon
teaspoon salt
teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
couple dashes ginger powder

Mix the above and let sit in the fridge for a couple hours before using.

Grilling the Opa:

rub the marinade all over the Opa
place on very hot part of grill (if it's not hot enough it will stick)
Let cook on both sides until there are some nice markings
if it is a really thick steak wrap it in tinfoil and cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes (depending on heat), if it's an inch or less thick then it will be finished when you've got nice brown grill markings on both the top and bottom. The general rule when cooking fish is to turn over once, cooking 2/3 the way through on the first side and 1/3 after you've turned it over.

Grilling the veggies:

coat with the marinade
grill for grill marks (time depends on heat) flip over grill for about 1 half the time of the first side and serve.

from a window in the valley

a simple pesto:

Basil - roughly 8 ounces - large stem ends removed, washed and dry (a salad spinner works well)
6 medium sized cloves of garlic
1/4 cup to 1/3 cup pinenuts
1 cup finely grated pecorino or parm
plenty olive oil - a couple cups
Salte to taste (optional - depends on the saltiness of the cheese)

put half of the basil, garlic and pinenuts in the blender cover pour in about 1/4 cup olive oil and blend until it the ingredients start breaking down - pulsing at high speeds will help this along. after it has started to break down repeat. continue this until all of the ingredients shy the cheese, half the olive oil and salt.

blend on high while slowly pouring the rest of the olive oil in. when it is reletively smooth and well mixed add the cheese and blend until well mixed. add more olive oil if you feel the texture calls for it. I like it to be nice and oily but thick enough to not spread if you plop a spoonfull down.

enjoy w/anything you like - Freeze it small plastic if you're not going to use it within 8 days or so.

Potato-leek tarts

I've always liked savory pies and tarts - maybe even more than their sweet counterparts. This weekend I made a couple and thought I'd share the standout.

Potato-leek tart -

one good pie crust recipe - I used Martha's Pâte brisée and it's good and buttery and simple - just don't add sugar - this recipe makes two tarts.

4 medium yukon potatoes - peeled and sliced thin (1/8 inch) - you should soak these in water while you are mixing ingredients.
4 to 5 medium sized leeks - cut into 1/4 inch pieces and washed (a salad spinner works well - as well as soaking and then rinsing in a collander).
2 medium sized eggs
1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup parmesan or pecorino romano cheese - either grated or thin sliced - or even powdered will do in a pinch - use what you have.
roughly 3 tablespoons olive oil - just drizzle what you want over the top
salt
pepper
dill

Preheat oven to 375f

make pie crusts according to directions and make two rectangular crusts to fit onto a single large (by home standards) baking sheet - folding up the edges to form a lip.

Mix eggs, cream and dash of salt dash of pepper and a dash of dry dill (fresh if you have it) in a bowl. Pour this mixture into the two tart crusts spreading evenly.

Place the potatoes (now drained from the water) flat in the the egg-cream mixture.

Spread the leeks evenly over the top of the potatoes.

Spread the cheese over the leeks followed by the olive oil and salt and pepper (just enough to lightly season).

Place in the oven and turn temperature down to about 325 - cook for 25 to 30 minutes.

The crust should be golden brown on the bottom.

Enjoy!!

No other tuna melt matters

I love a good tuna melt - ask anyone that knows me well, has lunched with me frequently, has found themselves with me in a bar at a table with a sandwich, fries and a beer.

There is a restaurant here in town that has a kicked up tuna melt that is more of a tuna patty w/works then fried. they are almost there but have added too much to bring it to any kind of greatness.

I've taken what they had to offer and adjusted to my likings and thus my recipe for the ultimate tuna melt:

In a mixing bowl:

1 can of albacore tuna (in water not oil)
2 eggs
1/4 cup breadcrumbs - store bought or make your own
1 to 1 and 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons milk or cream
I like a 1/4 cup of a mixture of petite pois and corn
1/2 to 2/3 cup gruyere
1 smallish - or 1/2 medium to large onion diced
butter (to fry onion in)
olive oil (to fry patties in
Salt to your taste
pepper to your taste
dill - a couple dashes
If you have on hand a dash of cajun hot sauce and/or a dash or worchestire

Mix all ingredients but the onions
saute onions in butter (w/salt to sweat) until just starting to brown and add to mixed ingredients.
add a tablespoon or so of olive oil to onion pan (enough to fry the patties)
Make into 4 equal sized patties and fry for about 5 minutes on each side on medium heat (until nice brown crust forms on the outside)
serve in toasted bread w/mayo and tomato.
This will make enough for 4.

recommended with some nice boiled/steamed new potatoes and a small simple green salad.

So why not shrimp cakes

shrimp cakes (10 - 12 cakes):

20 (30 count) medium sized shrimp - boiled in heavily salted water for 5 minutes (double if frozen), peeled and minced.
3 large eggs
3/4 to 1 cup of bread crumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped italian parsley
a couple dashes of worchestire
a couple dashes durkees or some other cajun hot sauce
1 teaspoon mustard - i use a dijon
lemon juice - hopefully squeezed from a lemon - my guess would be a couple tablespoons or juice from half of a medium sized lemon
salt - maybe 1 or 1 1/2 teaspoon
pepper - maybe a teaspoon
celery salt - a pinch or two
mustard powder - a pinch or two

Mix all of the dry ingredients (including shrimp) in a medium sized bowl. When fairly well mixed add wet ingredients, mix well and let sit for say 1/2 hour. The consistancy should be able to form fragile cakes that don't run or break apart. This will make approximetly 10 - 12 cakes that are 2 inches across and 3/4 of an inch thick (both estimates, don't get caught up in the details). Fry in either clarified butter or a mixter of butter and olive oil at a medium high heat. Don't flip until they are a nice brown on the underside. The total cooking time will be about 3 to 5 minutes a side depending on heat.

I would serve with a tarter sauce - which you could buy - but i would suggest making it yourself (this is how i do - i've seen simpler that are just mayo, lemon juice, relish and salt/pepper):

a couple sizeable dollaps Mayo
1/2 teaspoon dijon
1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
heaping teaspoon chopped italian parsley
diced cornichons or baby dills - maybe just shy 2 tablespoons
lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon chopped capers
salt
pepper
dash of worchestire
pinch of sugar

mix all ingredients - season to taste - i don't usually measure this stuff so you'll have to taste as you go. Let sit in fridge for an hour or so before use.