The most exciting thing about pottery is unloading the kiln after a glaze firing. I have been making some masks based on a consignment order from my in-laws for their new back-yard.. (its very private, so they needed a few faces staring back at them ). This opening definitely had some mixed results. I liked all the pieces, but I really didn’t expect the cracks in most of the masks. Oh well, I think the cracks like wrinkles… it gives some character, but we will have some mixed feelings. Notice the face that Bridget did does not have any cracks… ah, to be a kid again! Here are the pictures: http://photos.firecooked.com/GalleryThumbnails.aspx?gallery=20976
There is also a very nice, very purple bowl (do you like purple,,, it can be yours!), and one pretty cool vessel (one with some attitude), and another that looks good in the herb garden (maybe it will need to find a permanent home there…)
There was one more vase in the firing, which is back in the kiln now… I am trying to slump some glass on it. Also trying to decide if this is the fate of “Ghostly”… I originally planned to add some glass as well, but liked it too much to do an experiment.
Let me know what you think... if there is something you like, let me know!
Vegetables Every Day
Carrot Tarator with Beets
Monday, June 11, 2007
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Summer Recipes
I have been waiting for summer to share these recipes, and well, its time.
The first is a Grilled Vegetable Pasta (yes, another pasta recipe). The reason this is a summer recipe is that its really best to make it when you can get into the pool between turning the vegetables on the grill. It perfectly fits to a relaxed summer weekend. Grill and swim, then let the vegetables cool, later cut up the vegetables and cook the pasta. The vegetables can also be done as an antipasti (that’s right, without pasta but also an Italian appetizer). Arrange the grilled vegetables on a platter, sprinkle with olives, maybe add some salami or other Italian cured meats, some big shreds of parmesan cheese. I like to eat on slices of French bread, but it mostly takes a fork and knife to eat.
The second is for breakfast. I really like oatmeal, but its just too hot to eat in the summer. So I make a cold oatmeal dish called Muesli. I’m pretty sure the roots for muesli are Northern Europe, but I first had it in Korea at the Hilton in Seoul. The do the nice breakfast buffet, and I have found it good to load up on food I recognize (bread, cheese, fruit, yogurt) when you really don't know what you will be eating the rest of the day. They had a bowl of this goopy looking stuff on the “western” side of the buffet, and I tried it on the advice of one of my co-workers… a little cautious because I couldn’t tell what went in to it. I like traveling in Asia, and I’m OK without always knowing what went into the food, but breakfast, well, I not as adventurous. But this was good, cool and sweet, with raisins and some fruit. I was hooked, but never know how to make it until I started hunting the web. There are lots of ways to make this, starting with oats, and adding liquid (milk, yogurt, juice), dried fruit, apples, nuts. The following is what I do, since I typically always have the ingredients on hand.
Grilled Vegetable Pasta
4 servings
Veggies (use as a guide only!):
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Fresh or dry herbs, salt, pepper
2 medium zucchini, sliced diagonally about ½ inch thick
1 small eggplant, sliced lengthwise in ½ inch slices
1 red or mild yellow onion, cut in 2 large slices and skewered
2 red bell peppers, whole
1 ear corn, silk removed and husk replaced
1 head of garlic, top cut off
And/or: Mushrooms, Asparagus
Pasta:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¼ cup fresh basil (or other herbs)
½ pound chunky pasta, cooked
Save about ½ cup pasta water
¼ cup dry white wine (optional)
¼ cup goat cheese, crumbled
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
For Grilled Veggies: Mix together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper. Mix with vegetables (can do earlier in the day). Drizzle garlic with oil and partially wrap in foil. On grill heated to medium, put in some wood chips and with several branches of rosemary. Put all the vegetables on the grill. The corn will cook quickest, maybe 10 –15 minutes. Cook remaining veggies until soft and browned, 20-30 minutes. Turn every 5-10 minutes. The bell pepper skin will be black. Remove pieces from grill as they get done and let cool.
Dice the squash, eggplant, and onion. Peel bell pepper and dice. Cut corn from cob. Put in a large bowl. Put in several cloves of roasted garlic (cut in half if large), use remainder for snacking. Add the cooked and drained pasta. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, a bit more salt and pepper to taste, chopped fresh basil, enough pasta water and/or white wine to moisten (about ½ cup total). Serve with about 1 tablespoon each goat cheese crumbles and toasted pine nuts on each serving.
Muesli
Great way to get your oats in the summer. Traditional flavors are raisins, walnuts, and apples… but these seem more fall like. So I usually use “craisen’s” (dried , sweetened cranberries), and put some berries on top…
Serves 3.
1 ½ cups old fashioned oats
¼ cup raisins or dry cranberries or other dried fruit of choice
¼ cup walnuts (chopped) or almond slivers
2 cups unsweetened soy milk (or any milk of choice, including part yogurt or juice)
1 tablespoon Apricot or Peach jam
1 teaspoon honey (or to taste)
1 small apple (grated) or other fresh fruit
Mix everything together except for fresh fruit, cover and refrigerate overnight. If it seems a bit thick in the morning, add some more milk or some plain yogurt. Stir in grated apple just before serving, or serve with other fresh fruit (berries, banana’s, apricots…)
The first is a Grilled Vegetable Pasta (yes, another pasta recipe). The reason this is a summer recipe is that its really best to make it when you can get into the pool between turning the vegetables on the grill. It perfectly fits to a relaxed summer weekend. Grill and swim, then let the vegetables cool, later cut up the vegetables and cook the pasta. The vegetables can also be done as an antipasti (that’s right, without pasta but also an Italian appetizer). Arrange the grilled vegetables on a platter, sprinkle with olives, maybe add some salami or other Italian cured meats, some big shreds of parmesan cheese. I like to eat on slices of French bread, but it mostly takes a fork and knife to eat.
The second is for breakfast. I really like oatmeal, but its just too hot to eat in the summer. So I make a cold oatmeal dish called Muesli. I’m pretty sure the roots for muesli are Northern Europe, but I first had it in Korea at the Hilton in Seoul. The do the nice breakfast buffet, and I have found it good to load up on food I recognize (bread, cheese, fruit, yogurt) when you really don't know what you will be eating the rest of the day. They had a bowl of this goopy looking stuff on the “western” side of the buffet, and I tried it on the advice of one of my co-workers… a little cautious because I couldn’t tell what went in to it. I like traveling in Asia, and I’m OK without always knowing what went into the food, but breakfast, well, I not as adventurous. But this was good, cool and sweet, with raisins and some fruit. I was hooked, but never know how to make it until I started hunting the web. There are lots of ways to make this, starting with oats, and adding liquid (milk, yogurt, juice), dried fruit, apples, nuts. The following is what I do, since I typically always have the ingredients on hand.
Grilled Vegetable Pasta
4 servings
Veggies (use as a guide only!):
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Fresh or dry herbs, salt, pepper
2 medium zucchini, sliced diagonally about ½ inch thick
1 small eggplant, sliced lengthwise in ½ inch slices
1 red or mild yellow onion, cut in 2 large slices and skewered
2 red bell peppers, whole
1 ear corn, silk removed and husk replaced
1 head of garlic, top cut off
And/or: Mushrooms, Asparagus
Pasta:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¼ cup fresh basil (or other herbs)
½ pound chunky pasta, cooked
Save about ½ cup pasta water
¼ cup dry white wine (optional)
¼ cup goat cheese, crumbled
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
For Grilled Veggies: Mix together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper. Mix with vegetables (can do earlier in the day). Drizzle garlic with oil and partially wrap in foil. On grill heated to medium, put in some wood chips and with several branches of rosemary. Put all the vegetables on the grill. The corn will cook quickest, maybe 10 –15 minutes. Cook remaining veggies until soft and browned, 20-30 minutes. Turn every 5-10 minutes. The bell pepper skin will be black. Remove pieces from grill as they get done and let cool.
Dice the squash, eggplant, and onion. Peel bell pepper and dice. Cut corn from cob. Put in a large bowl. Put in several cloves of roasted garlic (cut in half if large), use remainder for snacking. Add the cooked and drained pasta. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, a bit more salt and pepper to taste, chopped fresh basil, enough pasta water and/or white wine to moisten (about ½ cup total). Serve with about 1 tablespoon each goat cheese crumbles and toasted pine nuts on each serving.
Muesli
Great way to get your oats in the summer. Traditional flavors are raisins, walnuts, and apples… but these seem more fall like. So I usually use “craisen’s” (dried , sweetened cranberries), and put some berries on top…
Serves 3.
1 ½ cups old fashioned oats
¼ cup raisins or dry cranberries or other dried fruit of choice
¼ cup walnuts (chopped) or almond slivers
2 cups unsweetened soy milk (or any milk of choice, including part yogurt or juice)
1 tablespoon Apricot or Peach jam
1 teaspoon honey (or to taste)
1 small apple (grated) or other fresh fruit
Mix everything together except for fresh fruit, cover and refrigerate overnight. If it seems a bit thick in the morning, add some more milk or some plain yogurt. Stir in grated apple just before serving, or serve with other fresh fruit (berries, banana’s, apricots…)
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Faces!
I have made some progress on photographing more of my pots, and now have all of my masks posted on the web. There are 30 in all (not counting the ones that just came out of the kiln). Masks are one of the most fun things to make. I do 2 different styles. One is very quick, where slabs of clay (often with some texture added with shoe treads or dollies) is placed over a plastic pillow of some sort (generally an old clay bag filled with packing peanuts), then eyes, ears, and/or noses formed. Then various appendages, such as eyebrows, tongues, or horns can be added. That’s it. Examples are the Elephant face, and most of the animals. The other style is a bit more deliberate. You start with 2 slabs of clay, roughly the same size and shape. One piece is the back, they you build up “bones” in face with additional pieces of clay. The top (front) piece is laid on top, and sealed on the edges. The clay is press on and around the “bones” to form a face. Examples are Firecooked and the Kiln Goddesses.
I started making masks in Auburn. My real inspiration was Gillian Hodge, an artist that lived in Penn Valley (another small town in the foothills of the Sierra’s). In addition to pottery, she also painted.. and overall had a very fascinating life. She occasionally taught workshops, and I was fortunate enough to take the mask making class, as we well as a workshop on doing travel sketches.
Let me know which one(s) you like! Next I will try to get photographs of my little people, hopefully that won’t take another 4 months.
I started making masks in Auburn. My real inspiration was Gillian Hodge, an artist that lived in Penn Valley (another small town in the foothills of the Sierra’s). In addition to pottery, she also painted.. and overall had a very fascinating life. She occasionally taught workshops, and I was fortunate enough to take the mask making class, as we well as a workshop on doing travel sketches.
Let me know which one(s) you like! Next I will try to get photographs of my little people, hopefully that won’t take another 4 months.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
Its always dangerous to have really high expectations. I ordered Barbara Kingsolver's (my favorite author), new book about food (my favorite subject) Animal, Vegetable, Miracle just knowing that it was done. What a disappointment. The book is non-fiction, about the Kingsolver family pulling up roots in Tucson and moving to southern Appalachia (where they had been spending summers). There goal is to live closer to the land, to grow their own food or procure it locally. This is what sucks you in. But most of the book is a soap box, about evil oil companies, genetically modified food, poor city planning in Tucson, high fructose corn syrup and global warming. And I agree that all of this is bad it didn't make for good reading. And some of it was a bit overboard, the first 100 things I would do to stop global warming would not include not buying organic banana's from Ecuador.
The book is written by Barbara (the main narrative), her husband (educational side bars that look like something in a magazine or text book), and Camille, her daughter (delightful essays and recipes). It's pretty chopped up - not a great story I was hoping for.
The miracle is that 4 related people (including 2 kids) were happy to do this together. I get the point of eating seasonal food, meat that has been raised sustainably. But the reality: this is a lot of work. I sometimes think that I'm some kind of weirdo because I cook from scratch most of the food that we eat (and enjoy it). But growing the food is real work, with bugs, dirt, rain, injuries, and sweat. And no one seems to complain. It may be non-fiction, but its not reality.
One side of me thinks so what, you fed yourself for a year. For centuries villages all over the world have figured out how to feed themselves without the benefit of good transportation, high fructose corn syrup, and Monsanto. We have had good stories about these villages, like The Good Earth, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Cane River. The other side thinks our modern society has this huge desire to be entertained: TV, movies, books, shows, sporting events, golf, video games, shopping; completely losing the satisfaction of productive chore. It's more popular to meditate than to pull weeds. Most of us are pretty happy to have Mexican citizens pull our weeds and harvest our vegetables (no matter whether here or in Mexico). I do think many of the topics are really important. We must maintain the diversity of our food crops and not lose our heirloom varieties. We need to eat better, cut the crap that big oil and McDonalds makes easy to eat.
I don't have the answers, and I wish this book could of at least had a story that really stuck. How do we set higher expectations on the food that we eat?
Let me know if you want to borrow the book. I think its good for your to read even though its not good reading.. and the recipes are good!
The book is written by Barbara (the main narrative), her husband (educational side bars that look like something in a magazine or text book), and Camille, her daughter (delightful essays and recipes). It's pretty chopped up - not a great story I was hoping for.
The miracle is that 4 related people (including 2 kids) were happy to do this together. I get the point of eating seasonal food, meat that has been raised sustainably. But the reality: this is a lot of work. I sometimes think that I'm some kind of weirdo because I cook from scratch most of the food that we eat (and enjoy it). But growing the food is real work, with bugs, dirt, rain, injuries, and sweat. And no one seems to complain. It may be non-fiction, but its not reality.
One side of me thinks so what, you fed yourself for a year. For centuries villages all over the world have figured out how to feed themselves without the benefit of good transportation, high fructose corn syrup, and Monsanto. We have had good stories about these villages, like The Good Earth, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Cane River. The other side thinks our modern society has this huge desire to be entertained: TV, movies, books, shows, sporting events, golf, video games, shopping; completely losing the satisfaction of productive chore. It's more popular to meditate than to pull weeds. Most of us are pretty happy to have Mexican citizens pull our weeds and harvest our vegetables (no matter whether here or in Mexico). I do think many of the topics are really important. We must maintain the diversity of our food crops and not lose our heirloom varieties. We need to eat better, cut the crap that big oil and McDonalds makes easy to eat.
I don't have the answers, and I wish this book could of at least had a story that really stuck. How do we set higher expectations on the food that we eat?
Let me know if you want to borrow the book. I think its good for your to read even though its not good reading.. and the recipes are good!
Monday, May 14, 2007
Happy Mothers Day... and recipes from a Mediterranean-style lunch
Happy Mother's Day to all those Mom's among my blog fans ... all 5 of you
We had a nice Mother's day today.. we went to Tucson and did what has become somewhat of a tradition were I show up at a Mom's house and cook breakfast or lunch... this year, we got together with my Mom for lunch at my brother's house, in their fabulous new kitchen (and I am jealous of their new induction cooktop... how did I miss this when I redid our kitchen?). So we had two Mom's (my mom and my nieces mom), plus the puppy Chester (soooo cute). Maybe next year I need to figure out how to do this with Mom in San Diego.. not a bad thought since it seems we are hitting 100+ for the last several days!
For lunch, I did a Mediterranean theme, starting with a Rosemary Bean Dip, then Grilled Lamb and 3 Salads... all the recipes follow. To top if off, I did a Apricot Cobbler, which was quite wonderful due to a lucky find of fabulous Schnepf Farms organic apricots at AJ's. Drop me a line if you would like the recipe... but get the good apricots first!
The Ingredient: Christmas Tree Beans ... again. I used both the bean dip and the Green Bean Salad instead of the canned white beans I normally use. I do have to mention the color of the bean dip is a bit better with white beans, but I really do like these beans. (I cooked the beans with just a bit of onion and no salt, you will need to salt the dishes a bit more than when using canned beans).
Rosemary White-Bean Puree
If you have the time and enthusiasm, cook the beans. You can use any beans that you like, I did with Christmas Tree Beans for Mother’s Day Lunch, and it really came out extra yummy
¼ cup olive oil
2 3” rosemary sprigs
1-2 cloves of garlic, smashed
One 15-oz can cannelloni or other white bean, rinsed and drained
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoons chopped rosemary
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Salt to taste (~1/2 teaspoon)
Heat oil, rosemary sprigs, and garlic in small saucepan over medium heat until they start to sizzle and become fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool some. Pull out rosemary and garlic, discard
Place beans, oil, and remaining ingredients in food processor, puree until smooth. Taste and adjust lemon juice and salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Keeps well for several days.
Serve with bread, pita, or crackers.
Grilled Herb-Crusted Leg of Lamp with Fresh Mint Sauce
The time and effort for this all goes to trimming the lamb of the fat.. which I think is the key to lamb that is not gamey or greasy. But plan a good hour to get prep lamb and fix marinade.
1 6-7 lb leg of lamb (boneless roast)
Marinade:
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup Dijon mustard (I like Trader Joes’)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
Sauce:
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup water
1 cup chopped mint
¼ cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Untie and unfold lamb on a large cutting board. Trim as much fat as possible. A couple of notes: The fat will run in between the mussels, you what to get this as much as possible, along with any silver skin (you will end up with quite a pile of fat). Object is to end up with several large pieces (about 3 or 4). Note: the smaller pieces I just collect up, and freeze for later for stew or kabobs. I did a 7 pound roast, ended up with a little over 1 lb of stew meat for the freezer, and 3 large pieces which fed 7 of us, with a nice amount of leftovers. Once you have some nice pieces, place a piece between sheets of plastic wrap, and pound with meat mallet or heavy skillet to get a more uniform thickness… want ~ 1 – 2 inches with each piece as even as possible.
Mix all marinade ingredients together, and spear on the lamb. Place in large zip-loc baggie, and refrigerate for a day or so.
Sauce: Whisk water with sugar, salt pepper, stir in remaining ingredients. Best to do the same day as grilling.
To grill lamb: Pull lamb out of the fridge when you start the grill (20 minutes or so before starting to cook). Heat grill to hot, put lamb on and drop temp to low or medium low. Flip after 5 minutes or so. Total time will vary on thickness, expect 12 to 20 minutes. Pull off pieces as they cook… they will start to firm up (like steaks), or for medium rare, about 130F on an instant read thermometer. Let sit for 10 minutes to rest, then slice across grain to serve. Serve sauce separately to spoon over meat.
Mediterranean Couscous Salad
This salad goes great with chicken. Salad keeps fairly well, and leftovers are great for lunch (mixed in left-over chicken is good). Don't worry about being exact on the vegetable quantities (adjust to taste).
4 to 6 servings
45 minutes
2 cups chicken broth (I like the Pacific Free Range Organic…)
(or 1 14-oz can low salt chicken broth plus enough water to make 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking couscous
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped OR 1 red bell pepper, chopped
6 oz feta cheese, cut into 1/4" dice
1/4 cup minced parsley or watercress
1/2 cup minced green onion
1/2 cup olive oil
6 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper
Black olives
Lettuce leaves
Bring broth and water to boil in medium saucepan. Mix in couscous. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork. Turn into large bowl. Cool to room temperature.
Prepare vegetables. When couscous is cool (or almost cool), mix in tomato, feta, parsley, and green onion. Whisk together oil, lemon juice, and generous amount of pepper (1 teaspoon or more), mix into salad. Refrigerate.
Just before serving, top with olives. If being fancy, serve in bowl lined with lettuce leaves.
Grilled Red Onion and Bean Salad
SERVES 6 TO 8
1 pound fresh green beans
1 can (15 ounces) small white beans or flageolets
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or basil
Salt, pepper, to taste
1 large, flattish red onion, 8 to 10 ounces
Trim the ends off the green beans and cut them into 1 1/2 inch lengths. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 2 teaspoons salt per quart, and boil the green beans five minutes. Drain them well and cool them quickly under running cold water.
Drain and rinse the canned beans well. In a large bowl, combine the green beans and white beans. Toss with 1/4 cup of the oil and the remaining ingredients, except the onion, and let them marinate at least one hour.
Peel the onion and cut off the stem and flower ends. Cut it crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. When the barbecue coals are just starting to ash over, brush the onion slices with some of the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and brown them lightly on both sides, about five minutes per side. Cut the slices in quarters and toss them with the beans.
Greek Salad
This was the first time I did this recipe.. don't worry about being too exact!
4 tomatoes, chopped (or can use 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved)
½ cup chopped mint
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
½ teaspoon salt, more to taste
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
6 oz Feta cheese
1 lemon zested (about 1 tablespoon) and juiced (about ½ cup)
1 English cucumber, lightly peeled and chopped into ½ inch dice
4 scallions, chopped (about ½ cup)
~ 1 cup Kalamata olives (pitted).
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Mix together, let sit for an hour at room temperature before serving.
We had a nice Mother's day today.. we went to Tucson and did what has become somewhat of a tradition were I show up at a Mom's house and cook breakfast or lunch... this year, we got together with my Mom for lunch at my brother's house, in their fabulous new kitchen (and I am jealous of their new induction cooktop... how did I miss this when I redid our kitchen?). So we had two Mom's (my mom and my nieces mom), plus the puppy Chester (soooo cute). Maybe next year I need to figure out how to do this with Mom in San Diego.. not a bad thought since it seems we are hitting 100+ for the last several days!
For lunch, I did a Mediterranean theme, starting with a Rosemary Bean Dip, then Grilled Lamb and 3 Salads... all the recipes follow. To top if off, I did a Apricot Cobbler, which was quite wonderful due to a lucky find of fabulous Schnepf Farms organic apricots at AJ's. Drop me a line if you would like the recipe... but get the good apricots first!
The Ingredient: Christmas Tree Beans ... again. I used both the bean dip and the Green Bean Salad instead of the canned white beans I normally use. I do have to mention the color of the bean dip is a bit better with white beans, but I really do like these beans. (I cooked the beans with just a bit of onion and no salt, you will need to salt the dishes a bit more than when using canned beans).
Rosemary White-Bean Puree
If you have the time and enthusiasm, cook the beans. You can use any beans that you like, I did with Christmas Tree Beans for Mother’s Day Lunch, and it really came out extra yummy
¼ cup olive oil
2 3” rosemary sprigs
1-2 cloves of garlic, smashed
One 15-oz can cannelloni or other white bean, rinsed and drained
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoons chopped rosemary
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Salt to taste (~1/2 teaspoon)
Heat oil, rosemary sprigs, and garlic in small saucepan over medium heat until they start to sizzle and become fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool some. Pull out rosemary and garlic, discard
Place beans, oil, and remaining ingredients in food processor, puree until smooth. Taste and adjust lemon juice and salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Keeps well for several days.
Serve with bread, pita, or crackers.
Grilled Herb-Crusted Leg of Lamp with Fresh Mint Sauce
The time and effort for this all goes to trimming the lamb of the fat.. which I think is the key to lamb that is not gamey or greasy. But plan a good hour to get prep lamb and fix marinade.
1 6-7 lb leg of lamb (boneless roast)
Marinade:
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup Dijon mustard (I like Trader Joes’)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
Sauce:
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup water
1 cup chopped mint
¼ cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Untie and unfold lamb on a large cutting board. Trim as much fat as possible. A couple of notes: The fat will run in between the mussels, you what to get this as much as possible, along with any silver skin (you will end up with quite a pile of fat). Object is to end up with several large pieces (about 3 or 4). Note: the smaller pieces I just collect up, and freeze for later for stew or kabobs. I did a 7 pound roast, ended up with a little over 1 lb of stew meat for the freezer, and 3 large pieces which fed 7 of us, with a nice amount of leftovers. Once you have some nice pieces, place a piece between sheets of plastic wrap, and pound with meat mallet or heavy skillet to get a more uniform thickness… want ~ 1 – 2 inches with each piece as even as possible.
Mix all marinade ingredients together, and spear on the lamb. Place in large zip-loc baggie, and refrigerate for a day or so.
Sauce: Whisk water with sugar, salt pepper, stir in remaining ingredients. Best to do the same day as grilling.
To grill lamb: Pull lamb out of the fridge when you start the grill (20 minutes or so before starting to cook). Heat grill to hot, put lamb on and drop temp to low or medium low. Flip after 5 minutes or so. Total time will vary on thickness, expect 12 to 20 minutes. Pull off pieces as they cook… they will start to firm up (like steaks), or for medium rare, about 130F on an instant read thermometer. Let sit for 10 minutes to rest, then slice across grain to serve. Serve sauce separately to spoon over meat.
Mediterranean Couscous Salad
This salad goes great with chicken. Salad keeps fairly well, and leftovers are great for lunch (mixed in left-over chicken is good). Don't worry about being exact on the vegetable quantities (adjust to taste).
4 to 6 servings
45 minutes
2 cups chicken broth (I like the Pacific Free Range Organic…)
(or 1 14-oz can low salt chicken broth plus enough water to make 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking couscous
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped OR 1 red bell pepper, chopped
6 oz feta cheese, cut into 1/4" dice
1/4 cup minced parsley or watercress
1/2 cup minced green onion
1/2 cup olive oil
6 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper
Black olives
Lettuce leaves
Bring broth and water to boil in medium saucepan. Mix in couscous. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork. Turn into large bowl. Cool to room temperature.
Prepare vegetables. When couscous is cool (or almost cool), mix in tomato, feta, parsley, and green onion. Whisk together oil, lemon juice, and generous amount of pepper (1 teaspoon or more), mix into salad. Refrigerate.
Just before serving, top with olives. If being fancy, serve in bowl lined with lettuce leaves.
Grilled Red Onion and Bean Salad
SERVES 6 TO 8
1 pound fresh green beans
1 can (15 ounces) small white beans or flageolets
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or basil
Salt, pepper, to taste
1 large, flattish red onion, 8 to 10 ounces
Trim the ends off the green beans and cut them into 1 1/2 inch lengths. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 2 teaspoons salt per quart, and boil the green beans five minutes. Drain them well and cool them quickly under running cold water.
Drain and rinse the canned beans well. In a large bowl, combine the green beans and white beans. Toss with 1/4 cup of the oil and the remaining ingredients, except the onion, and let them marinate at least one hour.
Peel the onion and cut off the stem and flower ends. Cut it crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. When the barbecue coals are just starting to ash over, brush the onion slices with some of the olive oil, sprinkle with salt and brown them lightly on both sides, about five minutes per side. Cut the slices in quarters and toss them with the beans.
Greek Salad
This was the first time I did this recipe.. don't worry about being too exact!
4 tomatoes, chopped (or can use 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved)
½ cup chopped mint
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
½ teaspoon salt, more to taste
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
6 oz Feta cheese
1 lemon zested (about 1 tablespoon) and juiced (about ½ cup)
1 English cucumber, lightly peeled and chopped into ½ inch dice
4 scallions, chopped (about ½ cup)
~ 1 cup Kalamata olives (pitted).
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Mix together, let sit for an hour at room temperature before serving.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Summer’s just about here..
This weekend if felt like summer announced “I’m coming”… mornings are warmer -- the a/c is on when I drive to work, shade is good. I’m hoping my basil will start growing. But we are still getting some reprieve, as it’s actually raining right now with a bit of thunder and lightening (as opposed to last weekend’s dust storm).
If you can stand more pasta recipe’s, here a favorite for summer:
Peanut Noodles
The peanut sauce is multi-purpose – can be used w/ satay or as a dip too. Adjust chili to taste
2- 3 (main dish) or 6 (side) Servings
Noodles:
½ lb linguine or spaghetti (whole wheat is good)
2-4 cups of vegetables.. Pick 2-3:
Bean sprouts
Cucumber
Snow peas
Broccoli (cook for a couple of minutes with pasta)
Carrots (can cook a bit too)
Green onions
Sauce:
½ cup water
1/3 cup peanut butter (I like the all natural)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 clove mince garlic
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
or 1 teaspoon chili-garlic paste instead of garlic and chili
For noodles: Bring large pot of salted water to boil, add spaghetti (break in half). If using a hard vegetable, put into the pot the last couple of minutes to barely cook
Meanwhile, make sauce: Bring water to boil in large bowl in microwave. Add remaining ingredients, stir with whisk to combine.
Drain noodles and rinse with cold water. Drain again and put into bowl with sauce. Add vegetables, toss to combine.
If you can stand more pasta recipe’s, here a favorite for summer:
Peanut Noodles
The peanut sauce is multi-purpose – can be used w/ satay or as a dip too. Adjust chili to taste
2- 3 (main dish) or 6 (side) Servings
Noodles:
½ lb linguine or spaghetti (whole wheat is good)
2-4 cups of vegetables.. Pick 2-3:
Bean sprouts
Cucumber
Snow peas
Broccoli (cook for a couple of minutes with pasta)
Carrots (can cook a bit too)
Green onions
Sauce:
½ cup water
1/3 cup peanut butter (I like the all natural)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 clove mince garlic
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
or 1 teaspoon chili-garlic paste instead of garlic and chili
For noodles: Bring large pot of salted water to boil, add spaghetti (break in half). If using a hard vegetable, put into the pot the last couple of minutes to barely cook
Meanwhile, make sauce: Bring water to boil in large bowl in microwave. Add remaining ingredients, stir with whisk to combine.
Drain noodles and rinse with cold water. Drain again and put into bowl with sauce. Add vegetables, toss to combine.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Vases and Vessels
Hopefully everyone has had a chance to look at the pictures of my pottery, and probably wondering “what the hec is the difference between a vase and a vessel?” The short answer to the question is that you would put flowers in a vase, but not in a vessel. The long answer is an ongoing debate in the pottery world between craft and art… and I’m not ready to go there! Where I would rather go do is go on about a couple of my favorite pieces (ones that I couldn’t part with)… On the vases page, my absolute favorite is the wood fired vase. It’s small, about 8 inches. The red is a shino glaze, and the green is the ash from the firing, which has turned into glaze. It was fired on its side… the white spots are from where it sat. This pot has memories for me of people and place… doing a wood fire takes about 3 cords of wood (and 3 days of continuous stoking of a kiln). I was fortunate to be able to contribute wood for the cause (this is from when we lived in Auburn, and lived on 3 wooded acres) and not have to stay up all night firing the kiln. One of my favorite vessels is the Raku Girl. Doing Raku firing is another group pyromaniac event. You take the piece while red hot out of a kiln and drop it into a trashcan full of newspapers or some other combustible material, then put the lid on for soldering fire (which results in a reducing atmosphere…you can thank me for not going into the chemistry explanation, but sometime in my life I would like to teach a combined art and chemistry class to high school students!). After 30 minutes or so, you pull it out, rinse it off, and hope you have something cool. Raku Girl is heavy, I suspect I had help because its hard to move something red hot with tongs. Of my newer stuff (and something from my less than pyrotechnic electric kiln), Monkey Face is my favorites. It was one that you really didn’t know how it would look until you were done. In the end, it doesn’t really matter whether you put flowers in the pot or not.
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