Six By 10 Tiny Kitchen

We're making a move...

2010-11-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

Hello dear friends and faithful readers. I am extremely excited to inform you all that my wonderful blog, Six by 10 Tiny Kitchen, has found a new home. I've moved the blog to the Wordpress platform in order to host my own site and use all of the wonderful tools Wordpress has to offer.

So I hope you enjoy the new look and feel of Six by 10 Tiny Kitchen. It is, of course, still a work in progress and I will be making changes (slowly) as time goes by. I would love to hear what you think of the redesign.

Without further ado, follow the link below to our new address, and thank you, as always, for coming along for the ride.

Six by 10 Tiny Kitchen

A huge thank you is due to fellow food blogger, photographer & designer, Jun Belen for the creation of my new blog header. please visit his website www.Junbelen.com to check out his photography and read his wonderful blog.

2010 San Francisco Street Food Festival

2010-09-20T14:57:00.000-07:00

I feel a little awkward posting this now, so many weeks after the actual event. The 2nd annual SF Street Food Festival was a monumental foodie extravaganza, with offerings from some of San Francisco's best restaurants and food carts, so I would be remiss if I did not at least share the photos of our experience that day.

Although it was a bit overcast, the weather did not at all dampen the spirit of people queuing up to sink their teeth into the creations of so many amazing chefs. Lines were long to be sure, but moved quickly and with little grumbling from the crowds. If stories from the first Street Food Festival are to be believed, this event was infinitely better planned as the expected crowds of thousands of Bay Area foodies had, at least comparatively, more room to move around, line up, or just grab a curb and enjoy their eats.

So enjoy the pictures we took, and use them either as a reminder of a great day spend chowing down in the Mission, or as inspiration to attended next years sure to be epic event. Because we certainly enjoyed taking them.

Ramen from Hapa Ramen

Prosciutto wrapped figs

The huddled masses wait patiently

Corn on the cob with honey butter from Zella's

Fried chicken with harissa and corn from Aziza

S'mores don't get much better than this

Brulee the marshmallow... genius!

The finale, a monsterous funnel cake

A Chat with Flour and Water's Chef Thomas McNaughton

2010-08-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

SF Chefs 2010 was a week-long culinary event celebrating the food and wine of San Francisco and Northern California. The event culminated last weekend with cooking demonstrations with some of San Francisco's top chefs, the fabulous Sugar Party showcasing many great restaurant's confectionery delights, and of course the grand tasting tent, taking over Union Square for two days, allowing people to sample and sip some of the best that San Francisco has to offer.

I was lucky enough to sit in on the cooking demonstration as Flour and Water's Chef Thomas McNaughton prepared a rabbit turine with rabbit confit and stone fruit compote. Thanks to the good people at Foodbuzz, I had a chance to chat with him for a few minutes after wards about his restaurant, San Francisco, and his passion for honest, unpretentious food. Here is what he had to say:

Sixby10: You started working in kitchens when you were 14 years old. What was it that made you want to become a chef?

Thomas McNaughton: So I started in kitchens when I was 14, but it wasn't until 16 or 17 that I started taking it seriously and started working in better kitchens. I remember I was actually a bit embarrassed by it at that age, I remember buying cooking equipment and telling my friends it was for my girlfriend or my mom. The other side of it was that I had never seen something like the inside of a kitchen before, it had that kind of badass feel to it. It's a unique work environment.

Sx10: After working in so many highly regarded kitchens such as Gary Danko, La Folie and Qunice, what has the experience of opening your own restaurant been like?

TM: Every restaurant job that I've taken, I haven't felt comfortable at. It's a learning experience taking that next step; I ran the kitchen at Gary Danko for a while, ran the kitchen at Quince for a while, and you always say how hard it would be to open your own place, but until you do it nobody knows how hard it's going to be. It's long hours, a lot of people in the kitchen work 16 or 17 hour days, but implementing the structure of a kitchen, until you do it 100% on your own from start to finish, you can't prepare for half of what is coming at you. You just kind of have to dive into it, everyone is going to get their ass kicked, and learn from that experience. As long as it's a learning experience and you come out the other side. But until you do it you have no idea how difficult it's going to be.

Sx10: Did you bring a lot of what you learned from those other kitchens to Flour and Water?

TM: Sure. But the most difficult thing about Flour and Water is that the kitchen was just completed 3 months ago. So it has been constantly implementing procedures in an unfinished space, which is very difficult. But every single job I've taken, at either Gary Danko, La Folie, or Quince, each of those positions I took for a specific reason. I went to La Folie to learn to be a really solid line cook. I went to Quince to deal with ingredients and build relationships with farmers, and I went to Gary Danko to learn the management side of it. The (Gary Danko) kitchen runs like a well oiled machine.

Sx10: You spent a good deal of time working in Europe and especially Italy, and seem to be drawn to Italian cuisine. What are some of the fundamentals you brought back from your time there?

TM: People think that we have a very loose Italian menu at Flour and Water. But most Italians that come into the restaurant get it, because the whole thing is that it's about what grows around you, it's what's in season, it's what's good, just try not to mess it up. You're not going to see that many avacados over in Italy, but we are surrounded by California avacadoes, so they are going to be on our menu. If you are trying to do something strictly from what is in Campanga or what's in Lombardy, those ingredients are out of season right now, or they are only very specific to that region. That's what Italian food is to me; use what grows around you, use it simply and translate that.

Sx10: You've mentioned in other interviews the importance of sourcing from small, local farms, using sustainable ingredients and making sure you use the whole animal. Can you share a little about how that became a priority for you?

TM: It's ten times a better product. That salad (a peach compote & salad he made to compliment the rabbit turine), if we had some disgusting Mexican peaches that tasted like nothing, the salad would be ruined. But what we have (the peaches) are amazing, so it makes our job easier. It's about amazing products, and as a cook you want to surround yourself with the best products you possibly can.

But it's also about supporting people. I love the interaction with farmers, and the relationships that we have together. I'd much rather call up a guy that I know and say "what do you have? Send it to me." and talk to him for a half hour about his kids, whats going on in his life. That's important to me, to build those relationships.

Sx10: You mentioned during the demo that in your kitchen, you don't really use recipes, but ratios, like 16 ounces of lean meat needs 8 ounces of fat back when making a sausage. I've always thought recipes are better as suggestions, because there are always so many variables. Could you share your thoughts?

TM: It's difficult in restaurants because you need to be streamlined. If you make a dish, it needs to taste exactly like he made the dish the day before, or she made the dish the day before that. But the food that we are using is ever changing. I can't stand sterile restaurants. There are certain restaurants that you go to that have that sterile feel, that people get into a routine of going to. Food needs to be a little bit dirty. You can have the most high-end restaurant with the most intricate food, but it needs to be dirty. There are those heightened flavors, and (the food) is less sterile. That doesn't mean rustic food to me, dirty food, it means the food is ever changing, bold flavors, it's not cookie cutter.

Sx10: Do you have a guilty pleasure dish?

TM: I'm from the East Coast, so I definitely miss cheesesteaks. But I'm going to have to go with a pork roll. Every single breakfast menu in the tri-state area has pork roll. It's almost like Spam. It's definitely not made from humane things, but it's just something I grew up with and every time I go back there I eat pork rolls.

Sx10: You have three new businesses opening up soon near Flour and Water. Can you talk a little about what they are and what the motivation was behind them?

TM: There is Central Kitchen, which is a new restaurant, then a salumeria, and bar. Everything goes with the neighborhood, goes as the natural next step. The salumeria is extremely rustic to-go food, a good day time business to capture a lower price point and serve people that can't afford to go to Flour and Water. Central Kitchen is little bit more high end; it's a bigger space, but everything (restaurant, salumeria, bar) just kind of flows together. Everything fits into a circle for what we think is going to be successful and the things that we want to do.

Sx10: What drew you and your business partner to the Mission as a place to open a restaurant?

TM: The building had been abandoned for 8 years, and I hate the term "up and coming" but there were definitely a lot of things happening in that neighborhood. You could see a surge of people moving there, and nothing was really going on. It's so far off the beaten Mission path, they're actually trying to change the name. People say that we are in the Mission, like when people think of 18th street, that corridor there, that just feels miles away from us.

Sx10: Steeling a question from the Anthony Bourdain playbook, what would be your Death Row meal?

TM: It might seem a little to open ended; but I would take a spread. I like big flavors, and I want to taste a little bit of everything. I just want a bunch of little bites, a bunch of little glasses of amazing wine. I know it's a bit open ended.

Thank you, Chef McNaughton, for taking some time out of your busy schedule to sit down and talk with me. It was a pleasure getting pick your brain a little for the readers of this humble little blog. I hope you all enjoyed getting to know the chef a little better, and be sure to check out Flour and Water as soon as you possibly can.

Summer Harvest

2010-08-10T15:21:00.001-07:00

Where are you greatest food memories created? Is it at that impossible to get a table, once in a life time, four star restaurant with the out of this world wine list? Or that cozy neighborhood spot that serves your favorite dish, just the way you like it, every time?

Maybe it is a night in with good friends, eating that favorite home made dish and drinking just one too many bottles of wine? For me, often it is a rare weekend spent with family and long time friends. A day out in the garden, picking buckets of tomatoes and other veggies, working together in a crowded home kitchen putting together a feast, with everyone pitching in where they can.

We recently had just that weekend, and it was... well, there really are no adjectives to describe the enjoyment of time spent among the people you love, eating food grown and prepared by hand in a place so familiar you know it blindfolded. So for now, we'll just call it "home".

I've got no recipes for you this post, just some pictures of friends and family coming together to enjoy each others company and celebrate a garden's summer harvest. We enjoyed a beer braised pulled pork, some fried okra, corn with garlic and chili powder, some delicious grilled vegetables, and the star of the show my mother's beautiful and exquisite tomatoes fresh from the garden. Enjoy.

Beautiful tiny carrots

Garden of color

The garden

One morning's harvest

Freshly picked tomatoes

Fried Okra

Grilled squash

A beautiful caprese salad

Colors of the garden

Our Table

Beer Braised Pulled Pork

2010-07-25T17:50:00.000-07:00

There are few things in this world that I love better than pork. Really, what is not to love? It is surely the most flavorful of our noble domestic beasts, and I would argue the most versatile. So much good can come from one healthy well-fed pig; so many amazing, delicious creations to sooth our appetites for hearty, rustic fare. Case in point: Pulled Pork.

I have always been a champion of the simple things; the uncomplicated things, the things that take time, a long time, to get right. Simple, elegant and versatile dishes with a few basic, exceptional ingredients prepared with the patience to follow through and make sure it comes out perfectly. And while some people might equate a long preparation and cooking time with a complicated dish, this Beer Braised Pulled Pork could not be simpler.

With only a handful of ingredients, the success of this dish has more to do with just leaving it alone happily bubbling away rather than constantly fussing over it like a Thanksgiving turkey. Once it gets started just let the magic happen while it fills your house with amazing aromas.

Beer Braised Pulled Pork

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4- to 4-1/2-pound pork butt (The original recipe calls for boneless pork butt, but that can be a little bit more expensive than bone-in. Also, the bone gives it a certain, something extra, and is super super easy to take out when the pork is done.)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 medium garlic cloves, smashed
2 medium habanero chiles, sliced into rounds
2 medium yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
24 ounces brown ale (Newcastle works very well.)
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Heat your oven to 300 degrees and arrange the rack in the middle. Combine salt, chili powder, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Coat pork butt with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, and the cover all sides with the spice mixture. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a dutch oven (our 5 1/2 quart worked perfectly.) Once oil is hot, add the pork and brown on all sides, about 15 mins total. Once browned, remove pork to a plate and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. (It works really well if you pour all of the fat out into a glass bowl and then spoon back in 1 tablespoon. You're welcome.)

Reduce heat to medium and add garlic, chiles and onions. Cook until soft and onions are translucent, about 10-15 minutes, frequently scraping the tasty bits from the bottom of the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high, and add the reserved pork and beer. (At this point, since you bought 2 16 oz bottles of Newcastle, you will have several ounces left over once everything has been added to the pot. Feel free to enjoy them with my compliments.) Bring everything to a boil.

Cover, transfer to the oven and cook until pork is tender and falls apart when shredded with a fork, about 3 hours. It will look a little something like this when it is done.

With tongs, separate the bone from the meat and discard. Carefully, very carefully, remove the pork from the liquid and place in a large glass bowl. Over another glass bowl, place a large strainer and pour the liquid and any remaining solids over the strainer. Allow as much liquid to pass through the solids in the strainer, using the back of a spoon to push it through. Once enough of the liquid has been strained, place the strained solids back into the pot. Reserve about 3 cups of the liquid, or certainly all of it if you plan to use it for another purpose. It is super flavorful and would make an amazing base for a gravy or stock.

Using forks, shred the pork and remove any large chunks of fat you find. Take your time with this, there is more than you think. Once you have discarded as much of the fat as you can and shredded the pork enough, place back into the pot with the strained solids.

With your reserved liquid, strain out the fat using a fat separator. Since I don't actually have a fat separator, I just used a spoon to slowly ladle out the liquid fat. It took a while, but it was worth it. It might be time to invest in a fat separator for next time, though.

The original recipe says to separate the liquid from the fat until you have just 1 cup of juice, but I had quite a bit more than that. No problems there, a little extra pork fat never hurt anyone, right? Add the cider vinegar and spoon the separated juice in generously, mixing with tongs as you go. Taste the pork frequently as you mix in the juice, stopping once the perfect balance of flavors is reached.

This being my first foray into the slow-cooked meats, I was impressed with how well this recipe came together. This pulled pork makes great sandwiches topped with just a dollop of guacamole, or on warm corn tortillas with a little cilantro and white onion. It was a deceptively simple recipe to prepare, and kept us well fed for several days afterwards.

Although I mangled this recipe around to accommodate lack of equipment and so on, thanks go to the good people at Chow.com for sending me this and many, many delightful recipes in my Inbox every morning. I hope you all have as much fun preparing this dish as I did, and as always, enjoy!

A Day In The Park

2010-07-06T15:32:00.000-07:00

Nothing beats a day at the park. Warm sun, fresh air, throngs of tourists looking for parking. This weekend, before all of the Independence Day hullabaloo, the missus and I decided to take a nice long stroll through Golden Gate Park and enjoy the fleeting San Francisco sun. Oh and hey, whats this? Sam's Chowder Mobile was there too, serving delicious lobster rolls and fish & chips just behind the music concourse.

We often plan our outings around the places we want to eat, and this day was no exception. Golden Gate Park can get a bit crowded, but I have been wanting to give the Chowder Mobile a try for a while, and what better way to enjoy lunch than sitting on a park bench, soaking up sunshine, munching on delicious sea food?

While the menu is a little pricey for what you might expect from a food truck, the quality is truly worth your money. The "shortie" lobster roll is fantastic, sweet flaky lobster chunks stuffed (barely) into a toasted butter slice of bread. The missus took on the fish and chips which were perfectly breaded and not terribly greasy, as some variations can be. I will warn though that the order of fries for $4 is actually an enormous order of fries, almost worthy of being a meal unto themselves. Unless you are sharing them with a couple of people or just really love fries, save your money.

All in all, a great day out in the park. Yummy food, warm sun, a great walk. Keep track of Sam's Chowder Mobile on Twitter at Twitter.com/chowdermobile to find out where they will show up next.

Dishcrawl Through The Mission

2010-06-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, the missus and I took advantage of the fleeting sun to join a group of food lovers and food writers for a Mission Street Food Dishcrawl, hosted by the lovely and effervescent Tracy Lee of Battledish, a delightful little venture aimed at getting food lovers out exploring their city and taking part in exciting foodie adventures.

Our day started at sunny and windswept Precita Park in San Francisco's Bernal Heights to sample a few of the plethora of amazing street food carts our city has to offer, as well as offerings from Terra Savia Olive Oils and gluten-free baked goodies from Zest Bakery. From there we were off, an army of foodies tromping through the Mission to our first stop: Mission Pie.

Luckily, Mission Pie was all but empty on this Sunday afternoon, so we kind of had our run of the place. After perusing the delicacies behind the glass, the missus and I decided on the pluot frangipane tart with a little dollop of whipped cream. So simple, so delicious. Gone in a matter of bites. Mission Pie has without a doubt the most delicious pies in The City, and it is always a treat to get to stop in and enjoy a slice. Oddly enough though, on this day we ate pie before we ate anything that resembled dinner. Oh well.

After pie, we mozied down Mission Street to Rosamunde Sausage Grill, a local favorite that somehow I had never heard of before. The recommendation from those in the know was to get the beer sausage, so we ordered one to share with grilled onions and sweet peppers. While one of the least exotic items on a menu that includes chicken cherry, duck, and pheasant, the beer sausage hit the spot. A smoky spiciness from the beef and pork sausage, sweetness from the onions and peppers, and a little heat from the mustard added up to a perfect snack before moving along to our next destination deeper into the Mission.

I might have mentioned this before, but I love Mexican food. Love it. Cannot get enough of it. And if you are on the hunt for great, real, uncomplicated Mexican food, the Mission is where you go. Pretty reliably, you can walk down 24th street on any given day and be hypnotized by the wafting aromas of carnitas and carne asada, lulled in by the sounds of sizzling meats on a grill and too-loud soap operas blaring from wall mounted televisions. This isn't your financial district fancy, sit down, cloth napkin Mexican food, my friends. This is greasy paper plate piled with tender meat and warm tortillas, juice dripping down your hands, use ten napkins by the time you're done Mexican food.

And one of the best places to find that kind of Mexican food, the best kind in my humble opinion, is at Taqueria Vallarta, a deceptively large eatery along 24th that boasts it's own taco cart separate from the main counter. Pull up a bench in the dining room and enjoy the colorful and whimsical murals covering the walls. For a buck and a half per taco, you have your choice of a variety of meats, including the standard carnitas, pollo, carne asada, lengua, and al pastor that sizzle in a round bowled grill being constantly tended by the frantic cook behind the glass. Tell the man the meats you want, he slaps them into warm tortillas, then you toss on fresh chopped onions, cilantro, radishes, a squeeze of lime, and a little salsa. Pay the nice lady, and you are ready to chow.

I tucked into a carne asada and a carnitas taco, and honestly couldn't stop thinking about them for the rest of the afternoon. I truly could have sat at that table stuffing my face with those tacos until closing time. But we had a schedule to keep, and a few more stops to make before the evening was done.

Around the corner to Humphry Slocombe Ice Cream, where we all sated our sweet tooths with some of San Francisco's best and most creative ice cream. A crowd favorite was the olive oil ice cream, a strange combination of sweet and savory that really just worked. Some of the more original concoctions are secret breakfast (a mixture of bourbon and little flecks of corn flakes) peanut butter curry, cinnamon brittle, and the bizarre Jesus juice, a mixture of red wine and Coca-Cola.

To exacerbate the sugary caloric intake, we had a visit from Cindi Fleischer of the Anticupcake company, maker of deliciously diminutive personal sized cheesecakes. Cindi brought along a small cooler packed with her mini cheesecakes including dulce de leche and and s'mores, two exceptionally creative flavors that wowed the group. My one sweet weakness has always been cheesecake, and these little treats were first rate.

One more stop just another block up 24th street to La Victoria Panaderia. A great neighborhood bakery that has been a part of the Mission for over 60 years makes some of the most delicious pan dulce in The City. The hour was getting late and our appetites were flagging, but a walk through the Mission is never complete without a stop at La Victoria. While the remaining members of our Dishcrawl group waited patiently for an empanada, the missus and I grabbed a few delicious looking pastries for the road and left to nurse our food comas.

The Dishcrawl was a great day out and about, enjoying the sun, great food, and fantastic company. It was fun to see some familiar faces and to get introduced to new ones. Thanks to Tracy Lee for setting up this Sunday afternoon foodie adventure, we cannot wait for the next one. For more info on the next Dishcrawl and whatever mouth-watering adventures Tracy has planned next, visit the Battledish website and sign up!

Simple Ingredients

2010-06-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

I am not a good cook. And I am not saying that out of humility, fishing for a compliment. I say that because I am not learned in the refined techniques of turning raw ingredients into perfectly crafted dishes, or pairing delicate flavors together to dazzle the pallet. I have, for the most part, learned what little I do know by watching, by reading, and of course by making mistakes.

One thing that I know for sure though is that it does not take much to make something that tastes absolutely amazing. It certainly doesn't take much to turn a few ingredients into a mess of tasteless mush, either, but that typically happens when we try just a little too hard. The most important thing I have learned is that cooking is applying a certain amount of heat for a certain amount of time to raw ingredients. Sure, there is some chopping and stirring and seasoning involved, but what gives the dish it's flavor, what causes it to succeed or fail, are the ingredients.

I think so often we are either so snobbishly aloof or so brazenly indifferent to the food we eat that we forget exactly what causes that particular emotional (or lack thereof) connection. But believe me, the reason so many people seek out the best restaurants while others simply disregard food as anything but fuel will boil down every time to the quality of the ingredients in the food they eat. The greatest chefs in the world will tell you that any menu begins and ends with the freshest, highest quality ingredients. As a contrast to that, the lowliest fry cook at any fast food joint in the world will tell you that they don't know where tomatoes come from or when they are in season, they just know a slice of one is supposed to go on top of the patty.

The basic, raw ingredients come from somewhere, and it can't hurt to know where they came from and how many people have handled them along the way. Obviously, the fresher the ingredient, the more honest and vibrant the flavor, and the fewer hands an ingredient passes through to get to your kitchen, the fresher it will be. And whatever your ingredient, whether it is fiddleheads or flank steak, the fresher and more flavorful the ingredient, the less preparation needed to turn it into a spectacular meal.

I have never been particularly impressed with dishes that try far too hard to be something they are not; those precariously balanced towers of unnaturally shaped food or the modernist deconstruction of grandma's meatballs seem more like an ode to the chef's ego than real food. I realize there is a time and a place for a dish prepared with such meticulous and single-minded precision. But for me food is not precise or scientific; food is warm and organic, heartfelt, and not just a little messy. The elegance and pleasure of a meal comes not from it's artistic design and presentation, but from it's simplicity; a dish that relies on the quality of just a few exceptional ingredients.

Those ingredients, the raw materials of your dinner, are what make your meal delicious. So often the meals I make for my wife and I on a weeknight after a long day at work are made with the least amount of fuss and preparation. And more often than not, dinner is pretty darn good. I won't lie; we've had some disasters. But occasionally, we surprise ourselves and throw together something out of this world delicious.

But not once has it been because I am a good cook. When you rely on the exquisit flavors of a few exceptional ingredients, you don't need to be. Pasta with Chanterelle mushrooms and early girl tomatoes, Quinoa with fresh asparagus, sauteed green beans and garlic, or slices of fresh tomato with olive oil. A few fresh, simple ingredients, prepared with minimal fuss, letting the flavors of your ingredients shine through. Just add the heat.

Birthday Dinner At San Francisco's A16

2010-05-28T18:25:00.000-07:00

Alright, it's official. I'm getting older. Not old, mind you, just older. The inevitably steady always forward never backward progression of time is a typical and well-worn source of worry. But really, when a birthday comes around, I say enjoy yourself, eat, drink, and be merry. No reason to fuss and fret over gaining yet another year, but take one day, or two, or five, and worry about celebrating, well, yourself.

In that spirit, as I went from being 30 to being "in my 30's", I wanted to enjoy an amazing dinner with my favorite girl at a spot I have been aching to try for some time. That spot was A16 in San Francisco's Marina District, and believe me, it was worth the wait.

We started off by ordering a carafe of Terredora di paolo red wine, recommended by the waiter as being the quintessential pizza wine. Starters came in short order; the missus getting the roasted asparagus with black olives, ricotta and lemon, and I the roasted calamari.

The calamari was fresh and flavorful, a very bright and uncomplicated dish. Wilted greens completed the plate, adding a little bitterness to the calamari and sharp lemon flavor.

If A16 is known for anything, it is their pizza. If the wood fired oven blazing away in the open kitchen was any indication, I could tell they take their pizza seriously. I ordered the Salsiccia pizza with fennel sausage, roasted spring onions, mozzarella, grana, garlic, chilies and olive oil. The waited brought us a small jar of chili oil, proclaiming he loved it and put it on everything. The chili oil was ferociously hot, but with a great flavor to back it up. In small drops, it added just the right amount of heat.

But this pizza didn't need any doctoring. Perfect from first bite to last, this was honestly the best pizza I have had this side of the Atlantic. The sausage was fresh and flavorful, the cheese creamy and light. Although the pizza was huge, it would have been a sin to not devour it completely and lick my plate clean. You can rest assured there was not a speck of pizza left on my plate.

And finally, thinking there would be no way to fit any more in, we came to desert. I've mentioned before that I am not a huge sweet tooth, but sometimes, like on my birthday, I feel inclined to indulge. We shared an apricot and pistachio tart with honey ice cream that topped the meal off perfectly. Not too sweet or indulgent, just a simple, crispy tart with the tang of apricot, the crunch of pistachios and the cool sweetness of ice cream. Just a few simple ingredients and I am a happy man.

It was, to say the least, a fabulous birthday dinner with my beautiful wife. I don't think I will wait for another birthday to come around before I visit A16 again.

Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Peppers

2010-05-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

Recently we have begun to discover the wonders of quinoa, and have enjoyed making all sorts of simple, savory dishes with this super-healthy grain. Any dish made with quinoa is bound to be hearty and filling; a deceptively small amount will keep your appetite sated and your tastebuds happy.

So when the missus discovered a recipe on one of our favorite blogs, Cooking With Amy, we figured we like quinoa, we like peppers, and we definitely like mushrooms, so why not give this a shot? The great thing about this dish is how easy it is to make; very little preparation in needed beyond chopping a few veggies and rinsing the quinoa.

For those uninitiated into the realm of quinoa, first thing to note is that it has to be rinsed, thoroughly. Second, quinoa absorbs an astounding amount of water, so figure on your water to grain ratio being somewhere around 2:1. As part of an entree for 2 people, 1/2 cup of quinoa is just about right to make your tummy full and happy. However, there is nothing wrong with making more and having some left over for lunch the next day.

But lets move on to the recipe at hand, shall we?

Quinoa Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Ingredients:

2 Poblano peppers, cut in half, seeds removed

1 cup of water

1/2 cup of red or white quinoa

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

2 cups swiss chard leaves, shredded

1/4 cup pistachios, chopped

1 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes, liquid included

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine water and quinoa in a saucepan, bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Cover; cook for 15 to 18 minutes until water is completely absorbed. Remove from heat.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, add your olive oil. Saute onions, mushroom, and garlic for about 8 minutes, until onion is tender. Add the chard and allow to wilt, it will reduce in volume by more than half. Add the cooked quinoa and season to taste with salt and pepper. Once combined, spoon the mixture into the pepper halves.

In a casserole dish large enough to hold the peppers, (an 8 x 8 should do) pour in the canned tomatoes and liquid. Nestle the peppers into the sauce and top each with a few pinches of chopped pistachio. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the peppers are tender.

This is a hearty, warm, and simple dish great for a weeknight. We ate it as our main course, but the peppers could easily be served as a side dish as well. The one change I would make next time around would be to roast the peppers first and remove the skin; once they had baked the skin was tough and a little bitter, roasting them first would have brought out the sweetness of the peppers. We used fairly small peppers, which made stuffing a little bit difficult; if you can, find fat peppers that will give you plenty of room to stuff all the goodies inside.

Thanks to fellow San Francisco foodie Amy Sherman for the great recipe. I hope you all will give this a try and don't be afraid to add your own spin on it. That's what cooking is all about. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Burritos

2010-04-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love Mexican food. Of all the ethnic cuisines we have available to us in this amazing city of ours, few have the ravenous loyalty and array of choices that Mexican has. Second maybe only to Chinese cuisine, there are more Mexican restaurants, taquerias, pupuserias, and taco trucks than any other one ethnic food in the city. Everyone has their favorite spot and their favorite dish, and will defend their favorite with rabid dedication.

Of all my favorite dishes on the classic Mexican food menu, the burrito stands atop the heap as a perfect mixture of all the best flavors of mexican cuisine rolled neatly into a tidy little bundle. Beans, rice, crispy vegetables, cool guacamole, slow-cooked meat, and spicy sauce all layered together in a perfect (and portable) roll of delciousness.

One of my new favorites in the exciting world of burrito-ology is of the vegetarian variety. Now, usually when you order a vegetarian burrito, what arrives is pretty uninspired. A lukewarm heap of rice and beans, occasionally dressed up with an extra-large helping of guacamole and cheese. Pretty boring, to say the least. But I recently stumbled upon a rather brilliant take on the vegetarian burrito, one chalk full of butternut squash, onions, avacado and the ubiquitous beans and rice. After discovering this brilliant new rendition at Picante Taqueria in San Rafael, I knew it was something I had to try and re-create at home. I gave it a go despite my wife's reservations, and here is what we came up with:

Butternut Squash Burritos

Ingredients:
3-4 soft avacados (for the guacamole)
1 lime
A pinch or two of salt
1 medium red onion
1 medium butternut squash, seeds and outer skin removed, chopped into 3/4 inch cubes
1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped into tiny bits
1 can of black beans, drained
1 cup of white rice
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
2-3 Tablespoons of Mexican seasoning paste (usually found in the cooler next to the bags of pre-washed salad.)
Cumin, paprika, chili powder to taste
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
Your favorite melty cheese, shredded or grated. No measurement here, use as much as your hear desires.

4 burrito-sized tortillas (we liked the spinach & herb variety)

Make the guacamole first to allow time for the flavors to combine. Chop 1/2 of the red onion fine, add to a medium mixing bowl. Add your avacado, broken up to allow for easier mashing. Using a pastry cutter, mash up the avacado, combining it with the chopped onion until it has the consistency of, well guacamole. Chunky or smooth is your choice, I prefer mine a little chunky.

Add half of the chopped cilantro and squeeze the juice of the lime into the guacamole, stirring to combine. Set this aside while you get everything else ready to go.

Prepare the rice, boiling in 1 1/2 cups of water or vegetable broth until liquid is gone and rice is cooked through. Add the Mexican spice paste and stir together, add more or less to taste. In a separate pot or a bowl in the microwave, warm the black beans. If you like it spicy, add a few dashes of hot sauce to the beans.

While the rice cooks, sautee the butternut squash and red onion. Slice the other half of the onion into 1/4 inch ribbons and add to a hot sautee pan with a little canola oil. As the onion becomes translucent, add the butternut squash and cover. Allow the squash to cook until it is soft, and add a few squeezes of your Mexican seasoning paste. About half way through the squash cooking, toss in your chopped jalapeño. Stir in a few dashes of cumin, paprika and chili powder, or any of your favorite spices or hot sauce, and taste as you go. There really is no science to this, just season until it tastes right to you.

Now it's time to assemble. I have a bad habit of over stuffing, but the basic idea is to layer your ingredients on top of one another. When I see it done in taquerias, they usually pile the goods just off the center of the tortilla, probably so there is enough room to wrap all the way around. Start with the beans, add the rice and then your butternut squash and onions. Top with melty cheese (we used Monterey Jack), guacamole, and a little fresh cilantro. Roll this beast up to the best of your abilities, and start enjoying your new favorite burrito.

This should make about 4 good sized burritos, but you might have some goodies left over for lunch the next day. While the missus was skeptical this would work, I managed to win her over in the end. Now we have a new recipe in our arsenal whenever butternut squash arrives in our CSA box, or for when I get a hankering for something different. I hope you all enjoy this as much as we did.

Quinoa with Asparagus & Tabasco

2010-04-16T22:29:00.001-07:00

As springtime slowly, very slowly, begins to break through the layers of clouds and rain and cold, it is time for us to put away the warm comfort foods of winter and get ready for the green flush of spring vegetables. While the roots and squashes of winter keep us warm and happy through the chilly months, I am always a little giddy when the weather starts to warm and we begin to see piles of vibrant green stuffed into our bi-weekly CSA box. And early spring means one favorite green thing in particular: Asparagus.

Since asparagus has such a short season, it is always a gift to get it fresh from the farm where it was grown. We have enjoyed asparagus in many, many different ways over the years here in the Tiny Kitchen, but thought we might mix it up a bit with a recent recipe from Heidi at 101 Cookbooks, a favorite go-to of ours for delicious and healthy meals.

We jumped onto the quinoa bandwagon sometime ago, (again, thanks Heidi) and after we discovered this filling, hearty and delicious grain, we have been preaching the gospel ever since. Quinoa is amazingly simple to prepare and can be paired with just about anything you would eat with rice or couscous, that is to say just about anything at all. For this recipe, the addition of the tabasco butter makes the quinoa creamy and stands apart nicely from the slightly bitter asparagus and earthiness of the pine nuts. I have shaved the ingredient measurements down a bit to fit making this dish for only two people; the orginal serves 6. When making the butter, add or subtract the tabasco and dijon mustard to suit your tastes, we like things a bit spicy here in the Tiny Kitchen so we my have been generous in our pours. Keep in mind the butter cuts the heat of the hot sauce nicely, so don't be afraid to add a few extra drops.

Quinoa with Asparagus & Tabasco

Ingredients:

Tabasco Butter:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
15 - 20 drops of Tabasco
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch of sea salt

1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1 inch lengths
1/4 cup of pine nuts, slightly toasted over low heat
1/2 cup of red or white quinoa

To cook the quinoa, first rinse well through a very fine mesh strainer. Quinoa cooks at about a 1 to 3 ratio to water, so bring 1 1/2 cups of water or vegetable stock to a boil and add quinoa. Cover, lower heat, and allow to simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the little grains let out their little white tails.

To prepare the tabasco butter, add the butter, dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and Tabasco sauce in a mixing bowl. While the original recipe calls to use a mixer, this is such a small amount of ingredients that was really just easier to do by hand. Using two forks, smash, whip and stir the ingredients together until the butter is soft and has been completely combined with the other ingredients. Stir about 2/3 of this into your waiting quinoa and set the rest aside to dollop a little into your bowl.

Finally, get a small pot of water going to a slow boil and add your asparagus pieces. Let them cook for no more than a minute, or minute and a half. Keep an eye out, they will begin to get even darker and more vibrantly green. Once the asparagus has cook for just a short time, pull them out with a spider or strainer and add them directly to your quinoa. Stir into the buttery quinoa along with the pine nuts and serve.

Quinoa is deceptively filling and incredibly nutricious; just a small bowl of this is all you really need for a complete, healthy dinner. This dish was a delightful way to celebrate the arrival of asparagus and, slowly but surely, the coming of spring. Thanks once again to Heidi at 101 Cookbooks for the great recipe, it is always a pleasure to see what she will think of next. Enoy!

A Day At The Market

2010-03-07T13:45:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, the sun graced us with her presence, and locals took the opportunity to stow their umbrellas and enjoy a day outside. No where in San Francisco is a better gathering place on a Saturday than at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market, basking in rare rays of sunlight and awash in the cool breeze from the bay. The missus and I spent our morning walking the market, searching for fresh fruits and veggies for the upcoming week, and a little something special for lunch.

Since the missus is rocking her 21 day vegan kickstart, she tucked in to a raw pumpkin lasagna from Alive!, a local raw restaurant with their own tent at the outdoor market. I had designs of my own, and they were very, very un-vegan. Craving the chicharrones of 4505 Meats, and giddy with excitement that they had opened up a tent at the Saturday market, I couldn't wait to see what they had to offer, and I was not disappointed.

With child-like glee, I ordered the 4505 Hot Dog made "Zilla style", the hot dog topped with Namu kimchi, green onions, money sauce, and 4505 chicharrones. This is, and I don't think I'm overstating this, the greatest hot dog ever created in the history of ever. The Zilla style toppings can be ordered on any sausage or hot dog at the 4505 Meats tent. And, since they are like little pieces of piggy crack, I walked away with a bag of chicharrones to enjoy at home.

This was definitely not dainty finger food. It was messy, and I'm not even a little bit ashamed about stuffing this monstrosity into my face. It's just that good. In fact, I could go for another one right about now.

After eating and picking up a few necessities for home, like that pig candy there, we left the sunny Ferry Building to get ready for the dark and seedy underbelly of San Francisco food, the SF Underground Farmer's Market. The Underground Market is a gathering of local foodies and small, artisan producers of everything from granola to pickled grapes. During it's short existence, the market has become incredibly popular, no surprise for something that is supposed to be "underground". While at one point the market was crammed into a small apartment, this market was held in a loft space in SOMA, and the line to get in stretched down the block.

Tables of home made preserves, pulled pork sandwiches, freshly foraged mushrooms, and much, much more crowded this small space for people to peruse, purchase, and dine on their fine creations. Iso Rabins of Forage SF served a delicious pork belly bun and Fat Alley Foods served an aromatic variety of gumbos, including a vegan okra gumbo that was surprisingly flavorful and just spicy enough.

The vegan okra gumbo of Fat Alley Foods:

For our first time at the SF Underground Farmers Market, we had a fantastic time. It took us almost 45 minutes before we got in, and got out of there in just under that long. The downside to the popular market being in such a small space is that there is literally no room to move around, making it tough to make a stop at every table. However, with so many delicious things to choose from, you will hardly leave hungry. The mob of hungry people was pretty well behaved, all in all, everyone accepting the ebb and flow of the crowd as people pushed through to the next table.

Keep an eye out for the next Underground Farmer's Market at the ForageSF blog.

A Month of Vegan

2010-03-02T09:48:00.000-08:00

For the next 21 days, my lovely wife will be conducting an exciting lifestyle experiment. For these first 3 weeks of March, she will be eating a completely vegan diet, exploring the many challenges and benefits of eating completely animal free. To be fair, I will be participating in this experiment when we eat at home, as we enjoy trying new things in the kitchen and sharing meals together. But for the rest of the time, I will be sort of the "control" portion of this test, so we can compare how much better she feels than I do after the 21 days.

I feel I should mention that we are not ravenous meat eaters; our typical diet is largely plant based, and the meat we do eat is generally humanely raised and organically fed. The difficult part will come from the other animal products, such as eggs and dairy and products like pasta that are such a staple of our regular diet it will be a challenge to replace them.

The inspiration for this challenge came from Her Highness Oprah, and her own well publicized 3 week vegan challenge. After watching Oprah's episode with actress Alicia Sliverstone and Michael Pollan, the missus joined the 21 Day Vegan Kickstart program which offers support through advice, recipes, meal plans and diet tips. She bought a great cookbook, "The Conscious Cook" by Tal Ronnen which we are excited about exploring.

So during these 21 days of eating vegan, we'll share some recipes, some challenges, and ultimately how my wife feels after 3 weeks of eating no animal stuffs. Enjoy!

Tal Ronnen's Vegan Chicken Scaloppini

European Vacation: Paris

2010-02-18T20:08:00.000-08:00

Ah, Paris. What can I say about you that hasn't been said a thousand times before. Your beautiful lights, your deep and colorful history, your passionate people, and your food. Oh, your food. There is no city in the world that celebrates food the way Paris does. Our time in Paris was far too short, but we managed to see a lot of this beautiful city and eat some incredible food along the way.

We were lucky enough to see Paris blanketed in snow; a soft layer of white covering rooftops and sidewalks, typically busy cafe patios were empty but for the tables huddled under the heat lamps. Everywhere we walked, the food of Paris lept out at us from manicured window displays and sidewalk produce stands. The smell of freshly baked bread and pastries was everywhere, especially in the morning as busy Parisians picked up their morning baguette on the way to work.

Our first morning in Paris, we took a French pastry cooking class with Pino of Cook'n With Class near our little apartment in Montmarte. We learned the art of making croissants, pain au chocolat, a raisin bread, and a fougasse. And yes, we used a lot of butter. The rest of the small class was made up of a family also from the Bay Area, so we immediately felt at ease with each other, something familiar so far from home.

The missus, enjoying a delicious ham sandwich:

A temple of fine food, Le Grand Epicerie has just about everything you could possibly imagine.

While our stay in Paris took us to many of the famous destinations of art and culture this city has to offer, no museum or palace would top the evening we spent with our friends Helene and Christophe, walking the city and finally ending our night with one of the most amazing meals I have ever had.

We sat down at Le Chardenoux around 11pm, after an aperitif and a few bites of freshly sliced prosciutto. We decided on a spectacular bottle of Bordeaux, and waited for the cuisine of chef Cyril Lignac to arrive. Not knowing who exactly this chef is or just how special a place we were sitting in, we had no idea how incredible this meal was going to be. Fois gras ravioli, scallops with chorizo and a sweet potato puree, shepherd's pie with duck confit, the list goes on and on. Each bite was absolute perfection; I actually started getting sad as the few remaining bites disappeared from my plate.

This was the experience in Paris I had been looking for. You can have the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triumph; my Paris is sitting around a table, sharing wine with friends and savoring each bite of an amazing meal. It was hard to let this evening end, but by the time we were done the restaurant was empty and waiting to close, the Paris streets outside were quiet and it was time to be getting home.

It might be a tacky tourist trap, but it had to be done. This little cafe is where Amelie Poulin daydreamed and served coffee to her colorful cast of customers. The owners of the cafe know a meal ticket when they see one, and spare no effort letting you know this is Amelie's cafe. And no, it doesn't look anything like it does in the movie.

Marrons, or chestnuts, are roasted in braziers right on the street and stuffed into rolled up newspaper to eat as you go. Just one of the many things we discovered here, something we just don't see much of here in California.

A quirky sausage stand in a Christmas market near the Eiffel Tower.

The world famous hot chocolate of Cafe Angelina:

While the hot chocolate was amazing, this busy cafe near the Louvre is snotty and knows they don't need your business. This is the type of place most Americans think of when they talk about rude Parisians, a waiter who hardly acknowledges your existence and barely conceals his contempt for having to serve you. Was the hot chocolate worth it? Yeah, probably.

Food is art in Paris. This is a pyramid of macarons in a little shop just up the street from our apartment in Montmarte, but it seemed as if every street we walked down had their own unique take on the presentation of their beautiful treats.

Our last day in Paris, with a long overnight train ride in our near future, we needed to pick up some provisions for the trip to Italy.

At another little Christmas market nestled in a square across from the Seine we found this couple selling artisan cheese and salami, just the thing we needed for our train ride. Lucky we did, too, we ended up eating most of it at the station while waiting 3 hours for our train.

One of the cherished delicacies of Paris are the macarons, little beautifully colored almond cookies in literally dozens of flavors. It seems like everyone makes macarons, but some of the finest are found here at Gerard Mulot. These little guys are almost as enjoyable to look at as they are to eat. Almost.

How could I write anything about Paris an not mention crepes? The iconic street food of Paris, little crepe stands can be found all over the city, especially during the winter. We tried them with jam, with creme de marron, and of course Nutella, our favorite. A perfect snack to keep your energy up while spending the day walking around town.

Our time in Paris was so amazing, I don't feel writing about it has done it justice. There are not enough words to thank our friends Helene and Christophe for sharing their city with us, and Aia for her opening up her home and taking us to her favorite haunts. The experience of Paris was made so much richer by having friends to show us the city they love. Thank you all so much, we cannot wait for our chance to return.

European Vacation: Bruges

2010-02-04T11:03:00.001-08:00

Our next stop was the beautiful medieval town of Bruges in Belgium, a favorite holiday retreat for many Europeans who come for the Christmas markets and, of course, the chocolate. The only reason we knew about this delightful little town was because of the film, In Bruges, starring Colin Farrell and Bredan Gleeson. Even though it is a film about hitmen, it is a glowing advertisement for the city with its beautiful canals and cobblestone streets.

All film references aside, the city of Bruges is a truly magical place, and during the holidays her squares are filled with Christmas markets, selling everything from mulled wine to cozy knit hats. The main square of the city, the Market Square, even has a large ice skating rink set up for all the tourists to test their wobbly legs or watch their friends run into each other while sipping a hot chocolate on the walkway.

The two biggest foodie attractions in Bruges are, no surprise, beer and chocolate. And Bruges does not disappoint with every window advertising delicious Belgian beer and a chocolate shop on very nearly every street. The one remaining brewery within city limits, De Halve Maan brewery, gives walking tours (in various languages) through the brewery's old buildings and brewing facilities, culminating with a tasting of their most popular beer, Brugse Zot.

Keeping warm with a little Jagermeister:

The De Halve Maan Brewery, the only brewery left in Bruges:

Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate:

We couldn't decide if these little guys were here to be someone's pet, or someone's dinner.

The Christmas Market of Market Square:

The best way to end our stay in Bruges:

Bruges was a fantastic place to slow down and enjoy a beautiful, historic city packed with beer, chocolate, and Christmas everywhere. But we hadn't even hit our stride, up next was Paris.

European Vacation: London

2010-01-19T20:16:00.000-08:00

It's been a few weeks now since our plane touched back down in San Francisco, and the experience of our amazing four week trip to Europe has begun to fade into memory as we adjust back to normal life. It's hard to adequately express just how incredible this trip was, and what it meant to be able to share it with my wife. To be sure, it is great to be home, back to familiar people and things, but it was tough to leave.

We experienced so many things, from the history of London, to the Christmas markets of medieval Bruges, the beauty of Paris, and finally the family Christmas in Padova. While not everything we did was motivated by food, it was never very far from our minds. There was simply so much to eat and drink along the way that it would be tough to put it all here, so I'll leave you with the highlights.

Borough Market in London, a massive permanent market for all things food. Fresh fish and game, pies, sausages, and everything in between fill the green iron and glass halls of Borough.

One of the many offerings at Borough is locally made artisan cheese.

Barrels of beautiful, colorful olives.

Hand made chutneys and marmalades
Nuts, candies, chocolates... tables and tables of delicacies.
Here's something you won't ever see much of at home: Food with its fur and feathers still on. Ducks, pheasants, rabbits, and even a deer hang ready to become dinner. I realize that some might be a bit squemish about seeing their food outside of hermetically sealed plastic, but this is what dinner looks like before it becomes dinner.

Tasty, happy pig.

London is such an amazing city, and I can't wait for another opportunity to head back across the pond. Don't believe the rumors, London is a great food city. Although we were traveling on a budget, we made sure to have one big expensive dinner while we were in town, and we picked a charming Spanish tapas restaurant called Cambio de Tercio. We felt a little funny bringing a camera in, but my friend Kang over at London Eater has a brilliant review and snappy pictures of some of the highlights from the menu. It was his review, in fact, that sealed our decision that this was the spot to try. Cambio de Tercio was a highlight of our time in London, and it will certainly be on our list of places to visit when we come back.

Alas, our time in London was far too short, but we had many adventures to come. Next up, the Christmas markets of Bruges.

Away We Go

2009-12-05T15:17:00.000-08:00

Tonight we are packing our bags. We have spent the last few months gathering warm clothes, water-proof shoes, scarves, knit hats and every last little thing we are going to need for our trip. Where are we going, you ask? We are going to be spending December in Europe, starting in London, then to Bruges, on to Paris and finally Padova, Italy for Christmas.

It is no doubt going to be an amazing trip of new places, new voices, and of course amazing food. As much as I can as we traipse around Europe I will update the Tiny Kitchen with photos and insights on where we are, what we are doing, and what we are eating. I hope you all will follow along, and enjoy our European Christmas adventure.

And away we go....

Giving Thanks

2009-11-28T09:21:00.000-08:00

It is not often that we get to spend Thanksgiving with my family out in the Valley. We typically opt for the bigger Christmas holiday to make that trip and plan our huge family holiday meal. This year, the missus and I will be abroad for Christmas (more on that later) and wanted to spend at least one of the holidays around my parents' dinner table.

Typically, we would be cooking for a crowd of a dozen or more, but this year was just us; my parents, sister, the missus and I. Believe me when I tell you we had plenty of food to go around. And around. And around. You get the idea. Definitely something to be thankful for. A big step for us was ordering a free-range turkey from Mary's Turkeys, a local farm that makes free-range birds available by special order through their website and local markets. Another departure for us was choosing to try brining the turkey this year instead of just oven-roasting it. When we arrived Wednesday night after battling holiday traffic on the I-5, my dad had the bird nestled comfortably in a cooler packed with bags of ice and a dark aromatic brine.

We stuck to mostly traditional Thanksgiving staples like cornbread stuffing, biscuits, cranberry relish, deviled eggs prepared with care by my sister, and of course mashed potatoes and gravy. Really, what holiday is complete without gravy? And since we had such a stockpile of fresh veggies to play with, we threw together a mix of roasted vegetables with herbs and balsamic vinegar. The simplest things prepared with the least amount of fuss always turn out to be the best. For desert, instead of the traditional home-baked pie, we brought a treat up from San Francisco to share with everyone, a bread pudding with whiskey sauce from Cajun Pacific. After dinner, we even threw the turkey carcass into a pot of water with some chopped vegetables and made a big, beautiful bubbling pot of stock, some of which turned into a fantastic and simple leftover turkey soup two days later.

Our family has started to get pretty good at putting on a holiday meal. We figure out a menu, work out what is going to be in season and what local farm we should buy our ingredients from. Like this year, we use the bounty of our CSA subscription and of course my mother's prolific garden to prepare our feasts. Together, we have become quite the culinary team.

While all of the food is wonderful, and brings us together as a family as we dance around each other chopping and peeling and boiling, the meal isn't the only thing that makes these days special. It's going out to the garden and picking bushels of vegetables as a family. It's sitting around the kitchen table after dinner, playing a traditional game of Scrabble. And it's being there, with our family, talking and laughing, finding out what each is looking forward to, what we are struggling with. (Oh, and it's also giving my sister a hard time about her new boyfriend.) It's being thankful for the gifts that we have been given, and the people we have to share them with.

I hope everyone had a chance to give thanks with your families and friends, and that you all ate very, very well.

Persimmon Bread

2009-11-25T10:50:00.001-08:00

With all of the Foodbuzz blogger festivities behind us, it is due time for some actual food, don't you think? I am sure all of the coverage of the blogger festival by myself and the multitude of other foodies has been more than enough to make you jealous, and maybe even gotten you thinking about starting your own food blog. Fair enough, you deserve a good recipe, something to fill your kitchen with delicious aromas. You've waiting long enough.

As we roll through Fall onto the threshold of Winter, the variety of fruits and vegetables coming in our CSA box is changing, and bringing new challenges to the Tiny Kitchen. Among the vibrant pile of bock choi, beets, sweet potatoes and pomegranates, came a bag of bright, plump Fuyu Persimmons. Once I got past the initial forehead-wrinkling over what I could possibly do with these beauties, unsure if they required some ancient alchemy to even be edible, I figured out that I had the variety that could be rinsed and eaten like an apple.

Still, I actually wanted to make something with them, so I scoured the interwebs for a persimmon bread recipe that was relatively simple and painless, and stumbled onto this recipe from the Fat free Vegan blog. I admit that I probably had the wrong variety of persimmon for this recipe, as the flesh of the fruit should be from the mushy Hachiya type and not the firm Fuyu type, but I made it work. I peeled the persimmons, chopped them into quarters and threw them into the food processor for a few seconds to turn them into a pulp. Keep in mind this is a vegan recipe, and as it does not contain dairy or eggs, it is not as moist as other quick breads. With all of that said, here's what to do:

Persimmon Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups persimmon, mashed pulp
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons canola oil or unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup agave nectar (or substitute 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar and 2 tbsp. water)
2 cups whole wheat flour1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (freshly grated)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup raisins or dried apricots, chopped (may use up to 1/2 cup)

(I used apricots, because, well, I don't like raisins.)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional--may use up to 1/2 cup)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, spray a loaf pan with nonstick spray.

In a small bowl, combine the persimmon, lemon juice, applesauce and agave nectar. In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients, except for the apricots and walnuts. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, stirring until the flour is just moist, do not over mix. Fold in the apricots and walnuts, if desired.

Pour mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean, about 40 - 50 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. You can allow to cool completely before serving, or wrap in plastic and store in the refrigerator.

The bread is good warm, but really shines if given the chance to cool completely before serving. Better yet, let it chill overnight as it tastes even better the next day. This loaf is dense and filling, but lightly sweet in just the right way. This came in handy as a mid-morning workday snack, or great after dinner drizzled with a little honey.

Enjoy!

Foodbuzz Blogger Festival, Day 2 & Farewell Brunch

2009-11-08T19:15:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning, with the sun shining brightly over The City, our army of food bloggers descended on the Hotel Vitale and Ferry Building Farmers Market, Foodbuzz name badges securely hung from our necks. To start the morning, a small group of us sat down for a discussion on sustainable farming with chef Paul Arenstam of the Americano and Brian Kenney of Hearst Ranch, the farming/ranching arm of the Hearst media corporation. Hearst Ranch humanely raises grass fed livestock in the central coast of California and distributes their high-quality meats around the country.

According to Kenney, the difficulty of raising grass fed, sustainably farmed livestock is finding consumers willing to pay the higher price for the higher quality product. Luckily, chefs like Arenstam and others are looking for humanely raised alternatives to feed lot livestock that take into account respect for the animal, the environment, and the quality of the meat.

While others gathered for olive oil or cheese tastings, the rest of us were left to explore the Ferry Building and grab a quick bite to eat before the taste pavillions at the Metreon. With a little time to kill, it was a beautiful day to lounge on a bench in Yerba Buena Gardens and enjoy some people watching.Before I knew it, it was high time to get upstairs to the Metreon City View level for the taste pavilions, a hall full of food, beer and wine artisans eager to share their creations, and their stories, with all of us. There was a huge array of things to sip and nibble on, so I'll share some of my highlights, guided mostly by what I was able to get a good picture of.

Here we have the Kerrigold table, with some of the richest butter and most flavorful cheeses you will ever have the chance to enjoy. I am not ashamed to say I visited this table more than once.
The crowd raved about this demure little ceviche cup, served by Fuego Restaurant from Long Beach. These little guys were amazing; two perfect bites of bright, salty freshness in a stylish shot glass.These tasty little bites came from the kitchen of Aquarius out of Santa Cruz. Little pastry cups filled with deliciousness (although I am having difficulty remembering exactly what.)

One of the major participants of the Taste Pavilions was Foodzie, a great website for producers of artisan foods, from snacks, sauces, preserves, and amazing chocolates. These beautiful little chocolates with smoked sea salt are from Neococoa, a new San Francisco chocolatier.

After nibbling on a plethora of tasty bites, sipping beer from Rogue, Magnolia, and 21st Amendment Brewery, I was stuffed and a little fuzzy from all of the beer. The kids at Foodbuzz, working their tails off all afternoon, were rockstars and could not have put on a better event. Alas, after a long day of stuffing my face with some of the tastiest delights the food world has to offer, it was time to head home for a quick nap in preparation for the evening's Outstanding In The Field dinner.

The culmination of the entire 1st Annual Blogger Festival was the dinner Saturday night, held at the peculiar location of the Greenleaf Produce warehouse deep in the Bayview district of San Francisco. The location proved to be the perfect spot for this gathering, making it feel like an illicit and secretive gourmet meal for about 250 people. On the way to the venue, our bus filled with hungry bloggers got lost in the heart of Hunter's Point, the driver carefully negotiating the narrow streets and consulting iphone directions that eventually got us to the right spot.

The menu for the Outstanding In The Field dinner was created by celebrated San Francisco restaurant Namu, and prepared by Chef Dennis Lee's staff in this impromptu kitchen stretched over banquet tables and mobile grills. Below you can see the prep and staging area for the mushroom soup we would be enjoying as our first course.

The concept behind Outstanding In The Field dinners is to bring people together, usually to a farm, to celebrate the bounty of sustainable, local food together along a single, artfully designed table. Our table, draped in simple white cloth, snaked through the racks and rooms of Greenleaf to stunning effect.
Keep in mind, we were dining in a working produce warehouse, stacked high with pallets and crates of fruits and vegetables ready to be loaded on a truck and shipped out the moment we had cleaned our plates. Playing the gracious hosts, Greenleaf even gave us a magnificent centerpiece piled high with fresh fruits and veggies for us bloggers to use as camera fodder.

This steaming bowl of soup with maitake, shimeji, and enoki mushrooms started the dinner, a warm and earthy first dish. Beyond this single dish, everything was served family style, and we were encouraged to help serve each other, and we certainly did not hesitate. After the required photo ops, of course.

Next up was Udon with grilled calamari in a browned butter ponzu reduction, cucumber, kaiware, frisee and yellow pear tomato with chojang and sesame vinaigrette. Quite the mouthful to say, but even better to eat.

Next on the menu was a sea trout baked with fried garlic and Japanese curry powder, served with mushroom risotto with crispy maitake mushrooms. These dishes were some of what I love best about food; fresh, quality ingredients served simply enough to be able to tell their own story. The risotto was fantastic, and the trout was cooked just enough to be tender; slightly salty and fresh.

The dish everyone couldn't stop talking about was the roasted brussels sprouts with ponzu fried garlic, guanciale and bonito flakes. The boring, bland, stinky brussels sprouts of your childhood have found a new way to live. Served next to soy braised beef cheeks and oxtails, baby carrots and fingerling potatoes, these two dishes hit it out of the park.

The dinner was incredible; perfectly executed by everyone involved. As we sat along the sweeping table, drinking Bonny Doon wines, laughing together and talking about everything we had experience at the festival, we had become one big family. Everyone seemed perfectly at home with each other, like we had known one another for years.

We capped off the evening with the 1st annual Foodbuzz Blogger Awards, served with a sweet desert wine from Bonny Doon. Alas, the Tiny Kitchen wasn't nominated this year. Maybe next year I'll have to step up my game and get this modest little blog in shape. For now, I am still enjoying the warm glow (and piles of swag) from this amazing weekend of foodie bonding at it's finest.
Braving another sunny day in San Francisco after a long night of revelry, we gathered one final time Sunday morning for the farewell brunch at Lulu restaurant. Complete with a bloody mary bar, the brunch was hosted by Nature's Pride bread and featured Kerrygold cheeses and butter and pears from Frog Hollow Farm. From frittata with aged cheddar to crouque monsieurs with smoked ham and truffle mustard to just good old plain bacon, this meal was a delicious way to wrap up the weekend. Still, it had been a long weekend of perpetual indulgence, and eventually it was time to head back home for a quiet Sunday at home.

The 1st Annual Foodbuzz Blogger Festival was truly the start of something great; Foodbuzz didn't over look a single detail when planning the whole weekend. As many times as I have said it before, thanks Foodbuzz for a perfect foodie weekend. And thanks to all of my new foodie friends, it was great getting to know you and I can't wait to see what is in store for next year.

Foodbuzz Blogger Festival, Day 1

2009-11-07T07:45:00.001-08:00

What a weekend. Friday kicked off the 1st Annual Foodbuzz Blogger Festival, an event for all of us food-crazy bloggers to get together and share amazing food, drink, and conversation. Over 200 food bloggers came to town this weekend from across the country and even around the world to enjoy our fair city. Luckily, Lady San Francisco kept the clouds away and the lights glittering bright for our guests to enjoy.

The festival kicked off on the terrace of the Hotel Vitale, just across the wide lanes of the Embarcadero, providing us with quite a view.

As the temperature dropped and bloggers found their way up to the plush suite and terrace of the hotel, we packed together under heat lamps sipping Skyy vodka cocktails and Speakeasy ales making new friends as we stood in line for a small bite or a fresh drink. Really, it was the best bar line in The City that night; no shoving or arguing, just folks getting acquainted and asking "so what blog do you write?"

Soon, it was off to the Ferry Building to enjoy some of the best street food San Francisco has to offer. Trucks lined the stalls of the Ferry Building's north arcade space to share their creations as we continued meeting new friends while gushing over each bite. The roving trays of chicharrones from 4505 Meats were a huge hit.

Alive raw restaurant served wafers topped with avocado, tomato and basil and an amazing raw cheesecake, almost just as good as the real thing.
Cupcakes are all the rage in the city right now, and one of the best in town is Mission Minis. These little guys are a perfect bite size, topped with sweet butter cream frosting, and are moist and delicious.
The hit of the night for most everyone came from Roli Roti and their porchetta sandwich, crispy skin together with perfectly rotisserie roasted pork belly and pork loin in a sourdough bun mopped in the roasting juices. (No good pictures of this one, sadly. I was too busy filling my belly with its porky goodness.) Topped with salt and chopped parsley, these sandwiches were way too good to miss.

I have a weakness for pizza, and when we're talking about crispy, clay-oven style pizza, it's hard for me to focus on just about anything else. The folks at Pizza Politana and their brilliant mobile clay oven turn out some of the best hand-tossed pizza in The City. These beauties here were being snatched up just as quickly as they came out of the oven.

This first night of revelry around The City's best street food left nothing to be desired, and not enough hands to take all the pictures it deserved. And while I was to busy stuffing my face to take enough good pictures, all of the vendors deserve a mention for a fantastic showing. The whole arcade was lined with amazing eats, from the simple brilliance of Tacolicious, the quick to disappear pies from the SF Pie Truck, Strauss Family Creamery ice cream, Spencer on the go, San Francisco's only mobile French restaurant, and of course the sudsy libations of Thirsty Bear Brewing Company. Am I missing someone? I probably am. So much food coming at you from all sides, it's easy to lose track.

But wait, there's more! Friday was just the start of what would become an epic food blogger weekend. Stay tuned for recaps of days 2 & 3, and our brilliant Outstanding In The Field dinner at the Greenleaf Produce Warehouse.

For even more on Friday night's festivities, check out these fellow bloggers: Food Wishes, Oldways Table, Eat, Live, Travel, Write, What's Gaby Cooking?, Let Me Eat Cake, CBSOP, and many, many more.

Foodbuzz Community Table Dinner at Bushi-Tei

2009-10-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

Less than a week after an amazing dinner at Spruce with Foodbuzz and Black Box Wines, Bay Area foodies again gathered around the Community Table to talk, eat, drink, and of course take pictures. Last night, we were given the chance to dine together at Bushi-Tei in San Francisco's Japantown. Old faces and new sat around a beautiful wood and glass table as we were introduced to the owner and sommelier and served a sparkling wine from South Africa, the same sparkling wine President Obama toasted with on his inauguration.

Our place setting:

After an amuse bouche of miso marinated kobe beef, our first course arrived. The ankimo torcon, or monk fish liver, was plated with snow crab salad, spicy fish roe-potato mousseline, julienne vegetables & parsley coulis. The monk fish liver was rich and deeply flavored and paired nicely against the sweet snow crab and the crisp julienne vegetables. We were served a sweet Domaine Fevre Champs Royal Chablis that went down beautifully against the salty dish.

Next course was a slow roasted natural beef tenderloin with matsutake mushroom risotto, English peas, pinor noir reduction & espresso oil. This beef tenderloin was perfect; just medium rare, the meat seemed to fall apart with a touch of the fork. The pinor noir reduction & espresso oil added a rich peppery flavor that contrasted perfectly with the buttery risotto and the earthy matsutake mushrooms. The dish was paired with an Expression 39 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, a great, deep red wine that really brought out the richness of the tenderloin.

And, finally, desert. A precariously balanced tower of different textures and flavors, a peach melba with daiginjyou sake-kabosu cube, stuck through with a spike of sugar. Not being a huge desert person, this was a nice surprise. The layers of different textures and flavors all stood out on their own, but were great all together on a spoon. The jello-shot like sake cube was interesting, certainly not something you would typically find atop a desert dish. Paired with a Gonzalez Byass Solera 1847 Oloroso Sherry, a thick, rich and very sweet wine that complimented the desert well.

Dinner was fantastic and as always it was a great time getting to eat, drink and talk with all my food blogger friends and all the great folks from Foodbuzz. And here's looking forward to next week, and the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival!

Foodbuzz Community Table Dinner at Spruce

2009-10-22T09:14:00.001-07:00

Last night we once again gathered around the table together for a Community Table Dinner hosted by Foodbuzz and Black Box Wines at the stylish Spruce restaurant in San Francisco. Black Box, a wine company breaking the conventions of how a great wine is presented, partnered with Foodbuzz to pair their great varietal wines with the fresh and creative cuisine at Spruce.

The night started in the foyer of Spruce, enjoying house made charcuterie, Merlot and Reisling from Black Box Wines, catching up with old faces and getting acquainted with new ones.

Once we were ready for dinner, we were led into the beautifully appointed banquet room, where we heard a few words about the delicious wines we were about to drink and the dishes they would be paired with. Then, it was on to the good part: The food.

With camera flashes popping, this beet and pear salad with aged goat's milk cheese and walnut vinaigrette was placed in front of us. The flavors of the salad were perfectly balanced and paired nicely with a 2008 New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

Next came a dish of roasted halibut with fennel, chanterelle mushrooms, and a fennel fumet. (Sorry, all my photos of this dish were pretty abysmal.) The best part about this dish were the chanterelles piled onto sauteed spinach, all nestled into a beautiful bright green fennel sauce. The halibut was paired with two whites, a 2008 Monterey County Chardonnay, and a 2008 Napa Valley Reserve Chardonnay. Both paired well with the dish, but the standout was the Napa Valley Reserve.

The highlight of the meal was the grilled bavette steak with duck fat potatoes and bordelaise. The steak was grilled to a perfect medium-rare, juicy and flavorful and absolutely mouthwatering. But it was the duck fat potatoes that made everyone rave. Crisp skin and soft interior, these potatoes were completely different from any fry you might be used to. The flavor of the duck fat was so light and buttery, we were all in heaven. Not willing to take a back seat to the dish, the 2007 California Cabernet Sauvignon was dark and peppery and a highlight of the wines for the night.
The dinner wrapped up with a Farmstead cheese plate paired with a 2007 Central Coast Shiraz. The cheese was good, but a little underwhelming after the previous dishes we had just enjoyed.

It was another great dinner with a great group of folks talking, drinking wine, and doing what we all know how to do best: Eat. It was a blast to sit and eat with food blogger friends, the folks from Foodbuzz, and of course our new friends at Black Box Wines. Thanks to Kiersten, Chef John, Marc, Jesse, Rebecca, Bridget and the rest of our table for making it such a great night.

For a few more looks at our dinner at Spruce, check out Jesse's phenomenal photos at Beer and Nosh and Chef John's witty recap (and a picture of my belt buckle) at Food Wishes Video Recipes.

Orange Pumpkin Cloverleafs

2009-10-19T14:55:00.001-07:00

Here in the Tiny Kitchen, we are always looking for new ideas and fun things to make, and while I love baking it is hard to justify baking a batch of anything when there is only the two of us around to enjoy it. We always feel a little gluttonous faced with stuffing our maws with a dozen or so tart, fruity scones or warm, crumbly muffins yet for some reason we rarely feel inclined to dump our excess baked goods on our unsuspecting co-workers.

Despite all of this, as the days have grown shorter, a bit colder, and much wetter, it seemed like the right time warm the Tiny Kitchen with the comforting smells of baking. With that in mind, we flipped through the pages of a few of our Gourmet magazines to find just the right thing to bake to welcome the beginning of Fall. The missus had a hankering for "something with pumpkin", and these adorable little Orange Pumpkin Cloverleafs seemed to fit the bill nicely.

So in honor of our friends at Gourmet Magazine and the first cool nights of Fall, here are the humble Orange Pumpkin Cloverleafs:

Orange Pumpkin Cloverleafs:

Ingredients:

3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted, divided

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm milk

1 tablespoon mild honey or sugar

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for kneading and dusting

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup canned pure pumpkin

2 large eggs, divided, plus 1 yolk

1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon water

Equipment: a muffin pan with 12 (1/3 to 1/2 cup) muffin cups

Butter muffin cups with 1 tablespoon melted butter. (or, what worked for us was to take the unmelted butter and smear it inside the muffin cups with my fingers.)

Stir together yeast, warm milk, and honey in a large bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixtures doesn't foam, start over with new yeast.)

Mix flour, salt, pumpkin, 1 whole egg, yolk, orange zest and juice, and remaining 5 tablespoon butter into yeast mixture with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a soft dough forms. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead, dusting surface and your hands with just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, until dough is elastic and smooth, 6 to 8 minutes. Form dough into a ball.

Put dough in an oiled large bowl and turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (Our kitchen was not exactly "warm room temperature" so we turned the oven on low and left the door open to provide warmth.)

After the dough has risen, punch down dough (do not knead), then halve. Roll half of dough on a lightly floured surface with lightly floured hands into a 12-inch-long log (keep remaining half covered with plastic wrap.)

Cut log into 6 equal pieces, then cut each piece into thirds. Roll each piece into a 1-inch ball by cupping your hand and pushing dough against work surface as you roll in a circular motion. Put 3 balls side by side in each of 6 muffin cups.

Make more rolls with remaining dough in the same manner. Cover rolls with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let rise in a draf-free place at warm room temperature until dough is about 1 inch above rim of muffin cups, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 deg with rack in middle. (That is, of course, unless your oven isn't already on.)

Whisk together remaining egg and water and brush on tops of rolls. (You will have leftover egg wash.)

Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer rolls to a rack and cool at least 20 minutes. These rolls are best served warm the day they are made, but can be frozen for up to 1 month, thawed & reheated in a 350 deg oven.

These little rolls are soft and doughy, with a bright citrus tang and have just a the slightest sweetness of pumpkin. They would make a nice change of pace as a dinner roll or a great little breakfast muffin topped with melted butter. These little beauties were a lot of fun to make, the missus and I working together in the Tiny Kitchen to mix, knead, cut and roll them to life.

Finally, a toast to our friends at Gourmet Magazine: It was a sad day when it was announced that Gourmet Magazine would be stopping publication after their November issue; surely the food world will be a much blander place without this magazine to tease our appetites and encourage our love of all things edible. Gourmet gave us a joy for food that no other publication can bring. Whether it was an article about a restaurant's fascinating avant garde cuisine or one person's passion for the traditions of cheese making, Gourmet considered food as something to be treasured and enjoyed. While their work at Gourmet will certainly be missed, Ruth Reichl, Ian Knauer and the whole staff of writers and editors will easily find a home for their talents and passions, and we all look forward to seeing what they do next.

The Simple Things

2009-10-07T08:47:00.001-07:00

Big, beautiful golden Chanterelle mushrooms, sauteed in butter and white wine....

Juicy, bright red Early Girl tomatoes, the very last of the season...

And a big bowl of whole wheat linguini, topped with melted parmesean cheese.

It is the simple things, like a warm bowl of pasta tossed with earthy, buttery Chanterelles and fresh, juicy tomatoes that make food worth eating. And, in my humble opinion, life worth living. As we close out summer and welcome the crisp chill of fall, take a moment to reflect on the amazing bounty we are able to pull from humble soil, a few drops of water, and a dash of sunlight. Here's looking forward to what the next seasons will bring.

Still With This Pie Thing?

2009-09-19T15:06:00.000-07:00

Look, I told you I was craving pie crust, ok? Apparently the veggie pie just didn't do it. But, as luck would have it, the Missus was going to be celebrating her birthday, and since she has the sweet tooth in the family, I thought it would be fun to make her something to honor the occasion. And after a long, hard week, wouldn't it be nice for her to come home from work, welcomed at the door by a dozen long stemmed roses, to find her loving husband slaving over a ball of pie dough and a bowl of sweet, sugary peaches?

The process behind this sweet pie is actually a great deal simpler than the veggie pie. Once you have the crust down, all you will need are about 4 - 5 ripe but firm peaches, about 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 a stick of unsalted butter, and about a table spoon of brown sugar. If you missed the pie crust extravaganza, hop over to the Veggie Pie post and have a look. It's ok, we'll wait for you.

I strongly recommend baking the crust before you put the filling in to bake, otherwise you may not get that beautiful, crispy, golden brown crunch that makes pie worth eating and life worth living. Peel the peaches, remove the pit, and slice into slender crescents about 1/2 in thick at the widest point. In a bowl, stir the peaches with the 1/2 cup of sugar, and allow to chill in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes to a 1/2 hour.

Once the peaches have had time to adjust to their new sugar coating, gently spoon them into the pie crust. Spread the peaches around the crust so they are even. Then, using a small paring knife, cut small chunks of butter over the peaches, and sprinkle the brown sugar over the top. At this point, if you are wanting to put a second crust over the top, now is the time to do it.

Put the pie back in the oven at 375 degrees. Let it cook for, oh, about 15 minutes or so, until the butter has completely melted and the filling is piping hot. If you did add that second crust, cook it until the top crust is a beautiful golden brown. Let the pie cool on a rack for another 15 minutes or so to let the liquid come together. Slice, and serve warm with a couple scoops of vanilla ice cream. This pie is perfectly sweet with just a touch of tartness, and the crust should be crispy and buttery and all around delicious. Enjoy!

Dining By The Bay

2009-09-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

Last night I had the opportunity to dine with fellow foodies at the Foodbuzz Community Table dinner at Epic Roasthouse on the waterfront of San Francisco. Epic is a swanky, stylish space situated right along the Embarcadero against the glittering water of the San Francisco Bay. It really makes for an impressive view during dinner.

A small group of food bloggers and food enthusiasts gathered for amazing food, fantastic wine, and even better company. The evening began on the patio outside of Epic's banquet room overlooking the bay (and directly across from Waterbar) where we sipped champagne and munched on tasty hors d'ouvres. Once it was time to sit down, we were given a choice of entree of either wood fire rotisserie pork rack chop with asparagus flan and roasted chanterelle mushrooms, the steak n' cake, a petit beef filet with a spicy crab cake and ragout of summer tomatoes, or the cedar plank smoked wild king salmon with a ragout of baby butterball potatoes. I went with the steak n' cake ( a fun play on surf & turf), and it was phenomenal. The steak was tender and juicy and wonderfully flavored while the crab cake was crispy and perfectly sweet.

Desert was a fabulous duo of sweet with a warm chocolate banana cake topped with caramel sea salt ice cream and dark chocolate shavings and a bread pudding with ricotta cheese and fresh peaches. Yeah, amazing. For not being a sweets guy, the desert portions were perfect and balanced with a sweet desert wine. We finished the evening sipping coffee and raving over the meal we had all just enjoyed, discussing our favorite places to eat, and all the fun foodie things we have planned.

It was an amazing meal and an unforgettable evening. Thanks to all my foodie friends and the folks at Foodbuzz, Visa Signature, and of course Epic Roasthouse for making it all happen. You all sure know how to throw a party.

I am, by the way, the lamest food blogger that ever blogged. Unlike every other blogger at the table, I neglected to bring a camera to document the this wonderful meal. The picture at the top of this post was "borrowed" from the Epic Roasthouse webiste. (Uh, thanks guys.) For some delicious photos taken by food bloggers better prepared than I, visit Beer & Nosh and Food Wishes Video Recipes.

Veggie Pie

2009-09-03T12:26:00.000-07:00

So I have been craving pie for a while now... okay maybe not pie per se, but pie crust more specifically. Flaky, buttery, crunchy pie crust. Done right, the crust is the very best thing about a pie. Done wrong (and it can go very, very wrong), and it will be tasteless, tough, and do nothing more than hold the pie filling on your plate for you and look embarrassed next to your scoop of vanilla ice cream. Pie crust is a relatively simple recipe: Some flour, water, shortening, a pinch of salt and sugar, and magically you have the world's greatest accompaniment to fruit filling.

The challenge I was facing in my quest to consume pie crust was to think of a excuse to make a pie, with no special occasion and for only two people. But what about veggie pie? That might almost be considered healthy. And bonus, we can eat it for dinner! So with a fridge stockpiled with squash and eggplant from our CSA box, we had our filling, and I just needed to make that golden cup of goodness to put it all in.

First, the important part. Like I said, in principal pie crust is pretty simple. But it can be infuriatingly difficult to get right. When you're working in small spaces trying to roll out an uncooperative pie crust, it can be down right maddening. A couple tips to get started: First, put all the tools you will be using to handle the dough in the freezer for maybe 1/2 hour. This means your rolling pin, silicone mat, etc. Make sure they are good and cold before they touch your dough. This will save you a lot of screaming and cursing.

Second, the dough is all about ratios. How much water to flour, flour to shortening, you get the picture. Mix things together slowly at first, testing the mixture to make sure it has the right consistency and texture before rolling it out. Too dry? Add a little water, a teaspoon at a time. Too wet? Drop a tablespoon of flour in at a time to thicken it up. The right amount of shortening can be a little difficult to gauge, but about 1/2 a cup for a single crust should do the trick. Here's a super basic recipe for the crust, and by all means change the amounts as you see fit. It's your pie:

1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1/2 cup shortening

1 teaspoon of salt

2 - 3 teaspoons of sugar

1/2 cup of water

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and shortening. Blend together with a pastry cutter (or two knives) until crumbly. You will see little chunks of shortening throughout the mixture. This is a good thing.

Add the water slowly, mixing with a pastry cutter until completely incorporated. Roll into a ball, and chill the dough for about 15 minutes, or until you are ready to use it. Then, on a flour covered surface with your frozen rolling pin, roll it out to fit the size of your pie plate. Roll one edge over your rolling pin so the dough will drape over it. Gently lift it and set it into your pie plate. Push the dough to the edges, cut off the excess across the top, and using a fork or a small knife, poke little holes in the bottom of the crust. Place in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

So now you have your delicious crust. Resist the urge to eat it all by its self, and lets put something in it.

For this veggie pie, we used a mandolin slicer to slice a medium eggplant and several green and yellow summer squashes. In a heated skillet, melt about 1/2 a stick of butter and begin adding the slices of eggplant. As they begin to absorb the butter and brown, pull them out onto a plate so they don't get too soggy. If they soak up all of the butter in the pan, add more.

Once you have cooked the eggplant slices, melt more butter, (or drizzle in some olive oil) in the same pan. Saute the squash, seasoning with salt, and after a minute or two add a splash of white wine. Once the wine has been cooked off / absorbed, season with dried oregano, and remove from the heat.

Line the pie crust with the slices of eggplant so they cover the bottom and go up the sides. Spoon the squash into the pie, pushing them around to make sure they are even and level with the top of the crust. For an added bit of color, cut a red bell pepper into slender slices and lay them across the top. Place your pie back into the 375 degree oven for another 2o minutes or so, or until you are just so hungry you just can't take it any longer. Top with Parmesan cheese, and then allow it to cool for a minute or two.

This pie was a nice surprise for a weekday dinner, and it made fantastic leftovers. Try it out with different vegetables if you like, or if you are feeling really frisky, maybe a crust over the top, too. Enjoy!

My First Harvest

2009-08-16T16:35:00.001-07:00

My little rooftop garden experiment is finally starting to pay off! The time, effort and love I have put into these few little pots of dirt are actually turning into something, right now in the form of these lovely, rosey little shallots. We had a minor disaster with the tomato plant, but hopes are high now for the bell pepper plant. Hopefully, with the mild San Francisco summer approaching, I should have some delicious bells in a couple of months.

The sorrel is growing like crazy, and I will soon be moving it to an even bigger pot. Garlic has started to sprout, and I plan on getting a couple more shallots in the ground soon. Thanks to you all who gave me your encouragement, it's great to know I've got people rooting for me. And believe me, if I can grow something on the windy, fog-soaked coast of San Francisco, you can have a garden just about anywhere.

Stuffed Peppers with Crazy Rooster Sauce

2009-08-03T20:37:00.001-07:00

This should be a relatively simple post to write, yet I have been sitting on it for a week now, with dozens of other writerly things running through my head that have nothing to do with stuffed peppers. So, in our last CSA box from Eatwell Farm, we got a few beautiful, dark green Poblano peppers and some small sweet onions. We decided to throw together some roasted, stuffed peppers for dinner, which was complicated by the fact that our stove is electric. But not too complicated.

We roasted the peppers under the broiler for a few minutes, making sure to turn them often as the skin darkened and began to bubble up. Once each side was thoroughly roasted, I tossed them into a large paper grocery bag to cool and allow the skins to seperate. The skins came off easily after that, and the peppers were ready for stuffing. The stuffing recipe we put together is pretty basic, and ended up being enough for about a dozen or more peppers. If you want to keep it vegetarian, sub the ground turkey with potatoes or tofu, or mushrooms. Here's what you do:

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Suffing:

1 lb lean ground turkey

1 can drained black beans

2 - 3 small yellow onions, chopped

2 - 3 cloves of garlic, diced

1/3 bag of frozen corn, or more if you really like corn

1 Tbs. of fresh cilantro, chopped small

1 - 2 tsp chili powder

1 - 2 tsp cumin

1 - 2 tsp sweet paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Topping:

Crumbly Cotija cheese

Spicy Sriracha "crazy rooster" hot sauce

In a medium skillet, cook the ground turkey until it is browned and cooked through. While the turkey is cooking, add your spices to taste, (more of this, less of the other). Drain off any excess fat, and spoon the turkey into a large bowl to cool.

While the turkey is cooling, put the frozen corn in a medium bowl and defrost for a minute or two in the microwave. It doesn't need to be cooked, just not frozen. Once the corn is defrosted, add it to the turkey, along with the black beans, onion and garlic. Stir until it is all well combined. If you want to make the stuffing spicy, add a few squirts of the Sriracha hot sauce to the mix, but not too much. You don't want it to overpower the other flavors.

Once the peppers have cooled and the skins have been removed, gingerly slice the tops off and remove as much of the seeds and veins as you can without breaking the pepper. With a small spoon, gently slide the stuffing into the peppers until they are full and can't take any more. Using a grill rack set inside a cookie sheet, line the peppers up across the grill. (Or, you know, just grill them.) Place the peppers in a 375 degree oven for 5 minutes or so, just until everything is nice and piping hot.

Serve the peppers topped with the Sriracha sauce and some crumbly mexican cheese. A good side would be some mexican-style rice or warm black beans topped with more cheese. Pretty simple and easy, but be sure you have enough peppers to use up the stuffing mix. Enjoy!

A Mountainous Feast

2009-07-28T20:40:00.000-07:00

It's funny what happens when you get together with family and friends to put together a big meal. You wake up early before the sun is high in the sky to harvest fresh veggies from the garden, last minute trips to the store are made, and finally a small army of people descend on the kitchen to lend a hand in preparing dinner. Everyone pitches in, chopping and mixing and skewering, all to prepare this feast they have been waiting all day to enjoy.

This particular feast featured the bounty of my Mother's home garden, supplemented with fresh corn from a farm just down the road. On this particular morning, we picked no less than 63 pounds of tomatoes, from Early Girls to Romas, Better Boys, Whoppers and beautiful heirloom Copias. A few peppers came along for the ride,and before 10 A.M. we had half of the ingredients we would need for that night's dinner. We would be serving 12 people at this dinner, a celebration of my Father's retirement, and a simple summer dinner that featured the amazing fresh vegetables of the season seemed to be the perfect thing.

On the menu for that night was chicken, pork and vegetable kebabs and corn on the cob. The veggies were primarily from my mother's garden, and we seasoned the kebabs with the lemon garlic vinaigrette we used for the Panzanella. A few Portobello mushrooms (not from the garden) were also thrown onto the grill with a little olive oil for the few of us that enjoy fungus.

The corn on the cob, meticulously prepared for our meal by T, E, & M, is one of my favorite things to make during the summer. After the corn is shucked, place it on a sheet of foil about 16 inches long. Add a pat of butter, a couple pinches of minced garlic, the juice of 1/2 of a lime, a couple shakes of chili powder, salt & pepper, then roll the foil up around the corn making sure to close it up tight. We cooked it in the oven at 375 degrees for about 45 - 60 minutes, and it was perfect. The grill works too, if you have room.

The caprese salad featured a collection of fresh, ripe and beautiful tomatoes from the garden, including the amazing Copia and those succulent Whoppers. The basil was grown on the back patio, and picked right before we made the salad. Drizzled with olive oil, it made the perfect compliment to the other dishes.

This weekend was all about good fresh food, and getting to share it with friends and family. And it was about harvesting copious amounts of tomatoes and other veggies. I had a great time harvesting the garden and working in the kitchen with everyone pulling this feast together in honor of my dad, and even more fun eating it. Thank you to the Oldhams, Criders, and Megan for making it out to celebrate my dad and helping to prepare this amazing meal. Enjoy!

Panzanella

2009-07-20T20:46:00.000-07:00

It's been down right ugly on this side of San Francisco these last couple of weeks. Seriously, while most of you out there have been enjoying the warmth of Summer with muscle shirts and ice cream cones, we're wearing sweatpants and watching TV under a blanket. Well, some of us are, anyway. I guess it goes without saying that summertime in San Francisco is a bit, uh, out of the ordinary.

So when you're left out of all the good summertime fun, it makes a certain amount of sense to travel somewhere that isn't in the middle of a seasonal identity crisis. For us, this came in the form of my Father-in-law's birthday party up north in Sonoma County, where the sun would actually be shining and shorts could be worn by all. In honor of the day, we picked up some treats from some favorite local spots, and all of the fresh ingredients to make a bright and flavorful bread salad. This panzanella was wonderfully simple to put together, and could easily be a surprise hit at your next party.

Panzanella - Tuscan Bread Salad

Ingredients:

9 cups day old country bread, torn or cut into 1 inch pieces

2 lbs. tomatoes, large dice

1/2 cup thinly sliced sweet onions (torpedo, Maui, or Vidalia)

2 medium English cucumbers, halved lengthwise and cut into large dice

1 packed cup fresh basil leaves, torn into large pieces

salt & pepper to taste

Lemon-garlic vinaigrette

1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tablespoon lemon zest

3 - 4 medium garlic cloves, sliced thin

Whisking constantly, pour the olive oil into the lemon juice in a thin stream, mixing until well blended. Mix in zest and garlic, and season with salt and pepper.

Toss all of the bread with 1/2 of the vinaigrette, ensuring the bread is coated completely. Set aside at room temperature for about 10 minutes to allow the bread to marinate.

Here's the fun part: After the bread has marinated, add the remaining ingredients and second half of the vinaigrette to the bowl, and using your (clean, I hope) hands, mix the salad combining everything and coating evenly with the vinaigrette. Let the salad rest for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to mix and mingle, although it gets better the longer the flavors get to do their little dance.

Serves about 8.

Thanks to Chow.com for the great recipe. Enjoy!

Patriotic Cheesecake, Holidays, and My Blog's Birthday

2009-07-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

We've had a busy couple of weeks in the Tiny Kitchen. There was a (mildly) disappointing day at the freshly opened Thursday Market at the Ferry Building, some holiday with loud explosions and greasy food, and oh yeah! My blog had a birthday!

I'll try to keep the words short so y'all can enjoy the pictures, but let me run them down for you. Just before the holiday weekend, the missus and I travelled down to the Ferry Building for their Thursday market, hot on the scent of chicharrones and peanut butter bacon brownies. Unbeknownst to us, chef Ryan Farr and his tasty pig treats were not scheduled to appear until the next week, so I got all pouty and soothed my wounds with a couple of tacos from Tacolicious.

Pork shoulder and Coca-cola braised steak tacos, to be exact. Yeah, yum. Apparently we got there at just the right time, since the lines for all of the food stalls, including Tacolicious, Namu, and Roli Roti stretched down the sidewalks with the lunchtime financial district crowds. There is Joe, owner of Tacolicious and Laiola, in the picture below getting the goods to his ravenous customers. In the foreground is the busy cook, hurriedly dropping meat into the tasty little tortillas.

And then there was the holiday. Independence Day. July 4th. In honor of the occasion, I decided to dress up my basic cheesecake recipe with strawberries and blueberries. You know, to make it all patriotic and what not. (If you haven't caught my ramblings-on about cheesecake, you're either new or not paying attention. Here's something to get you started.)

The finished product. Quite fetching, if I do say so myself:

And then of course my humble little blog, Six By 10 Tiny Kitchen, turned 2 years old on July 10th. My blog is a toddler! You know, they just grow up so fast. I'm truly honored that you, my faithful readers, have read my witless ramblings for this long. I really appreciate all of you stopping by from time to time and visiting my little corner of the blogosphere. Here's to many more years of eating well!

Celebration: Thanks to all of my awesome friends who raved about my patriotic cheesecake. We had a great Fourth with delicious food, exciting fireworks, and amazing friends. That's what the 4th of July is all about.

Enjoy!

Rooftop Garden Redux

2009-07-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, let me just start by saying that I killed the tomato. I'm not proud of it, it happened, we're moving on. What lesson did we learn here? Young tomato plants don't do well unprotected from strong coastal winds. In fact, they snap in half. True story. I'll spare you all the gory photos.

With head hung low, still mourning the loss of an innocent tomato plant, I dropped by Sloat Garden Center to find something a little more sturdy and able to deal better with our wacky weather here on the west side of San Francisco. The sun is starting to come out more, but the wind is pretty consistent; I needed something a bit more established that won't get knocked over.

To replace the fallen tomato, I grabbed a green bell pepper plant with a good thick stalk and big, healthy leaves. It was even starting to push a little fruit. I figured a good perennial leafy green would be a good addition as well, so I potted a small french sorrel plant. I've never actually tried sorrel, and since I never see it at the grocery I guess I'm just going to have to grow my own. As one of the staples of French cuisine, the sorrel will make a great addition to pastas or quick salads. I can't wait to try it.

So I guess for now I will have to rely on my friendly neighborhood farmer's market to get my tomatoes. No problem there. But for a few key ingredients, bell peppers, sorrel, shallots, and even a little garlic, I won't have to go very far at all. Wish me luck (again) on getting my little garden to grow. It's a learning experience, to be sure, figuring out what will grow in our little micro-climate, unsheltered from the coastal air.

And of course, I'll let you all know how it comes out.

(The shallots should be ready soon, and I think they are each going to be about the size of a baby's head. Seriously.)

Big, beautiful shallots:

Summertime Veggie Tacos

2009-06-26T17:12:00.000-07:00

Gads, has it really been two weeks since my last post? Bad food blogger, bad! I've been cooking, at least a little, I promise. Fact is, the missus and I haven't been home at the same time much these last two weeks, and I don't really like just cooking for myself. We've been trying to make the best of our bountiful CSA subscription from Eatwell Farms, and I am nurturing our (slightly smaller) rooftop garden. More on that soon. But really, I've just been putting off writing all together for a variety of badly thought out excuses, and sadly it is you, gentle reader, that suffers.

Gladly, that writing drought is over, (at least temporarily), and I would like to share with you now a dashing little dish inspired by Chef Rick Bayless and incorporating many of the edibles from our CSA box or a recent jaunt to the farmers market. These veggie tacos will obviously appeal to my herbivore friends, but you carnivores should not dismiss this out of hand; the mushrooms offer a meaty counterpoint to the leafy greens, onion and pepper, so much so that I really didn't miss having meat in there at all. And if was even better than tofu.

We grabbed some crumbly Mexican cheese at the store along with some limes, porcini mushrooms and corn tortillas and got to work. It's pretty quick and easy, if you think about it; you just have to chop up the veggies toss them in the pan with some seasoning, and you're ready to go. Here is what we did:

Summertime Veggie Tacos

Ingredients:
1 package of crimini mushrooms, sliced (Or whatever is in season, or if you have a favorite. Don't let me tell you what to do)
1 lime
1 bell or wax pepper, cleaned & sliced into long fingers
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
2 - 3 cloves of garlic, diced
1/2 lb of hearty greens like kale or chard, chopped into strips
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. smoky paprika
1 avacado, pitted and sliced
6 small corn tortillas
1 can of black beans
2 - 4 Tbs. crumbly Mexican cheese, like Cotija
1 tsp vegetable oil
salt to taste

Heat a skillet on medium high. Add the oil, and allow to heat up. Add the garlic, onion and pepper, seasoning with salt. Allow to cook for a couple of minutes, until the onion starts to become translucent. Add the mushrooms and stir for a minute. Add your chili powder, cumin, and paprika, stirring so it covers the veggies. Squeeze 1/2 of a lime over the mixture, picking up the spices from the bottom of the pan as you stir.

While this is all happening, drain the beans and throw them into a bowl, which you will then put into the microwave. Once the vegetable mixture is done, heat the beans for about 2 mins.

Add the greens, and stir in with the other veggies. Throw in a pinch of salt. As the greens begin to wilt, remove the pan from the heat, and squeeze the other 1/2 of lime over the mix. Stir veggies until the greens are completely wilted and coated with the spices.

Serve on warm corn tortillas and topped with crumbled cheese. Throw some cheese on top of those black beans you heated up in the microwave. We cheated a little with the rice, I have to admit. That, my friends, is box rice, courtesy of Near East. ( I know, shame shame.)

The veggies do take on the spices very well, and manage to hang onto their own individual flavors in the bargain. It is a tasty, and relatively quick alternative to ground-beef tacos, and a perfect early summer meal. Enjoy!

Not Just Another Frittata Recipe

2009-06-10T19:34:00.000-07:00

I realize I seem to post about frittatas pretty frequently. Maybe I'm getting lazy. Maybe I need to expand my culinary repertoire a bit and prepare something a little more challenging. Or maybe I need to open up my own little cafe that serves homemade cheesecakes and frittatas.

Truth is, the frittata has come up more than once because they are relatively easy, and they lend themselves to being a clearing house for leftover ingredients hanging out in your fridge. Usually, I chop a bunch of veggies and throw them into a skillet with some eggs and hope for the best. (Which, lets be honest, is way more fun than following a recipe.) This time around, I spotted an interesting recipe while cruising around Foodbuzz, and decided to give it a go, if for no other reason than it would be a great way of using up the bundles of asparagus occupying shelf space in the refrigerator.

The recipe I found comes from fellow foodie Ryan at The Gourmet Foodie Blog, which was adapted from a Williams-Sonoma recipe. Here in the Tiny Kitchen, we have modified it yet again to eliminate that pesky (and painfully expensive) frittata pan and by changing a couple of ingredients to suit our tastes. This frittata caught my eye because of the grilled asparagus spears nestled into the top of the egg, straight in a row like a little picket fence made of asparagus. Plus, putting the words "goat cheese" in the title is an easy way to get my attention.

Instead of using the fancy frittata pan (which is basically a large skillet that locks together with a slightly smaller skillet), I used the standard non-stick skillet, which prevented me from being able to flip the frittata over half way through cooking in a epic display of hand/eye coordination, but whatever. I don't need to show off. Just keep an eye on it while it's in the oven to make sure the top doesn't burn, and you're golden.

Here's how you get it done:

Asparagus and Goat Cheese Frittata

Ingredients:

12 eggs

3 Tbs. finely chopped chives

1/4 tsp. finely chopped fresh tarragon

3 - 5 oz. cubed bacon or turkey bacon

1/2 tsp. salt, more to taste

fresh ground pepper

6 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

2 bundles of asparagus, tough ends trimmed

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 - 3 tsp. olive oil

With one bunch of asparagus, saute the whole spears in 1 tsp. olive oil, until they are tender and a little charred. Drain on a plate with a paper towel and set to the side. Chop the other bunch of asparagus into 1/2 inch chunks.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, chives, tarragon, turkey bacon, salt and pepper. Add the goat cheese and mix gently. At this point, do not whisk because you want the cheese to remain chunky. Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

In your large skillet, saute the onion or leek with another 1 tsp. of olive oil. remove from heat and add to egg mixture. Pour all of the egg mixture into your large skillet and allow it to settle. Place skillet into the pre-heated oven. After about 15 - 20 minutes, the top of the frittata should be set, but not cooked through. Settle the cooked asparagus spears parallel to one another in a row across the top of the frittata. Return to the oven for another 10 - 15 minutes. It will be done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, and the sides are golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

For a tasty salad like the one I made to accompany this new frittata, you'll need lettuce, strawberries, 2 oz. of goat cheese, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Slice the strawberries into rounds. After washing the lettuce leaves, tear in half or slice into manageable pieces, say 1 to 1 1/2 inches or so. In a salad bowl mix 1 Tbs. of olive oil with 1 Tbs. of balsamic vinegar. (Use more dressing, if you like. The ratio for oil to vinegar is about 1 to 1.) Toss the lettuce and strawberries in with the dressing, and top with crumbled goat cheese.

Enjoy!

Fruits of Your Labor

2009-05-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

Us city folk often forget just where all of that delicious produce we stuff into our reusable cloth shopping bags comes from. We don't realize the time it takes these fruits and vegetables to grow, the cycle of the seasons, or the amount of work that goes into caring for and harvesting them. We take for granted just how valuable this bounty is.

Many of us avail ourselves of the myriad farmers markets cropping up in our metropolitan areas, gathering produce only one link in the chain away from the soil in which it was grown, taking the chance to meet the farmers who grew that food; an opportunity to shake the hand that shakes the trees, as it goes. It's a re-emergence of a communal need to gather around food, to interact not only with the ingredients, but the people who grew them. But a bundle of fresh asparagus or neatly packed box of peaches driven two hours in the bed of a truck from the farm to the market doesn't tell the whole story of how they turned from sunlight into food.

To learn the whole story, you have to get all the way back to the soil, and the neatly planted rows of trees or plants that turn a little bit of water, dirt, and sunlight into bright, fresh fruits and vegetables. But even if we jaded city folk haven't ever actually seen one, I can assure you that farms do in fact exist. A group of those farms near Brentwood, California have banded together to give us the opportunity to come back to nature, if even just briefly, and discover for ourselves just exactly where our food comes from.

Harvest Time in Brentwood is a non-profit group of about 40 farms in eastern Contra Costa County working to boost "Agri-tourism" in the area, allowing their customers to visit their farms and pick their own bushels of fresh fruits and vegetables. More importantly, people can come and feel the soil in their hands, smell the fruit ripening, and hear the soft breeze blowing through the orchards. It is pretty uplifting to see lines of parked cars and crowds of people moving in between the slow-moving traffic not to get into an amusement park or to see the latest teen pop sensation, but to come pick fruit at a farm. It's really an ingenious plan: Save on labor by getting the customer to come to you, and pick the fruit themselves. Brilliant.

This is the very definition of eating locally; not only is the food not shipped in the back of a refrigerated truck over thousands of miles, but you get to see and touch the trees that bare the fruit, walk on the soil that grew the tree, and maybe even meet the farmer that planted the seeds. Then you just have to hop in your car and drive home.

The missus and I took one sunny Sunday afternoon to make the hour drive out to Brentwood, and stopped at Bacchini's Fruit Tree, a family farm and fruit stand operating since 1945. We spent an hour or so under the shady canopy of the cherry trees, snacking as we went. We came away with about four pounds of sweet, delicious cherries and pluots, not including what we ate. Each farm grows different crops, and make many of them available for picking when they come into season. Some crops, such as tomatoes and corn, are left up to the professionals to harvest.

Whether you prefer organic or traditional produce is inconsequential; the less we understand about where our food comes from and how it is grown, the more disconnected we become from what we eat. Organizations like Harvest Time are helping to reconnect people with the source of their food and the importance of local farms. So if you can't grow your own, and I strongly encourage you to try, visit a place that does. Notice how the cherries grow in clusters along the branches or how pluot tree leaves look different from peach tree leaves. Then pick a cherry off the tree, drop it into your mouth, and taste the bright sweetness as your teeth bite through its soft flesh. Spit the pit into the cool dirt, and take a moment to realize that this is where your food comes from.

Sometimes, You Just Want Cake

2009-05-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

So we've been over this. I'm not a real big sweet junky. I enjoy sweets, to be sure, but I generally don't seek them out and as fun as it is I save baking them for special occasions. So when we were graced with an abundance of fresh lemons, the missus decided that instead of making lemonade, we would make cake. Lemon cake. Proving that I am not the only one in our family capable of constructing a tasty dish, she put together this little loaf cake with very little help from me. I did help zest the lemons, but for the most part I just tried to stay out of her way, very important in a tiny kitchen.

She used a recipe from the wonderful little cookbook Baking With Julia, but added a couple of steps to give the cake a little extra lemony kick. Even for one of Julia Child's recipes, it's a pretty simple and straightforward cake, and good enough that even a picky, non-sweettooth like me would enjoy at least a couple of pieces. At least.

Lemon Loaf Cake

Ingredients:

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1/3 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

Grated zest of 3 large lemons

Fresh squeezed juice of 1/2 lemon

1 3/4 cups cake flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature

5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

Lemon glaze:

1/4 powdered sugar

Fresh juice of 1 - 1 1/2 lemons

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter (or spray) a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, dusting with flour and shaking out the excess.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt for a minute, until foamy and smoothly blended; whisk in the grated zest and lemon juice.

Whisk the flour into the eggs lightly, (the recipe calls for sifting the flour before whisking into the eggs. We did not, and it didn't seem to make a big difference.) There is no need to beat the mixture, so mix lightly while adding flour a little at a time until it is all incorporated. Whisk the heavy cream into the mixture. Then switch to a rubber spatula, gently and quickly folding in the melted butter.

Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the center of the cake crowns and cracks and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

While the cake is in the oven, mix the powdered sugar and lemon juice together in a small bowl until they reach the desired consistency for a glaze. Add more juice or sugar respectively as needed to thicken or lighten.

Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. Remove the cake from the pan, and rest on a wire rack. After it has cooled slightly, (the cake should still be warm), pour the lemon glaze over the top of the cake, allowing it to soak in and coat the top of the cake. Allow the cake to continue to cool.

Cut into slices to serve. Serve warm, or let it "ripen" for a day before serving. Your choice.

We both really enjoyed this little cake. It was just sweet enough, with a nice little lemony tang to highlight the sweetness. It's a dense, spongy cake, but surprisingly light. And since we didn't have anyone to share it with, the two of us got to eat the whole thing. Jealous?

Enjoy!

A Little Garden In The Sky

2009-05-12T21:24:00.000-07:00

Against the odds, cold San Francisco fog, strong coastal winds and no actual place for things to grow, I've planted a garden. Better than that, a rooftop garden. It's not much right now, just two black plastic pots filled with organic potting soil and tiny little green plants. But providing the sun can break through the fog and the wind doesn't blow too hard, these little guys might do ok.

I'm starting small, just one early girl tomato plant, and two small shallots. You might ask why I didn't just go for it, all in, fill my rooftop with rows of plastic pots, filled with beautiful growing green things for us eat. To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure how well the plants will survive up there, and I can't be responsible for the deaths of so many plants. My conscience just couldn't handle it.

So I'll be tending to my little rooftop garden, watering my precious little plants and moving them out of the wind and into the sun. Hopefully, soon, I'll have some delicious early girl tomatoes and shallots that will not have passed through any other hands but mine. Wish me luck!

A Great New Snack

2009-05-07T21:27:00.000-07:00

My new friends at Jerky.com were kind enough to drop some of their newest product in the mail to me so I could try it out and tell all of you faithful readers about it. (See what I do for you people?) Jerky of any variety makes a great snack, especially good for tucking away in your desk drawer at work for when those late-afternoon hunger pangs sneak up on you.

Jerky.com's newest offering of Pineapple Jerky is dehydrated Maui pineapple rounds drizzled in honey. The pineapple is just the right amount of tangy while the honey's sweetness takes the edge off of the bite. True to it's name, the jerky is chewy, but comes apart easily and isn't tough at all. The flavors aren't overpowering, and you won't taste any sulfur with your dehydrated fruit, because there isn't any. Just pineapple and honey.

These tart dehydrated pineapple rings will be great for those looking for something new to calm their sweet cravings, and just anyone looking for a healthy mid-day snack. Jerky.com's Pineapple Jerky is available in 1/4 pound packs for $9.99 or in packs of 4 4-ounce packs for $32.99. While you're visiting, check out Jerky.com's expansive catalog of beef jerky, turkey jerky, and exotic jerkies.

Thanks Jerky.com for hooking up the Tiny Kitchen with such a great snack!

Tastemaker Review: Mother's Original Circus Animal Cookies

2009-05-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

The good people at Foodbuzz have once again shown favor on a few humble bloggers and showered us with delightful treats. Mother's Cookies Circus Animals, the pink and white cookies of many a childhood memory are back after a short hiatus off of store shelves.

After spending a few months out of production, Kellogg's bought the name and original recipe and are putting the iconic frosted cookies back onto store shelves. As one of my wife's favorite all time cookies, it was a pretty fun surprise when the box arrived in the mailbox.

Just in time for Mother's Day, Mother's Cookies Circus Animals make their return to stores on May 4th. Thanks, Foodbuzz for giving us the chance to taste these confections again before their re-release. They were delicious!

Enjoy!

Point And Counterpoint

2009-04-29T21:23:00.000-07:00

A local news station here in San Francisco recently ran a story about the benefits of small local farm, free range, so called "heritage" meats. Because the farms are smaller operations, they have tighter controls over the conditions the animals live in, and proactively work to ensure their animals enjoy a proper diet of good food, clean water, and sunshine, all while moving about freely. It is also worth noting that none of the pig's tails are docked, or cut down to a nub, a practice in commercial farming operations to keep the pigs from chewing on each other's tails while confined several animals to a cage. Watch the video here: New Trend Toward Purebread Meats.

In counterpoint to all of that, one writer believes the locavore small farm, free range idea is actually more hazardous to our health. James McWilliams, author of the upcoming "Just Food: How Locavores Are Endangering the Future of Food and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly"

states that in fact because of the protocols of sterile efficiency that commercial factory farms must practice, they are much less likely to produce something hazardous to our collective health. In his New York Times op-ed piece, McWilliams uses vague and ambiguous statistics to tell us that basically we are paying twice as much to make ourselves twice as sick. His basic argument is that because free-range animals are not in a controlled environment, they are exposed to potential contaminants that an animal in a commercial operation technically would not be exposed to. The problem for McWilliams is that there is no chance a pig with the ability to roam free and away from it's own waste is dirtier or more hazardous than a pig crammed into a pen with 5 or 6 of his cousins.

But, you know, check it out for yourself. Read James McWilliams' op-ed article in the New York Times from April 9th, 2009.

Oh, and by the way? The study McWilliams sites for his article was funded by the National Pork Board, as noted by the NYT editor.

Now, discuss.

Springtime Tour Of McEvoy Ranch

2009-04-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, the missus and I took advantage of the season's first truly warm and sunny day, and spent part of the afternoon touring the grounds of McEvoy Ranch, a small, organic olive oil producer in northern Marin County. The tour was organized by the good folks at Marin Organics, a community association dedicated to promoting the organic and sustainable small farms of Marin County.

Nestled in the green, windswept hills just outside of Petaluma, McEvoy Ranch is one of California's first olive oil producers. Founded in 1995 by Nan McEvoy, granddaughter of Michael De Young, the founder of the San Francisco Chronicle, McEvoy ranch was originally meant to be a retreat for Nan's family and a place for her grandchildren to enjoy the outdoors. She eventually decided to plant some olive trees, and not being able to do anything on a small scale, created McEvoy Ranch which is now home to 18,000 Italian olive trees. Soon, the ranch will be truly self-sufficient, with the installation of a windmill to generate all of the necessary energy for the operation of the farm.

The tour took us around the estate, from the irrigation ponds through the orchards, to the chicken palace, and up the sun-soaked hillside where they have begun planting grapevines in between rows of olive trees. The tour finished with a stop in the small processing facility, crowded with sleek Italian machinery, and finally into the tasting room where we sampled last years batch of olive oil. The pure, light green extra virgin olive oil produced at McEvoy Ranch is sweet and grassy, with a soft, peppery bite at the end.

Throughout the tour, we learned about the labor-intensive processes that go into growing and harvesting the olives, the difficulties they face as an organic farm in preventing pests and diseases, and of course the meticulous care and attention necessary to press and bottle the precious olive oil.

It was a beautiful day spent getting back to nature and learning how one of our most beloved ingredients finds its way from the farm to our tables. Everyone on the tour took home a jar of delicious McEvoy olives, and most took advantage of the small but well appointed store and organic herb garden. A 375ml bottle of McEvoy Ranch Olive Oil will cost you about $20, so this isn't your every day cooking oil. Use it to dress salads or just drizzle over some toasted bread. And for the truly ambitious, McEvoy Ranch even sells potted olive trees for you to take home and plant in your own garden.

McEvoy Ranch products can be purchased online or at their store at the San Francisco Ferry Building. The ranch is not open to the public, but they do offer tours like the one we took periodically throughout the year. Details can be found at the McEvoy Ranch website.

Marin Organics offers tours and special events of Marin County's agrarian bounty to its members and the general public alike. For more info, to sign up for their newsletter or become a member, visit the Marin Organics website.

Enjoy!

What Will They Think Of Next?

2009-04-16T20:35:00.000-07:00

I discovered this little gem at the grocery store just the other day. My reaction was similar to the one you are probably having right now. It's ok, the feeling will pass. Yes, it is an iced coffee drink, made by a pomegranate juice company. According to the label, it has all of the great flavors of an iced cafe au lait, but with the added bonus of "stimulating health benefits"from the ultra-potent polyphenol antioxidants mixed right in. Yep, right there in that little bottle. Fancy iced coffee and a high dose of free-radical huntin' badass polyphenols, all in one tasty beverage.

Evidently Pom just couldn't leave well enough alone, and had to branch out away from the hyper-expensive bottled juice market. In all fairness, the coffee didn't taste all that bad, somewhat similar to those toxic Starbucks Frappuccino thingies, except this one doesn't taste like an industrial solvent.

The coffee seems to be made with some pretty wholesome ingredients, or at least nothing that takes several Ph.Ds to pronounce, and including the caffeine from the coffee there are only 5 of them. The coffee is certified organic, so at least it's got that going for it, which is nice. Shockingly, not a altogether bad bottle of juiced-up iced coffee. You know, if you're into that sort of thing.

For more info on Pom Iced Coffee, check out www.healthybuzz.com.

Two Cheesecakes In One Day

2009-04-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

Even though it is one of my favorite things to make, it is on rare occasion that I unleash the cheesecake. Maybe it's the amount of time spent meticulously pressing the crust against the sides of the springform pan. Maybe it's the attention dedicated to getting the flavor just right. It could be the eternity spent with the hand mixer stuck in the bowl. Or,

maybe it's because each cheesecake takes 2 1/2 pounds of cream cheese. Yeah, that might be it.

This is what 6 pounds of cream cheese looks like, in case you were wondering.

Needless to say, I save the cheesecake recipe for special occasions. Last week, we had such a special occasion that it required not one, but two huge, rich, creamy and delicious cheesecakes. That occasion was my father's 60th birthday party, attended by some 2 dozen of his closest friends and family. While others would be supplying snacks and finger foods, it was my responsibility to create enough decadent dessert for all to enjoy. And that meant 2 whole cheesecakes.

I chose to stay safe for the first cheesecake. I kept the filling basic, and covered it with a homemade pomegranate jelly and strawberry slices. Can't go wrong with plain cheesecake and fruit topping. I got a little more adventurous with the second go around, and pulled together a chocolate espresso cheesecake that had people smacking their lips and licking their forks. Here's what we did to throw both of these desserts together:

Basic Cheesecake Recipe:

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup sugar

Filling:

5 8oz packages (2.5lbs) of cream cheese, softened

1 3/4 cups sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 large eggs

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup heavy cream

Crust: Preheat oven to 375 deg. In a bowl, use a fork to mix the graham cracker crumbs with the sugar and melted butter until moist. Pour mixture into a 9 inch springform pan. Using a fork and your fingers, press the crust up against the sides, corners and over the bottom, making sure it is packed firm. The crust should reach the top of the pan, but it is up to you if you want it to. Bake the crust for 5 minutes or until golden. Remove and let cool.

Filling: Increase oven to 450 deg. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, begin to combine the sugar, flour, vanilla and cream cheese. Combine eggs and egg yolks one or two at a time. Beat in cream.

So this is the basic cheesecake recipe to work from. You can really go anywhere from here. For the two I made for the party, here is what you will need to do:

Plain Cheesecake With Fruit Topping:

Add the zest of 1 lemon, and the juice of 1/2 lemon into the filling mixture. Combine until mixture is smooth, and as lump free as possible. Using a rubber spatula, finish mixing the filling, and pour carefully to the top of your prepared springform pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 250. Bake for one hour, until set but not firm. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out caky, not wet. Remove from the oven and let stand for about 1 hour before placing in refrigerator. Chill overnight.

An hour or so before serving, spread a thin layer of pomegranate jelly (or whatever sounds good to you) over the top of the cheesecake, and ring the edge with strawberry slices.

Chocolate Espresso Cheesecake:

Melt 1/2 of a 4oz Ghiradelli 100% cacao baking bar with 1/2 a stick of butter. Mix in 1 cup of sugar, and slowly stir in 1/2 cup of milk or cream. Whisk until chocolate is smooth. If it appears grainy or lumpy, add milk a little at a time until it is smooth. To the basic mixture, add 3 Tablespoons of instant espresso powder. Add more if you need, to taste. Slowly pour in the chocolate mixture, a little at a time, running the hand mixer on low as you pour it in. Taste your filling, and add more chocolate as necessary. Mix with hand mixer on high until most of the lumps are gone, and finish mixing with a spatula. Follow baking instructions from above.

An hour or so before serving, using a fine grater or microplane, grate a chuck of the baking chocolate, dusting the top of the cheesecake with chocolate powder. Then, using a sharp vegetable peeler, peel backwards against the edge of the piece of chocolate making little delicate curls. Use a spoon to shake the curls over the top.

The best part about the cheesecake is its adaptability. From that one basic recipe, branch off and try whatever flavor sounds good. go crazy. Just make sure you use high quality ingredients, and taste the filling often as you build flavors. And remember, there is such a thing as too much chocolate.

Everyone had a great time at the party, by the way. The cheesecakes were a hit, and I'm pretty sure I heard a chorus of "oohs" and "mmms" and "aaahs" from the gathered guests. It was great getting to see my dad enjoying the company of friends and family, all brought in to town to celebrate his day. It was a good day.

Foodbuzz Tastemaker Review: Recchiuti Chocolates

2009-03-26T20:21:00.000-07:00

The secret stash at Foodbuzz was opened up once again and the Tiny Kitchen got a taste of a new release from Recchiuti Chocolates. The Asphalt Jungle Mix is a combination of Burnt Caramel Hazelnuts, Burnt Caramel Almonds, Cherries Two Ways, and Peanut Butter Pearls. This little box of delights did not disappoint.

The missus, who has the sweet tooth in the family, loved each of the hand-crafted flavors. I was even lucky enough to try a few myself. While a favorite is hard to choose, the Burnt Caramel Hazelnut was crunchy, just a little salty, and the rich chocolate melted in my mouth. While at $12 per 6 ounce box, the Asphalt Jungle Mix will be a treat for special occasions for most people. But you definitely get what you pay for. And if you're not careful, the whole box will disappear before you know it.

Thanks Foodbuzz!

Guest Post: Simple Food Served With Love

2009-03-21T17:10:00.000-07:00

My father recently returned from a trip to Guatemala, where he and a group of Rotarians partner with local schools and communities to install clean drinking water systems. He was so excited about the food he experienced on this trip that I thought it would be fun if he wrote a guest post for the Tiny Kitchen detailing his experiences. Like all local, rural food, the meals he ate were humble, but made with so much care and reverence for not only the ingredients but for the honored guests who would be sharing it. The people of rural Guatemala are very poor, yet they eagerly gave what they had to feed these new friends. It is amazing to think about just how generous people who have so little can be. Here is what my father had to say about his trip:

Food is never more tasty as when served simply and with love. It was my privilege to travel recently in Guatemala to be on the receiving end of such meals. A group of us were checking up on a water purification project installed two years ago at the Las Flores School in Salcaja, Guatemala and rewiring the computer lab at that same school so that all of the computers (donated by another group) would work at the same time.

We arrived at Las Flores School early in the afternoon and began work. A couple of hours later we were served a lunch of Guatemalan tamales and freshly prepared papaya juice. The tamales were made by wrapping a paste of rice flour in banana leaves with a piece of chicken, red sauce called “ricardo,” an olive and a few raisins. They were, as are all the best tamales, cooked in lard and carefully unwrapped by someone who cares. Pictured in the photo unwrapping one for us is the Principal of the school, Carolina.

Two of our group had the additional task of checking in on a water system located in the village of La Cumbre. After lunch we drove the 45 minutes up the hill to the church in La Cumbre and made our inventory of the system to get ready for the next day. They fed us. A plate of radish slaw, cucumber slices, pickled beets, a piece of fried chicken from the popular Pollo Campero restaurant, and the best, freshest, warmest and most fragrant tortillas of the trip. I can still smell and feel the wonderful sensation I had when I pressed one flat to my nose and mouth. Heaven will be like this.

The next day, back at Las Flores School, lunch came around about 2, after we took a couple of the older girls on an errand for Carolina into the town of Salcaja. They picked up the chicken fresh from the butcher and took it back to be cooked into Caldo de Pollo (chicken noodle soup). We were served a perfectly seasoned blend of chicken broth, shell macaroni, onions, big chunks of carrot and potato, and a piece of chicken with bones and all. This time the meal was served with freshly prepared sandia (watermelon) juice and fresh tortillas almost as good as those from La Cumbre.

The next morning we were taken to the restaurant owned by our host in Quetzaltenango ( called Xela) where we were staying. The meal of eggs, ham, refried beans and tortillas was typical of what Guatemalans have every day for breakfast, but our host included some special treats. Cambray is a sweet masa tamale with raisins and cinnamon and sugar. A Chuchito is a savory tamale made with masa and filled with the ricardo sauce mentioned above. The name of the restaurant in Xela is Luminar. Rosa’s cooking is worth the trouble to find.

Later that day we celebrated with the teachers and children of Las Flores School and, you guessed it, they fed us. This time the meal was Enchiladas, which means meat and vegetables served on crispy tortillas with jalapeno and other peppers ready to be added when needed. The juice served was made from bananas, but we were honored with an additional drink. Caldo de Frutas (fruit soup) begins when someone in Salcaja, which is famous for this concoction, distills liquor (illegally) and pours it over fruit (apples, cherries, pears) that has been sliced (not peeled) and put in a jar. The jar is sealed and buried in the ground for six months. When it resurfaces the liquor is poured off and served and the fruit is eaten, carefully. There was more liquor in the fruit than was poured off to drink. This is quite a treat and is completely local to Salcaja.

That night was our last in Xela and we were treated to a fabulous Guatemalan Churasco (bar b que) at the home of our host. On the menu was chicken, beef, chorizo and longoniza (sausages), onions, jalapenos, and the special sweet bean filled bananas called Platanos. All of this was served with love and the fun of quite a lot of Gallo Cervaza (beer) made and distributed in Guatemala, but available in most import stores in the U.S. Yours truly added some California wine brought from home.

The rest of our meals were taken in restaurants and two of them do deserve mention. In Antigua La Cuevita de los Urguiza allows you to point at the main dish stew that you want, add two side dishes, order your drink and sit in the courtyard to eat. We eat there every time we are in Antigua, which is one of the great tourist destinations in Guatemala. Our last meal in the country was taken in Guatemala City at the Nessun Dorma, Ristorante e Bar. This is one of the more elegant meals I have ever been served. The charming matre de turned out to be the owner and the head chef. He checked on us several times during the meal and shook our hands as we left. The food, by the way, was fabulous. I had the lobster ravioli, my daughter the spinach ravioli with gorgonzola sauce, others in our party had beef tenderloins with gorgonzola sauce, seared tuna steak, and salmon. I recommend both of these places if you are ever in Guatemala.

I am home now, but can still close my eyes and smell those fresh tortillas and feel the love with which they were served.

Six by 10 Tiny Kitchen Featured on Making This Home

2009-03-20T18:51:00.000-07:00

My new good friend Katie, an American ex-pat living in Berlin, Germany writes a great blog about making her and her husband's small Berlin apartment their own. Through creative problem solving and a little trial and error, these two have managed to make the most out of a 36 square foot kitchen. It's pretty amazing what some people can do with such a small space.

Katie thought enough of my humble blog and our diminutive kitchen space, (a cavernous 60 square feet), that she asked me to take some photos and tell her and her readers about how we make the Tiny Kitchen work. I was super excited to get the chance to talk to Katie and show her our little corner of San Francisco.

Take a look at Katie's blog and the tour of our Tiny Kitchen at Making This Home. Enjoy!

Thanks Katie!

Guest Post: Compact Kitchen Necessities

2009-03-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that cooking anything in a tiny kitchen presents certain challenges. You have to get a little creative when trying to find a home for that extra large mixing bowl or when the dish you're cooking has a large number of ingredients and you've got nowhere to keep all of them. I've gotten pretty comfortable maneuvering around my 60 square foot kitchen, but there is always room for improvement. The good people at Cookware.com offered to lend a hand to me and my fellow tiny kitchen dwellers on finding some of the most useful items to stock in our cupboards. Here's what they had to say:

Compact Kitchen Necessities

Size matters, when it comes to your kitchen. The luxuries afforded by a large and roomy kitchen are many, from more counter space, to a larger 1.5 - 2 bowl kitchen sink. For those of us living in a smaller space, a smaller kitchen is just something that we have to get used to. As frustrating as it may be, you can't let a compact kitchen hamper your culinary creativity.
By choosing the right cookware, appliances and kitchen accessories, you'll be on your way to whipping up masterpieces in no time. From cookware sets and utensils to space saving countertop appliances - this is your guide to compact kitchen necessities.

• Compact Cookware Essentials: While an 8 - 10 piece cookware set might be nice, if you are dealing with a compact kitchen, it's just not practical. You have to account for storage space as well as how much space you have to prepare and cook your food. Purchase a durable 3 - 5 piece cookware set instead. Typically, a 3 - 4 piece set will include a fry pan and saucepan with lids. A 5 piece cookware set might include a Dutch oven as well, though not essential, still is very useful for making soups and stews. Stackable cookware sets are essential to help you maximize your storage space.

• Utensil Essentials: Utensils have a tendency to take up a considerable amount of space in the kitchen, so purchasing a pre-packaged utensil set is a good idea. A six-piece utensil set typically includes a spatula, cooking spoon, slotted spoon, ladle, pasta fork and serving tongs. Other utensils you might need could include a whisk, garlic press, and cheese grater. Take into consideration the dishes you make most often and use that as a determining factor in which kinds of utensils you purchase. A utensil crock allows you to keep all of your utensils organized and at your fingertips.

• Maximize Your Space: Counter space is likely going to be more valuable in a compact kitchen, so utilizing space saving appliances and accessories is a must.

o Strainer/Colander: An over-the-sink strainer is a great example of a space saving kitchen accessory. While the style you purchase is very much dependent on how wide your sink is, look for a strainer with handles that extend a bit farther than your average strainer. The Expandable Sink Strainer from Polder, for example, features expandable handles to accommodate different sink sizes. It also includes a cutting board, giving you even more bang for your buck.

o Dish Rack: The dish rack is typically one accessory that takes up lot otherwise valuable counter space. Why not opt for a dish rack that fits perfectly inside or outside of your sink? The plastic compact disk rack from SimpleHuman was designed to fit the counter space adjacent to the sink perfectly. This particular dish rack features a pivoting spout which drains the water directly into the sink. It's also small enough that you can fit it inside most sink basins, allowing your dishes to drain overnight.

o Double Duty Appliances: Countertop kitchen appliances are continually evolving with an increasing focus on space saving technology. While some of these may seem a bit wacky, they are very practical! For instance, the Egg & Muffin 2-slice Toaster from Back To Basics is a combination toaster and egg-poacher - perfect for breakfast sandwiches. Sunpentown makes a similar product that actually combines a toaster, griddle and coffee maker, while another model combines a toaster and microwave.

Make use of mixers and food processors with optional attachments designed to make your appliances pull double duty. For instance the Universal Bosch Mixer features an optional food processor attachment for added versatility.
By making a few smart choices, you can get as much out of your compact kitchen as you can out a much larger space. You just need to be wary of how much space you actually have to work with, both counter space and storage space.

Catching Up

2009-03-15T15:37:00.001-07:00

I've been lagging a little bit in writing up a couple of yummy dishes to recently come out of the Tiny Kitchen. There's no particular reason for this, I haven't been waiting for the perfect opportunity to reveal some amazing culinary creation to you all. Nope, I've just been lazy, and a little forgetful. But enough chit chat. On to the food.

I have made a Frittata for you all before, (you're welcome) but one of the best parts of the Frittata is that it never has to be the same dish twice. Since it's really just a big mishmash of fresh, chunky vegetables and eggs, you can pretty much put whatever you want into it providing it all fits into one large skillet. This time through, I added a can of black beans, something I had never thought to include before, and it ended up being the best rendition of the Frittata yet. Since we had guests, and I was not just cooking for the missus and I but for my Mother-in-law and her friend, I wanted this lunch to be more than just cold cuts and potato salad. (For the record, the missus and I don't eat cold cuts and potato salad for lunch when we don't have guests, it was really just an example. Not that there is anything wrong with cold cuts. Or potato salad. Nevermind.)

Frittatas are pretty basic and easy. Chop some potatoes and fresh veggies, some sausage if you are so inclined, saute, and fold in a dozen beaten eggs and bake. If you have it, use sea salt or another rock salt when seasoning the veggies. It adds that little something extra. Here's what I threw together the other day:

1 dozen eggs, beaten
1/2 lb fingerling potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 white or yellow onion, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 bunch of chives, diced
2 Adele's Southwest Sausages, cut into 1/2 pieces
1 can of black beans, with 1/2 of the liquid drained
1 - 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Salt (preferably sea salt or rock salt) & Pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet, and add garlic and onion and stir. Add the potatoes and bell pepper, and saute for a few minutes, then add the sausage. Pour in the black beans with remaining 1/2 can of liquid. Add the chopped chives to the egg. Once this is all combined and has had a chance to cook for about 5 minutes, close the heat of the burner, and add the egg. Allow the egg to fully cover the other ingredients by gently moving them around with a spoon. Put skillet in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes. You'll know it is done when the top is nice and brown. If you are still unsure, stick a toothpick into the middle of the frittata, and if it comes out dry, it's done.

The salad was the lettuce from the Eatwell Farm CSA, 1/2 a cucumber, sliced thin, 1 carrot sliced into rounds, 1 bunch of green onions, chopped, and about 2 handfuls of green beans cut in half. I made a quick and easy mustard vinaigrette to dress the salad. Take about 1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale & Honey Spice mustard, 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons of olive oil, 2 teaspoons of agave nectar, and a pinch of black pepper. Whisk together in a small bowl and toss with the salad. (These measurements are approximate, so add or subtract the levels of ingredients to suit your tastes.)

Keeping with our theme of healthy, uncomplicated meals, a few nights ago I made quick pasta using the fresh spinach from my Eatwell Farm CSA box. With whole wheat spaghetti, some chopped garlic, salt and pepper and a healthy dose of olive oil, this simple dish made for a great healthy week-night meal.

To get started, you'll need a hefty amount of fresh spinach, about six cups or enough to fill your salad spinner to the brim. (I'm not so good with the measurements, have you noticed?) Heat some olive oil in a large skillet and add about 4 - 5 cloves of minced garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Allow to cook until the garlic becomes aromatic. Add the spinach to the skillet, and stir continuously until it has wilted and reduced in volume considerably. Add a few pinches of salt as you stir the spinach. You'll know it's ready when it is soft and tender. Remove from heat.

Have your spaghetti cooking while you saute the spinach. Once the spaghetti is cooked, remove it from the heat, but do not drain it. Using tongs, remove the pasta from the water and drop it into the skillet with the spinach. Stir the spaghetti and spinach together and serve. Grate some fresh Parmesan cheese over the top, and dig in.

Enjoy!

Mission Street Food

2009-03-08T16:50:00.000-07:00

The first rule of Mission Street Food is: You do not talk about Mission Street Food.

This underground dining experiment that began less than a year ago in an off-duty taco truck in the Mission has grown into one of the biggest foodie destinations in The City that nobody knows about. It started as a noble experiment: Invite young and up-and-coming chefs to create new and exciting dishes away from the tedious kitchen line, serve it street food-style, and donate profits to local food charities. Soon the word got out that a couple of rogue chefs were serving seriously high-quality eats out of a taco truck on Mission Street every Thursday night. Lines stretched down the block.

After a while, Mission Street Food had to move into an indoor space with tables and chairs, and open the doors a second night per week. Now settled into the Lung Shan Chinese Restaurant on Mission between 18th & 19th, Mission Street Food has a bigger kitchen to work with, and space to seat hundreds of guests per night, often booking up just an hour after opening.

This past Saturday, when we arrived at the front of Lung Shan Restaurant shortly before 6 p.m., there was already a line stretching several hundred feet down Mission. Passers-by gave us funny looks, curious why such a large group of people were standing in front of this shabby Chinese restaurant that was apparently not even open. They seated the first round of people, then started giving seating times to those of us still in line. Since we got there relatively early, we would be seated just after 7 p.m.

To eat at Mission Street Food feels more like a clandestine eating adventure than Saturday night dinner. The restaurant is dark, except for small tealight candles on the tables and the neon beer sign on the front window. People crowd tightly to the front of the building as the hostess rushes in and out of the door, trying to arrange seating. The food and drink are served in the restaurant's own dishes. It all feels as though they have broken in after hours to play "chef" and are constantly worried about being caught.

The menu, along with the cooks, changes each night. This Saturday, Bud Teasley of Boccalone and Carlo Espinas of Bar Jules featured a taste of South Carolina-style Barbeque. While purists may not consider the Blenheim Ginger BBQ'd Pork with Smokehouse Beans traditional South Carolina Barbeque, keep in mind this isn't your traditional dining experience.

The barbecue came served on slider buns plated with the sweet and tangy baked beans. The quirky salad of rhubarb and baby mustard greens came with a small candied apple covered in bacon caramel. It was a little wacky, but it worked somehow; the salty bacon accented the sweet caramel and that cute little apple paired very well with the rhubarb salad. The next dish to hit our cozy little table was the Tater Boat, a deep fried russet potato with taleggio nacho cheese and green garlic. Fried potato with melted, liquidy cheese and garlic? Yes, please.

In the hurried quick-step of the wait staff, the dishes came out whenever they were ready and in no real particular order. No problem there; our table was crowded with plates most of the time, anyway. We didn't come to Mission Street Food for subtle refinement or perfectly arranged dishes. We came for fantastically good food.

And any meal at Mission Street Food would be woefully incomplete without desert. We ordered two: The Butter fried cornbread with min julep honey and Humphrey Slocombe sour cream ice cream and a scoop of Humphrey Slocombe Secret Breakfast Ice Cream.

The butter fried cornbread was an interesting mingling of flavors, from the crisp and buttery cornbread, the sweetness of the mint julep honey, and the subtle tang of the sour cream ice cream that really tasted like sour cream. All together a brilliantly conceived desert.

Then, a small paper cup nestled in a plain white Chinese teacup, filled with the Secret Breakfast Ice Cream. This ice cream, the most talked about flavor from the new kid on the block, is flavored with crushed cornflakes and bourbon. Yep, cornflakes. And bourbon. Wow. For my first taste of the new players in the gourmet ice cream game, I was beyond impressed with the creative flavors and thrilled Mission Street Food included them in their menu.

As an added bonus, the charity Mission Street Food was supporting was 826 Valencia, my favorite writing center and pirate store. We had a fantastic meal courtesy of the fantastic, rouge cooks of Mission Street Food. Dinner is served Thursday and Saturday nights starting at 6:00 until it ends at 2234 Mission Street. If you want to get on the list, bring cash, get there early (before 6) and get ready to wait in line.

For more info on Mission Street Food, check out their blog here, and this recent San Francisco Chronicle write-up.

A Box of Plenty

2009-03-01T20:03:00.000-08:00

With San Francisco still trying to decide if it's Winter or Spring, I'm feeling pretty grateful to be able to pickup fresh seasonal veggie deliveries from Eatwell Farm. The box of goodies that we picked up just over a week ago has provided us with a refrigerator full of fresh, crisp and delicious fruits and vegetables that never had to see the inside of a supermarket.

In the spirit of our little city apartment receiving the bounty of the season directly from the farm, I want to share the dishes we made over the last week trying to use as many ingredients from the box in each meal as possible. Some days, like Monday, are busy and the missus and I get home at different times, so it's usually leftovers or a quick and easy pasta. Last Monday, Mrs. Rosewater got crafty and threw together a tasty little pesto with spinach, walnuts, and a generous dose of olive oil. It's all about what you have in your cupboard.

Luckily, the rest of the week is a little more consistent, so we have plenty of time to put together a proper dinner for two. Mid-week, we borrowed a recipe from the Eatwell Farm Newsletter for a vegetable risotto. My relationship with risotto has been pretty hit and miss in the past, and it has often turned into a marginally edible rice-paste with vegetables. This time? Not a problem. The rice was just right, and the addition of tarragon made it wonderfully fragrant and richly flavored.

Radish & Leek Risotto

Ingredients:
1 Tbs. Olive Oil
1 large or 2 small leeks, with tops removed and diced
1 bunch of radishes (about 8) chopped into small cubes
1 bunch of green garlic (4 - 5), cleaned, trimmed and chopped
1 cup Arborio rice
4 cups of vegetable broth
1 Small handful of tarragon, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Saute the leeks, garlic and radishes in the oil until the radishes begin to become translucent and the leeks begin to shrink, about 5 - 10 minutes. Add rice and stir for a couple of minutes, until the oil has been absorbed by the rice. Slowly add heated broth one ladle at a time, stirring constantly, until absorbed and the rice is cooked completely. Taste the rice frequently to test it's doneness. When rice is fully cooked, remove from heat and add tarragon. Season with salt and pepper. No risotto is complete without cheese, so grate about 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese (or more, if you like) into the risotto before you serve and stir it in. Serve in a bowl topped with more parmesan cheese. (Yes, I like cheese.)

And since San Francisco and the Bay Area seem to be suffering from juvenile fits of cold wind and rain this month instead of a proper grown-up storm, it felt like a good time to make a thick, tasty soup to keep us warm. Plus, it's pretty much the only thing I know how to make with butternut squash. The recipe changes each time because I always have different ingredients in the refrigerator, sometimes things that need to be cooked and eaten before they go bad.

Photo note: The picture above was not taken by my talented photographer wife, but instead by me. Notice the chipped bowl? I didn't. This is why I leave the visual stuff to the missus, and I stick to the words.

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:
1 2 1/2 lb butternut squash (or 2 small squashes) peeled, seeded, and chopped into 1 inch cubes
1 Sweet red onion, chopped
4 - 5 garlic cloves, minced
1 large or 2 small leeks, tops removed and chopped
Small handful of tarragon, chopped
5 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup white wine
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large stockpot. Saute the onion, leek and garlic until they become fragrant and the onion begins to turn translucent. Add squash, and saute for a couple of minutes and stir in salt and pepper. Add white wine, and allow the alcohol to cook off and liquid to reduce, stirring occasionally. Add 5 cups of broth; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cook until squash is tender, about 40 min. Remove from heat and add tarragon.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth and thick. If soup is too thin, return to heat and allow to reduce slightly. Serve topped with a drizzle of olive oil or heavy cream, and with a plate of crusty, toasted bread nearby.

This soup wasn't the best I've ever made, but it did the trick. I think it needed to be a little thicker, and some cream would have added to the flavor. I love the sweetness of the squash paired with the tart bite of onion and leek. The tarragon just added that little something extra.

Having this huge box of farm fresh veggies thrust at us all at once was a little intimidating, so it's going to be an adventure making sure we get the most out of each delivery and nothing goes to waste. If you haven't already, look into finding a local CSA in your area, and keep your kitchen stocked with the freshest seasonal produce around.

Enjoy!

Urban Pastoral

2009-02-22T20:10:00.000-08:00

This week we picked up our first delivery of fresh, organic seasonal fruits and vegetables from Eatwell Farm's Community Supported Agriculture program. I'm super excited about getting a box of amazing produce every other week.

This weeks box included Fuji Apples, Pomelo, Lettuce, Spinach, Leeks, Bok Choy, Collards, Green Garlic, Radishes, Italian Flat-Leafed Parsley, Butternut Squash, Oranges, and Kiwis.

Not only does the Tiny Kitchen get to enjoy this fresh organic bounty, we are supporting the good hardworking people of a local California farm striving to keep alive the agrarian traditions of our great state. Local farms like Eatwell are the cornerstone of our food system, and the source of our continued sustenance.

And because we are all watching our expenses these days, it bears mentioning that buying a share in any CSA program is vastly cheaper than shopping at your local Safeway. A 4 week share from Eatwell Farm costs $108, or about $27 per week. Most CSA's, like Eatwell, let you choose between weekly or bi-weekly delivery.

For more information on Eatwell Farm and local Community Sponsored Agriculture, please visit the Eatwell Farm website or Localharvest.org.

Udon Miso Soup

2009-02-19T19:47:00.000-08:00

The great thing about soup is that you can make it with just about whatever you have ready to go in your kitchen. It can be a simple light broth with veggies, or a thick and rich stew of meat, beans and noodles. I've never really tried anything with miso before, but recently a cold San Francisco night was calling for a good soup. The miso soup I have had before, primarily in restaurants, has been little else but broth and tiny cubes of tofu. Since this was going to be the main course instead of just a starter, I figured it was going to need a little substance.

I adapted yet another recipe from Heidi at 101 Cookbooks for this soup, and while I added generous amounts of vegetables for this batch, it is really easily adaptable for whatever suits your tastes. I heartily recommend adding a small amount of miso and tasting the broth at first, you can always add more if it isn't flavorful enough. Miso can be pretty salty, so you probably don't need to add salt to anything. I used the fresh udon noodles that I found in the refrigerated section at the store, next to the tofu. Dried noodles should serve just as well.

Udon Miso Soup

Ingredients:
1 package of fresh udon noodles
2 - 4 tablespoons miso paste (to taste)
3 - 5 ounces of extra firm tofu, sliced into tiny 1/2 inch cubes
4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups of water
3 celery stalks, sliced into 1/4 inch chunks
1 package of fresh shitake mushrooms or other variety, sliced thin
4 - 5 radishes, sliced very thin
Small handful of fresh cilantro
A pinch of red pepper flakes (for heat)

Boil the noodles in salted water until cooked and just tender, drain, rinse and set aside. Bring 4 cups of vegetable broth to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Mix a few tablespoons of the broth into a small bowl with the miso paste and whisk so it thins out the miso. Pour mix back into the pot. At this point, taste the broth to see if it needs more miso. Add the water. You may choose to add a little water at a time, tasting the broth as you go. 2 cups ended up being just the right amount of extra liquid needed for the amount of vegetables and noodles. This will vary on what you add to your soup.

Sprinkle in red pepper flakes. Add mushrooms, celery, and radishes, and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Add the tofu, and allow the soup to return to a simmer. Remove the soup from the heat and add the udon noodles. Serve topped with fresh cilantro. I can't eat soup without something crunchy, so I toasted slices of a baguette to serve along side.

If all goes as planned, this should serve 4.

Enjoy!

Valentine's Day Treats

2009-02-15T16:01:00.001-08:00

I've never been very keen on fake, made-up holidays like Valentine's Day. It was always cute when we were kids, giving out little cards with generic sentiments spoken by our favorite cartoon characters attached to tiny packets of inedible candy that we would all enthusiastically try to break our teeth on later. It was fun then, and I'm sure it was hilarious for the teachers to watch all of the little boys shyly trying to give the girls their Valentine's, and hoping for one in return.

Since those days, I've grown somewhat wiser, and a little bitter, and realized that Valentine's Day is just a way for greeting card companies to make their quarterly profits and for restaurants to spike their prices on indulgent and pretentious prix fix menus. I also understand that showing the person you love how much you care about them is immensely important; however I don't need nor want Hallmark, Nestle, or FTD to tell me when I am expected to do so. Luckily, Mrs. Rosewater does not subscribe to the doctrine of St. Valentine either, and as the anniversary of our very first date is the next day, we have a much better reason to celebrate and dote on one another.

Ok, enough Proselytizing. Sorry, I kind of went on a rant there. In spite of my obvious disdain for this "holiday", it is always a good excuse to enjoy something sweet with my sweetie. We decided to try our hand at making crepes with Nutella, that famed Parisian street food and favorite treat of Nutella lovers everywhere. I've never made crepes before, and the craft has a certain learning curve to it. To add to the handicap, we do not have an actual crepe pan or that handy little wooden spreader thingy used to evenly cover said pan with batter. About halfway through the bowl of batter, we realized we should be spooning the Nutella onto the crepe whilst it was still in the pan, ensuring it was hot enough to melt the spread.

Throw a couple of strawberry slices inside, fold, and serve topped with powdered sugar. Or more strawberries. My first try at crepe making was pretty successful, if I do say so myself. And no, the fact that this is my second post in a row to include Nutella is not lost on me. What can I say? We had plenty left over from World Nutella Day 2009. I hope everyone's Valentine's or Anti-Valentine's Day were just what you hoped they would be. Enjoy!

World Nutella Day 2009

2009-02-05T20:35:00.000-08:00

I do not have a sweet tooth. Never have. So, in general, things like Nutella don't often show up on my radar. My wife, on the other hand has a sweet tooth big enough for the both of us. She loves Nutella, and is gingerly licking it off of her fingers with a sly smile on her face as I write this sentence.

Several weeks ago, she was reading two of our favorite blogs, Bleeding Espresso and Ms. Adventures in Italy and noticed that Michelle and Sara would soon be celebrating "World Nutella Day 2009" with many Nutella-loving food bloggers around the world. She said "you should write a post about this. You might actually like it."

Up until this evening, I had never tried Nutella. Even though I know they are two completely different things, I have always thought Nutella was exactly the same thing as Vegemite. (If you don't know what Vegemite is, you're probably better off.) Despite my irrational aversion to jars of gelatinous brown food-stuff, the missus convinced me to partake in World Nutella Day 2009. And continue enabling her addiction to chocolate.

Keeping things nice and simple, we bought some LU Shortbread Cookies to spoon the Nutella onto. Not a bad choice.

So I may not become a full on Nutella addict like some of my foodie friends out there, but now that I have tasted it I have seen the light. Although now I have this big jar of chocolate hazelnut goodness loitering in my kitchen, waiting to be eaten. Here's looking forward to next year!

Tastemaker Review: Quaker True Delights granola bars

2009-02-04T18:22:00.000-08:00

From time to time our friends at Foodbuzz headquarters will open up their stash of great foodie delights, and shares some with the rest of the class. Recently, I opened up the mailbox to find a large white envelope from Foodbuzz stuffed with the first flavors of a new line of granola bars from Quaker.

Quaker's True Delights granola bars are being introduced in three tasty new flavors, Toasted Coconut Banana Macadamia Nut, Honey Roasted Cashew Mixed Berry, and Dark Chocolate Raspberry Almond. The bars are being billed as "an indulgent combination of real fruit, whole nuts and dark chocolate, mixed into wholesome honey-drizzled Quaker oats."

I always enjoy having something to snack on during the drive to work, and these little bars hit the spot. Filling they are not, but they do take the edge off of the morning hunger pangs when you don't have time for a real breakfast. These little guys are tasty, definitely a step up from your average granola bar. While they are by no means "all natural", (nor are they billed as such), but there are only a couple of ingredients with more than 3 syllables. They aren't the healthiest treats in the world at 4.5 of grams of fat per bar, but as long as you don't eat the whole box all at once, I think you'll be alright.

All in all, not a bad turn from the folks at Quaker. Thanks, Foodbuzz!

Super Bowl Indigestion

2009-02-02T20:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday, our pseudo-national holiday of greasy food & cold beer, rampant gambling, million-dollar television commercials, and I think there was a football game on, too.

The Super Bowl party has become a national past time, almost as much so as the actual game itself. People come together bearing cases of beer, chips and dip, and crock pots bubbling with cheesy, spicy delights. Our good friends Rick and Erin hosted us again this year, and they had their house fully prepped for the big game. The couch was even arranged into stadium seating complete with 3-D glasses and penalty flags for the ultimate viewing experience.

But on to the food. I didn't actually cook anything; I still haven't mastered cooking for large groups. So, we headed up to Sonoma county with some snacks from Trader Joe's and our winning personalities. Everyone brought something to snack on, from multi-layered dips, peanut butter & chocolate cupcakes, barbeque pork, and a cheesy buffalo chicken dip that I can only liken to crack. It's just that good.

Oh, and in case you missed the game, the Steelers won. It ended up being a pretty exciting Super Bowl. I hope everyone had a great time, where ever you were.

Garlic Soba Noodles With Tofu

2009-01-25T20:30:00.000-08:00

One of the best parts of being a part of the food blogging community is the fact that you get access to literally thousands and thousands of delicious, home-made recipes covering every taste, region, culture and speciality in the world. Not to get too sappy here, but it's pretty cool to be part of such a diverse and amazing community, all with one common goal: To eat good food.

So the other day when I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner, I turned to my fellow food bloggers and their penchant for sharing their favorite recipes with the world. As usual, I was looking for something modestly healthy, and as it was a weeknight, something quick and relatively hassle-free. I knew I had a package of soba noodles in the cupboard, so I figured I would start from there. Scouring the 'nets for soba noodle recipes, I found something Heidi over at 101 Cookbooks had posted last March that fit the bill. I changed the recipe slightly; instead of regular bread crumbs on the tofu I used panko and used fresh garlic instead of garlic powder. By pure coincidence, I also used Organic Planet soba noodles, the brand Heidi says she tends to stockpile in her original post. They tend to be the only brand of dry soba noodles I can find, or at least notice, on the shelf at the grocery store.

Garlic Soba Noodles

Ingredients:

8 oz. dry soba noodles (1 whole pack of Organic Planet soba noodles. If you are only cooking for 2, like I was, you could probably knock that down to 6 oz.)

3/4 panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
big pinch of salt
12 ounces (1 Pack) extra firm organic tofu, cut into 6 rectangular slabs
2 eggs, lightly beaten

a generous splash of olive oil
1 bunch green onions, greens trimmed, thinly sliced
4 big handfuls of chard, destemmed
2 - 3 cloves of fresh garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup Parmesan, freshly grated

a few baby radishes, sliced paper thin

Boil a large pot of water and cook soba noodles per packet instructions or until just tender. Drain and set aside.

While the water is coming to a boil, get the tofu started by combining the bread crumbs, Parmesan and salt in a shallow plate. Dunk each piece of tofu in the egg and then press into the bread crumbs. Make sure each piece is nicely coated with crumbs. Place each piece on a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining pieces. Bake in a 375 degree oven until both sides are golden, flipping once along the way. Slice into strips and set aside.

Add the olive oil (and bit of salt) to a large skillet over med-high heat. Stir in the green onions, chard, and garlic, and cook for a minute until the chard collapses. Stir in the soba noodles. Stir in the parmesan. Remove from heat. Serve topped with the baked tofu and sliced radishes.

I strongly recommend only cooking the chard for a minute. I'm pretty sure I over-cooked the chard, and it wilted a little too much. I've never been very good at following directions. Otherwise, the dish was fantastic. These noodles were exactly what we needed on a cold, rainy San Francisco evening. Thanks to Heidi Swanson at 101 Cookbooks for such a great and easy recipe. Enjoy!

Fun With Cauliflower

2009-01-18T16:16:00.000-08:00

So one of the fun things about winter is finding great seasonal vegetables and discovering recipes that are more interesting than steamed or stir-fried. Cauliflower has become something of a marginalized vegetable, stuck somewhere between brussel sprouts and green beans in the boring veggie department. But many varieties of cauliflower can be anything but boring.

One early winter's day out at the Civic Center Farmer's Market, I stumbled across a bizarre looking head of cauliflower. This green fractal-esque vegetable, called Romanesco Broccoli, is an Italian variety of cauliflower, and according to the vendor has a light broccoli flavor with the signature crunch of cauliflower. I brought a head home, and took some time to consider how to prepare it.

At the end of last November, when it was actually cold in San Francisco, soup was just what we needed to fill our bellies. I tracked down a pretty simple recipe for cauliflower soup, made some adjustments for the ingredients I had in my kitchen, and got to work turning that Romanesco into something delicious.

Cauliflower Soup with Almonds

Ingredients:
1 medium white onion, halved then cut into 1/2 inch thick slices (3/4 cup)
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon water
1 (2-lb) head of cauliflower, cored and cut into 1 inch pieces (6 cups)
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1 3/4 cups reduced sodium vegetable broth
1 1/4 cups 1% or fat-free milk
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 handful of sliced almonds

Melt butter with water in a 4- to 5-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Add cauliflower and onion and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower begins to soften (do not let brown), about 5 minutes. Add coriander and cook, stirring, 1 minute, then add broth, milk, salt, and pepper and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and gently simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

While soup is cooking, toast almonds in a dry skillet over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and a shade darker, about 3 minutes.

Puree soup in a blender in 2 batches until very smooth. Serve and top with roasted almonds.

This is a surprisingly light and fluffy soup; The almonds add a wonderful crunch and nuttiness to the soft flavors of the cauliflower. While maybe not filling enough to stand on its own, this soup would be a perfect starter to any dinner on a cold night.

Now that we're in the middle of January and spring seems to have magically found us once again, it seems we no longer have the need for winter fare. Still wanting to keep things light and healthy, we threw together this asian-inspired dinner with cauliflower as the star.
(The following recipe was cut in half from the original since we are only cooking for 2. Feel free to adjust the amounts of soy sauce or seasonings to taste.)

Pepper-Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients:
8 cups cauliflower, cut into small, even-size florets (from 1 large head)
1/8 cup soy sauce (or Nama Shoyu)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to coat. Allow to marinate for 20 minutes, tossing cauliflower occasionally.

Arrange the cauliflower in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast until tender and slightly blackened, about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Ginger & Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:
2 Cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon fresh ginger
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup soy sauce (or nama shoyu)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Combine soy sauce, oil and sugar in a large bowl. Grate garlic and ginger into the bowl using a microplane. Whisk to combine. Add chunks of chicken, and toss to combine. Allow the chicken to marinate for 15 to 20 minutes. Saute in a skillet until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through. Serve over rice.

These recipes were all pretty easy, and healthy to boot. As a bonus, we ended up with leftovers for lunch the next day. And cauliflower is fun again.

Enjoy!

The Cauliflower Soup recipe was adapted from a recipe courtesy of Epicurious, and Chow.com provided the recipe for the Pepper-roasted Cauliflower.

Cold Weather Eats

2009-01-06T20:15:00.000-08:00

Winter has settled in here in Northern California, and that means fog, moderate amounts of rain, and temperatures in the low 40's. (I know. Unbearable, isn't?) Even if we aren't shoveling snow from our driveways out here along the Pacific, it does get a bit chilly, and let's face it: Cold weather just doesn't say "salad" to anyone. So this week, the Missus and I were looking for some comfort food to warm us on these San Francisco nights. And, just after the holiday's onslaught of fatty, rich and carb-heavy foods, we needed something healthy-ish.

I stumbled upon this recipe from Cooking Light while ignoring my responsibilities at work the other day. It is your pretty standard chili recipe, but for one little twist: The recipe calls for chopped prunes. I know, it didn't sound right to me either. Turns out someone over there at Cooking Light knows what they are doing.

Turkey And Black Bean Chili

Ingredients:

1 1/4 Lbs. ground raw turkey breast
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 1/4 cups water
12 whole pitted prunes (about 1/4 lb.), chopped
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, undrained

Cook turkey in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Drain into a colander.

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and saute 7 minutes. Add chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt, and red pepper; cook 1 minute. Return turkey to skillet; stir in 2 1/4 cups water, prunes, and beans. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 5 - 10 minutes. Serve Turkey-and-Black Bean Chili over wild rice.

To add my own spin on the recipe, I used smoked salt from Seattle's Market Spice in place of standard table salt. It gives that little something extra. Enjoy!

Note: The pictures used in this post were, um, "borrowed" from Google images. Thanks, Google!

Home Made Christmas

2008-12-30T20:13:00.000-08:00

Christmas in my family has always been something of a big deal. Even with us kids in our mid to late (ahem) twenties, we still all gather around the tree in our pajamas on Christmas morn to share gifts and empty our stockings. The warmth of my parent's home welcomes us as we travel in from different ends of the state to share the season with each other.

On Christmas Day, extended family and friends arrive to partake in a feast with their own dishes to add to the table. Recently, my dad and I have decided to get a little crafty with the menu, and the meals have turned out, if I do say so myself, simply amazing. And the best part? Nothing came from a box or a can.

In a repeat performance of last year's Christmas dinner, we served a Bourbon and Molasses glazed ham. This glaze alone is enough to get mouths watering, but caramelized onto the ham is just short of heaven. The glaze would be good drizzled over an old Birkenstock, that's just how delicious it is.

Oh, yeah, that ham was good. Not wanting to complicate things too much, the next dish was a menagerie of vegetables, tossed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, seasoned with salt and pepper, and roasted in the oven until the veggies were soft and the balsamic had caramelized. It is such a simple recipe that produces an outstanding result. We combined zucchini, acorn squash, carrots, pearl onions, bell pepper, asparagus, and even a couple of hot peppers into a giant orange bowl and got to work. For anyone wanting to give this a shot for their next dinner party, I advise you to eliminate the hot peppers from the recipe. They permeate the entire dish, and give it unnecessary heat. Unless you're into that sort of thing.

While the veggies were in the oven, my dear sweet mum and sister were busy preparing another holiday favorite: Deviled Eggs. Bless her heart, but this is the only thing my sister knows how to cook. Using our grandmother's secret recipe, she and my mother boiled, shelled, halved, mixed, and filled the eggs that would soon quickly disappear from the egg plate.

And once the egg-prep station had moved off the table, it was time to make the dough for my Angel Biscuits. If you remember, I made these for Thanksgiving dinner as well, and they were a big hit.

Three batches of biscuits were reduced to a half dozen by the time dinner was over. Served with freshly home made pomegranate jam, these light, airy biscuits were perfect with the rest of the meal. And who doesn't want to load up on carbs on Christmas?

This Christmas dinner was fantastic. The best part truly was spending the day in the kitchen with my wife, sister, mom and dad while we put this feast together. The food was amazing, but the company made it perfect. I hope everyone was able to spend this Christmas and holiday season enjoying delicious food with the people that you love. I wish you all a very, very happy new year. Enjoy!

Pictured are me, my lil' sister, and my dad. My mother is off somewhere fussing about the dinnerware. Mrs. Rosewater is behind the camera, as always.

The Delicious South

2008-12-17T19:35:00.000-08:00

I'm a Damn Yankee, born and bred, and worse than that, a Californian. I make no apologies for these things; the Left Coast is my home and it probably always will be. Even so, I will take any excuse I can get to head to the South and see how gentile folk live. It is always a chance to see new places, meet great people, and eat amazing food.

So when Mrs. Rosewater and I were invited to take part in my bff's college graduation festivities in Charleston, South Carolina, we didn't waste much time booking our flights and reserving our room at Chez Gump. I'd never been to Charleston, and knew very little about the actual city. Turns out we were about to be impressed. Before we ever got on a plane, we were promised a Lowcountry Boil after the graduation ceremony, so I knew it was going to be a good weekend. But first I had to figure out what a Lowcountry Boil was.

Charleston is an amazing city with a story that dates back to before the beginning of our nation. It is quite simply history we do not have out here on the Pacific. It is where the Civil War began, where early refugees escaping religious persecution sought sanctuary, and owns it's own very unique culinary history. One of the many regional delights to come out of the hundreds of years of South Carolina history is the Lowcountry Boil. A tradition started as a way to feed a large group of people quickly and easily, the boil is quite literally a huge pot of sausage, vegetables, potatoes, and seafood (usually shrimp) seasoned, boiled, and dumped onto a long table covered in newspaper.

The word you are looking for is "yummy". Once the boil was dumped out onto the table, we piled our plates high and tucked in. This is real finger food.

Our gracious hosts treated us to this fantastic meal, coupled with some beer from America's oldest brewery and some grilled linguica to snack on as the party wore into the wee hours.

The boil was a great introduction to South Carolinan cuisine, and a perfect way to celebrate a great friend's special day. (That and the beer. We may have put away a couple of pints of that as well.) The day after the party, it was time to do some sightseeing, at least as much as we could pack into one day. We drove out to Sullivan's Island, a touristy beach community and home to Fort Moultrie, notable mainly because it is where Edgar Allan Poe was once stationed during his stint in the military. (Notable for that reason to me. Probably notable to others for various reasons, some of which may include the Civil War.)

Nearby, some enterprising restraunteur is cashing in on the name of Fort Moultrie's famous literary resident at Poe's Tavern. Situated in a converted beach house, the casual restaurant is a big draw for tourists during the summer. They serve a pretty simple menu, burgers and sandwiches and the like, but with some tasty little twists that make it much better than your average burger joint. We had a great lunch out on the covered wood porch before heading back into downtown Charleston for a walking tour of the city.

One last thing we discovered while in Charleston: Our friends introduced us to Firefly, a locally made firewater (vodka) infused with the flavor of sweet tea. If you are looking for something new and fun to serve at your next party, this should be it.

This trip was a blast, thanks to some of the best friends anyone could ask for. So to Eric, Amy, and Bryson, thanks for everything. We can't wait to come back.