The Endive Chronicles

Most of you know I am originally from the Puget Sound region of Washington State and that I am very (some might say overly) proud of that fact. I used to think I knew all there was to know about my region, but in moving home and reacquainting myself with the city, I have realised how little I really know. I have always know that Seattle or more specifically Ballard has historically been a haven for Scandinavian immigrants to the Pacific Northwest. But, beyond laughing at Ballard jokes, eating gravlax and wondering what “uff da“  means I really don’t have a clue about the culture of these people who have done so much to shape the city I love.

I decided to do some research on the subject and found out some very interesting things. Like so many others, Scandinavians were drawn here by opportunities in the logging and fishing industries as well as a more alluring opportunity; The Klondike Goldrush. I also learned that many famous locals are of Scandinavian descent such as department store magnate Nordstrom, restaurateur/character Ivar Haglund and most recently famous; the Hansen brothers from Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch“. When I opened my eyes, I realised that Scandinavia is all around me with Scan Design, Hotel Andra, Nielsen’s Authentic Danish Pastries, and even Swedish Medical Center. Now that I had a small, but decent grasp on the history of this wonderful community I decided it was time to get to the heart of the matter; I needed to sample the food. So I headed to Ballard or more importantly to Olsen’s Scandinavian Foods on Market Street.

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I really enjoy cooking with an ingredient that has in general been pigeon holed.  For the most part rhubarb is one of those ingredients (a Google search for savory rhubarb recipes helped me prove this point); it looks like chard on steroids, is incredibly tart and when cooking it most drown it in sugar and call it good. In colder climates rhubarb is the staple in many a pastry chef’s springtime arsenal but is often overlooked by those on the savory side of the house. So when I found a luscious jewel toned bunch at Pike Place Market I knew I wanted to make something different than dessert.

I am fortunate to be living in the Puget Sound region an area of the country where rhubarb flourishes. It is hard to believe that rhubarb is not native to this region as it holds an esteemed place in Northwest cuisine as well as in Northwestern hearts. Growing up here my parents had a small rhubarb patch on the side of the house. My mother made a lovely rhubarb sauce that was always a welcome snack after a long day of playing in the muddy ravine behind our house. I loved rhubarb sauce so much that not knowing the bitter truth, I stole a taste from one of the plants then promptly spit the mouthful out and disposed of the evidence in that same muddy ravine.

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For the last two weeks Phil and I have been sleeping on an air mattress, cooking with one pan, using paper plates and plastic utensils. Yesterday nearly a month after they left New York, our things arrived filling our tiny apartment to the rafters. I want to take this opportunity to apologize to you all for the lack of pictures from the road as my computer has just been located after a long tedious excavation and my Internet has yet to be established*. I am posting this from my parents computer and she does not have the programs I need to get the job done. I promise that in the coming weeks I will have full reports on everything from my mother in-laws amazing Lithuanian cooking, fiddle-head ferns, saussion d’Avignon, watermelon radishes and the elderly Frenchman who is my new wine merchant. After two weeks of having nothing to do but poke my head into neighborhood shops I am starting to get my bearings and am looking forward to sharing my experiences with you.

 See you next week!

Thank you for visiting!

Erin

*Note to self: Quit screwing around and get a laptop already!