A year and change ago at Thanksgiving, I had more pureed pumpkin than I had pie so I decided to try a little something different with it. I browned onions, deglazed them with vermouth, seasoned and simmered them with pumpkin the result was a savory, pleasantly sweet sauce that was glorious on a pizza topped with mozzarella, sage, pine nuts and bacon. It has become a wintertime favorite at my house and I hope it will be in yours too.

2 TBS. olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 c. dry vermouth

3/4 c. pumpkin puree (home roasted or canned are both fine)

1 TBS. sage, chopped

sea salt, to taste

freshly ground pepper

pizza dough, rolled out to desired thickness (I recommend going a little thick, so it can handle the weight of the sauce)

1/2 c. bacon, diced

20 small leaves sage rinsed and dried

mozzarella, sliced

1/2 c. pine nuts

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Add the olive oil to a warm saute pan, add the onions and garlic then cook until golden. Deglaze the pan with the vermouth, before adding in the pumpkin puree, sage, salt and pepper. Simmer the mixture to until thick, remove from the heat and allow to cool. If you want a smooth sauce, puree it, but I personally like the onion pieces in it.

Fry the bacon in a small saute pan. Remove the bacon and drain. Fry the sage leaves in the rendered bacon fat and drain.

Top the pizza dough with the sauce and sliced mozzarella and place in the oven for ten minutes. After the ten minutes is up, top with the bacon, sage leaves and pine nuts and return to the oven for an additional five to ten minutes.

I haven’t been using my grill very much this summer. I don’t  know why, since I love to barbecue. Yesterday, I got a wild hair and decided to grill up a rack of ribs.

Normally, I would do more traditional ribs with a green chile rub and barbecue sauce, but I didn’t have all the ingredients necessary and I couldn’t go out. We were actually trapped at home, since a group of scholars decided to pave the parking lot right up to our front door. Needless to say, I had to make do with what I had and what I had was dried apricots and Sri Racha.

I struggled over whether or not I should add a bit of sauteed onion, but in the end decided against it since the garlic and onion are so prominent in the Sri Racha. I think I made the right decision. The end result was a rack of ribs that were caramelized on the outside, spicy and tangy with ridiculously succulent insides.

Sadly, I didn’t get a shot of the ribs. It is possibly that I may have forgotten. Happily, I had a bit of the sauce left for your viewing pleasure.

On another related note, fabulous blogger and poetry chica Jeanne, from Cook Sister, who is also a proud South African, shared with the rest of us the tradition of a braai. A braai is pretty much what we think of as a barbecue, lots of friends, truckloads of food and cooking with fire. She has shared several braai recipes with her readers and asked us to share our favorite braai-style recipes with her for National Braai Day . . . which is today. I’ll be the first to admit it, I am lame about blogger events. They are great, but I always miss the deadlines. Yesterday, I got a reprieve. Jeanne extended the deadline, so I will finally make this one. Yippie!

In a few days the braai round-up will be posted on Cook Sister and I highly recommend you check it out. If last year was any indication there are some delicious braai recipes in our future. Actually, check out Cook Sister anyway, Jeanne is fabulous on several levels.

What are your favorite braai/barbecue recipes?

Spicy Apricot Pork Ribs

1 c. dried apricots

3 c. boiling water

2-3 TBS Sri Racha

1 rack pork ribs, sliced in half

sea salt, as needed

Place the apricots in a medium bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow the apricots to plump for a few hours before proceeding.

Combine the plumped apricots, soaking water and Sri Racha in a blender and pulse until smooth.

Season the pork ribs with sea salt and allow to come to room temperature.

Oil the barbecue grates, then start the coals and allow them to become white hot before placing the ribs on the grill. Grill the ribs slowly over indirect heat. Begin basting with the apricot sauce after 30 or so minutes, being sure to reserve a little of the uncontaminated sauce, to warm and serve with the ribs as desired. Grill  the ribs until the meat begins to pull away from the bone.

Note: I love it tangy and spicy, but may have to try a little sauteed onion to see how well it deepens the flavor. It would be a great idea for fall.

Kofte is the Turkish version of a Greek kefte, a Moroccan kefta, a Croatian cevapi or any number of spiced grilled ground meat. My current love is with the kofte served at my favorite local Turkish restaurant Real Doner*. Theirs is lightly spicy and complex in flavor, everything I want this dish to be.

I am a bit of a bloodhound when it comes to dissecting the ingredients of a dish and this one was tricky. I think I did pretty well, if I do say so myself. I also added a twist of my own with the addition of orange zest and mint. Together they add a freshness that really works with the cumin, urfa pepper, and really helps tie in the cinnamon.

Normally kofte is formed to a skewer and grilled, but I live in an apartment and charcoal grilling is not allowed, so I seared mine instead. Feel free to use either method cooking, but I think the lovely smokiness that comes from grilling would be wonderful. Whichever method you choose, do not overcook it. These little beauties deserve better than that.

*If  you like Turkish food and are ever in Petaluma I recommend the Real Doner. It isn’t a fancy dining experience, but the food is delicious and the family are very warm and friendly hosts.

Kofte

1 lb. Ground Lamb or Turkey

2 to 3 TBS. Olive Oil (I recommend 3 if you are using turkey to keep it from drying out)

1/2 tsp. Urfa Pepper Flakes (sub red if necessary)

1/2 tsp. Cumin Seed

1/8 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 tsp. or so Sea Salt

1 TBS. Fresh Mint, chopped

1 Garlic Clove, minced

1 TBS. Orange Zest

Gently toss all of the ingredients together in a bowl and allow the flavors to meld for 30 minutes or so before cooking. Using a quarter cup, measure out the mixture to form small patties. Sear in an oiled pan over medium heat, about 4 minutes a side. Don’t over crowd the pan, or they won’t sear properly.

Serve with my Spiced Yogurt Sauce and long grained rice that has been cooked with stock, a splash of fresh lemon juice and a pat of butter. Top with chopped orange zest and parsley.

Spiced Yogurt Sauce

1 c. Greek Yogurt

Juice of 1/2 a Lemon

1 Small Garlic Clove, minced

1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

1 TBS. Fresh Mint, chopped

Sea Salt, to taste

Combine the ingredients together and stir, then taste and adjust to your taste.

2010 has been an amazing year and I can’t believe it is already coming to a close, it feels as if it has only just begun. My life has changed a great deal this year and I couldn’t be happier with the direction it is taking. Here are a few little lists to sum up the year and look ahead a bit, there’s also a yummy new recipe to end 2010 properly. I’d also love it if you shared some of your highlights and resolutions with me.

Happy New Year!

The Top 5 Things That Happened This Year:

1. Phil and I went to Spain for the first time. This was quite possibly one of the coolest weeks of my life, once again making me feel very lucky to be working for Mutineer.

2. I had the privilege of interviewing itinerant traveling philosopher Ted Simon.

3. I started my blog Pathway to Mongolia, although it has been slow going.

4. Planned the Mutineer Holiday Comedy Festival, or as my editor in chief put it I “willed in into being”.

5. Phil graduated the Chief Petty Officer Academy.

The Bottom 5 Things That Happened This Year:

2. Got pathetically out of shape from the resulting injury.

3. Deciding not to dignify the rest by acknowledging them. They know what they did.

4.

5.

The Top 5 Recipes I Posted This Year:

1. Smoked Salmon Salad with Sorrel Salad

2. Pinotxo Tortilla

3. Apricots in Olive Oil

4. Toasted Almond Cookies

5. Vietnamese Inspired Pork Bundles

Top 5 Culinary Experiences I’ve had this Year:

1. Trying Jamon Iberico for the first time in an old villa in the Penedes region of Spain.

2. Having the bottarga pasta at La Ciccia, an amazing Sardinian restaurant in San Francisco.

3. Floating away in a sea of succulent barnacles at dinner in Barcelona. If you have the chance to try them, don’t pass it up.

4. The Guts and Gore class I took at Fatted Calf in Napa. Despite almost losing it when the blood was poured in the boudin noir mixture, it was an amazing class.

5. I had my socks knocked off repeatedly by the amazing food at Jordan Winery this year. But, if I had to choose one dish that topped them all it would be Chef Knoll’s braised short ribs with chanterelles, chestnuts and a polenta cake. He really outdid himself on that one and that is saying something because the previous course was a lobster salad with crab, caviar, cucumber and cannelini beans.

Okay 6. Chicken and waffles from Oakland’s Brown Sugar Kitchen. Seriously, this place, their flavorful moist chicken and ethereal waffles are a revelation.

5 New Years Resolutions I am Determined to Keep

1. Get back in shape. My knee is still bothersome, but that shouldn’t stop me.

2. Stop swearing. I may not swear here, but I do and I really would like to stop. It just isn’t as easy as it seems.

3. Not to let my busy life keep me away from The Endive Chronicles. Life got a lot busier in 2010 and too often this blog and Pathway to Mongolia paid the price and I am determined to change that.

4. To spend more of my spare time writing non-food or beverage related things. I am enamored by authors who can create entire worlds and make them so real to their readers. I have so many ideas, but am either too inhibited or nervous to really explore them. Time to change that.

5. To get back on my motorcycle. I’ll never ride around the world if I don’t get back on my bike. It has been 9 months since the accident, I think its time.

Wellie Burgers with Chestnut Sauce

Each Christmas I make a Beef Wellington for dinner, it is one of my favorite dishes ever. I always have a bit of pate and duxelles leftover, so I decided to dress them down for something a bit less formal and came up with these tasty burgers.

At first I thought I’d put the pate in the center, but there really is no point to that since an emulsified pate made of liver will simply melt into the beef. Instead I mixed it in, which not only saves you a step, but works as a binding agent. The burger is earthy, juicy and perfect with a drizzle of the savory Chestnut Sauce.

Do you have a favorite way to dress up your burger?

Wellie Burgers

1/2 cup Mushroom Duxelles*, at room temp

3 oz. Emulsified Pate (preferably one with truffles), at room temp

3 TBS Butter, at room temp

1.5 lbs Ground Beef, at room temp

Sea Salt, to taste, but be relatively liberal

Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste

Brioche Buns, split and toasted

1 Recipe Chestnut Sauce, warm (recipe below)

Combine the duxelles, pate and butter in a medium bowl, mixing well. Add in the ground beef, salt and pepper and mix well, but don’t demolish. Form into 4 to 5 patties and sear in a hot pan, about 7 or 8 minutes a side. Place on a toasted bun with a drizzle of Chestnut Sauce and a bit of meaty lettuce such as butter or Boston. Serve with a small cup of Chestnut Sauce for dipping.

Chestnut Sauce

2 TBS. Butter

1 TBS. Onion, minced

Splash Dry Red Wine (I was drinking cooking with a lovely Aglianico)

6 Fully Cooked Chestnuts, peeled, chopped

1 1/2 cups demi-glace*, warm

Sea Salt, to taste

Freshly ground Pepper

Melt the butter in a smallish saucepan, add in the onion and saute for a minute or so before adding in the chestnuts. Cook for a few minutes before adding in a healthy splash of wine and demi-glace. Check the seasonings and add in the salt and pepper. Puree the sauce in the blender, being careful not to burn yourself, then strain through a sieve. Simmer until you are ready to serve.

Tip: This sauce is a wonderful alternative to ketchup for fries and would be lovely served with a roast or sauteed mushrooms.

* Demi-glace is a highly reduced stock. You can buy it, but its expensive and you’d have to buy quite a bit for this recipe so I really recommend making it yourself from the bits and bones you’ve hopefully been saving from previous meals. You need about 6 quarts of stock to make enough demi-glace for this recipe. So, get out your largest stock pot and make a bit extra to add depth to soups, risottos and other sauces.

* Duxelles is simply a saute of butter, chopped mushrooms, minced, shallots salt and pepper deglazed with wine. I had some leftover from the Beef Wellington I made for Christmas, but you can easily make a small batch for this.

Small Batch of Duxelles

1 TBS Butter

1-2 Shallots, minced

12-14 Mushrooms, chopped relatively fine

Sea Salt, to taste

Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste

Dry Red Wine, to deglaze

Saute the mushrooms in butter until soft then add in the mushrooms and cook down. When the juice from the mushrooms is almost evaporated deglaze with a healthy splash to red wine, cook down and cool for later use.

A month or so ago  Barbara of Winos and Foodies put out the call for help in pulling off a blogger event to celebrate the Tour de France and since she is one of the most fabulous people I know, I agreed to do my part. I was assigned Stage 17 and more specifically the mountain town of Col du Tourmalet in the Midi Pyrenees, which suited me well since the food of the southwest of France is an obsession of mine. The French border region is heavily influenced from both sides and among those with their spoons in the pot are the Basque and Catalan.

The food and drink from this region is varied and beautiful from Prunes in Armagnac to Duck Confit to Cassoulet and Poule au Pot with each one deeply ingrained in the lives of the people of the region. Col du Tourmalet itself is known for the production of the hard sheeps milk cheese Tourmalet, while the region at large is known for Roquefort, Tomme Pyrenees and Cabecou. They are also known for producing and raising the finest foie gras, black truffles, sausages and fowl such as geese and duck. There is some wine production in the region, but it is not known as one of the great growing regions of France. The drink most commonly associated with the area is the much venerated armagnac.

Something I love about the southwest of France is the staple ingredients of peppers, onions, anchovies, olives and ham. Everything is brightly colored and bursting with flavor lending itself  to a simple, often ingredient driven cuisine (you know I love that). I chose to do a salad that celebrates both Basque and Catalan tastes, by Caroline Conran from her lovely cookbook Under the Sun. I love how it represents two rich cultures of the region on one plate.  The combination of luscious, ripe tomatoes with pan fried and toasty green peppers is absolutely gorgeous with oil cured black olives and pungent anchovy. It is summer on a plate.

I did decide that since we are discussing French soil that the French should be represented on my plate as well. Go figure. So I fried up a couple of gorgeous Toulouse style sausages courtesy of the Fatted Calf in Napa. They went perfectly with this salad, it was sort of a French version of sausage and peppers, but so much better. The vinegar, tomatoes and peppers really played well with the sausage and I think next time I may even load it all into a bun!

Thanks for checking out my contribution to Project Tour de France 2010. To find out a little more about it click this link: Winos and Foodies or visit the entry for Stage 16 from Molly at Seasonal Seattle . Stage 18 Salies-de-Bearn to Bordeaux will be posted tomorrow by Gilli of So Simple.

Salade de Tomates aux Piments Verts

By: Caroline Conran

2 Green Bell Peppers, sliced in quarters

1/2 tsp Salt (I’d use sea or kosher)

1/2 cup Olive Oil

5 Tomatoes, peeled and sliced ( don’t think the peeling is at all necessary)

4-5 TBS Olive Oil, for Serving

2 TBS White Wine Vinegar

1 Garlic Clove, finely chopped

1/4 cup black olives (I used oil cured and more of them), pit removed

Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

6-10 Anchovies (optional, but you should really choose this option. Also, try to find salt cured it is worth it)

Salt the bell pepper on the inside and allow to sit for 1 hour or so. Rise the salt out, drain and cut into wide strips.

Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the peppers on both sides until they begin to brown. Remove, cool and remove the skin.

Arrange the peppers and tomatoes, seasoning with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil, vinegar, garlic, olives and anchovies.

Note: I fry the quartered peppers before slicing them again, it is a lot less fussy to remove the skin this way. Also, Caroline recommends long thin skinned peppers. I do not have long sweet peppers available to me so I subbed in plain old bell peppers which worked quite well.

**I love this salad, but disagree a lot on the preparation. No offense to the author, she makes beautiful food and I really love her book. I just have my own ways of doing things and really hate using recipes.**

I have had the idea for this recipe on the brain ever since I posted my recipe for a Northwestern inspired salad a couple of weeks ago which contains a few similar ingredients. I finally made it last night and couldn’t wait a week to share it with you and so my original post will just have to wait. It all started when I was thinking about local ingredients and how in the Northwest we tend to stuff our salmons full of lemons and began to wonder if there was a local alternative. As it turns out there is a fabulous alternative in the form of the tart and flavorful raspberry.

For the salmon, I wanted to enhance the its naturally sweet qualities and so used a combination of soy sauce and brown sugar and an indirect grilling method. The result is a slightly lacquered piece of fish somewhat reminiscent of smoked salmon that still retains the tender sweetness of the fresh salmon. The interplay of the raspberry and grilled salmon is astonishing. The raspberry not only gives it a bit of acidity, but lends it a complexity beyond that of a lemon.

I chose sorrel for the salad for its green yet citrusy flavor. I wanted to add a bit of flavor and interest instead of simply plopping on a bunch of micro greens and calling it good.

Creating this recipe was a lot of fun. It is sort of funny how when you impose limitations such as diet and locality how it forces you to be creative in ways you hadn’t thought of before. I hope you enjoy this one, I certainly did. In fact I’m making it again tonight!

The Salmon

4 servings Good Quality Salmon (about 1 lb) skin on, pin bones out

1/4 cup Soy Sauce

1/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar

Stir the soy sauce and brown sugar together dissolving as much of it as possible. Marinate the salmon in it for 30-60 minutes.

Heat your grill over low heat and add the salmon skin side down, positioning it away from the direct heat source. Grill slowly for 30-35 minutes or until flaking. Use a little extra brown sugar and soy sauce for basting .

The Raspberry Sauce

2 cups Raspberries

2 TBS Honey

Pinch Sea Salt

Combine the ingredients in a small sauce pan and cook down to release the juices, stirring often. When the raspberries have broken down, transfer them to a blender and puree, all the while being very careful to avoid burning yourself of course. Run the sauce through a sieve to using a rubber spatula to eliminate the seeds and get all of the thick yummy juice. Keep warm over low heat until serving time and give it a stir to ensure cohesion between all of the juice and berry matter.

Note: The addition of freshly cracked pepper or a bit of thyme would be lovely additions, but not necessary.

The Salad

A large handful of Sorrel, well cleaned, dried and sliced

Another large handful Microgreens, well cleaned and dried

Yet another handful, but this time raspberries, rinsed and carefully pat dry

3 tsp Olive Oil

2 tsp Rice Vinegar

1/2 tsp Dijon

Sea Salt, to taste

Freshly Cracked Pepper, to taste

Whisk your ingredients together to form an emulsion in a small to medium sized bowl. Add in the greens and raspberries then toss. Serve with the salmon and raspberry sauce

I miss trees. Of course we have trees here in California. Funny little trees that look like broccoli against the parched hills of summertime, trees that make me laugh. But, I miss tall formidable fir trees that smell fresh and make me feel so small. I want to be watched over by snowcapped mountains, to be enveloped by salty air while watch ferries gliding across the water. In short, it has been more than a year since I was in Seattle and I want to go home, but my trip was canceled and I am feeling a little bummed about it.

When I am missing home there are a few things that help; first there is my wallpaper of the Olympic Mountains as seen from the balcony of my old apartment. No luck. I see it every day and  need something a little more powerful. I could make myself a cup of Market Spice Tea, if I wasn’t out. Third, I could try to pick up a bottle of Washington wine, but this is Sonoma County, you can’t find good Washington wine anywhere. My fourth option is one I am thankful for, because it is not an option that has always been readily available to me; hot smoked salmon.

Most areas of the country and world for that matter think of nova lox when they think of smoked salmon, ask a Northwesterner and you will get a different answer. I like lox, but I grew up on salmon smoked over a fire in the traditional way practiced by Costal nations from the Chinook to the Makah*. In school we took field trips to salmon hatcheries and fish ladders. I could name every type of salmon swimming through the waterways of Washington State when I was 8 years old. So, where I can easily pass on lox, I hone in on a plate of hot smoked salmon like a hunger crazed mosquito to well, me.

When we lived in the Hamptons I could never find hot smoked salmon and after having a steady supply for 25 years, it was a bit of a shock. But, since there were many things I could not find there, such as pho, eventually I became more industrious and like any food lover ended up making it myself. My neighbor Rob was my smoked salmon guru and even supplied me with an entire Copper River salmon (from Alaska) that I used for my first attempt. I loved tending a fire on a dreary day and the result was not only phenomenal, but made me feel a little closer to home.

Here in California I am not as lucky and it would seem that smoking salmon on my little balcony is frowned upon by the landlord. Go figure. But, thankfully I can find hot smoked salmon almost as readily as I could at home. For a while we would drive up the coast to buy it from an old hippie selling it out of a homemade trailer on the side of Highway 1. It was not exactly consistent and half the time it was amazing while the other half was like eating a vaguely fishy salt lick. So the other day when I saw SeaBear smoked salmon for sale I jumped. While it may not exactly be local, SeaBear is a producer of quality sustainable smoked salmon and is just what the doctor ordered. Normally I would tear into the smoked fillet like a starving Kodiak, but I decided to be a little more civilized than that and put it into a lovely salad that reminds me of the beautiful dishes of Washington.

Before I go on I should mention that while certain dishes are Northwestern in feel, our cuisine is very ingredient driven. We don’t have many traditional recipes like they do in the South and Northeast which leads many to mistakenly believe that food is an afterthought to Washingtonians and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Our cuisine generally starts in the oyster beds or berry thickets with inspiration and creativity taking the lead from there. The food is gorgeous and we tend eat it simply dressed so as not to lose what makes it so utterly beautiful.

All right, enough on that, back to my salad. While not everything in here is traditionally Washingtonian there are a few things I used to remind me of home. I paired the salmon first with raspberries, the natural sweet tart flavor of a raspberry is as natural a pair to salmon as a lemon. Berries grow beautifully in Washington and are often found in salads as well as other savory applications. Greens grow extremely well in Washington and I chose the lambs ear over a traditional lettuce for two reasons, I love the body and crunch. Another ingredient that thrives in the rich soil of Washington is the shallot. In this recipe the robust flavor of a shallot is tempered by frying it into crispy little pieces to garnish the top of this lovely salad. Finally I used another Northwest mainstay, sorrel, to give my dressing a piquant citrus element  that works so well with all of my ingredients. The salad is crunchy and full of different flavors and perfect for a summer evening whether you are looking out at Puget Sound and the Olympics or the hills of Sonoma County. I would serve this salad with a cool, crisp white wine (preferably from Washington) such as a dry riesling with a lot of minerality or a citrusy peach heavy sauvignon blanc.

Smoked Salmon Salad

4-6 ounces Hot Smoked Salmon, flaked (I used King)

4 cups Lambs Ear (mache), rinsed and dried

2 cups Pea Shoots rinsed and dried

1-2 Small Zucchini, cut into relatively thin sticks

1 1/2 cups Raspberries

1 Golden Beet, roasted, chilled and diced

1 recipe Crunchy Shallots

Prepare your ingredients. Separately, toss the lambs ear, pea shoots, beets and zucchini in the dressing and arrange on the platter. Add the salmon, raspberries and crunchy shallots.

Note: If you wanted to make this salad a bit heartier, I suggest slicing up some rounds of cold chevre, rolling them in chopped hazelnuts and toasting them in the oven. They make a lovely addition.

Crunchy Shallots

1-2 Shallots, sliced thin

1 Egg

1/4 Flour

Sea Salt, to taste

Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste

Canola Oil

Add the egg to a smallish bowl and beat with a fork. Combine the flour, sea salt and pepper in another bowl. Add the sliced shallot to the egg, tossing to coat and then transferring to the flour mixture, coating well.

Heat the oil to 375F and add the shallots and fry until brown, just a few minutes. Remove and drain on a towel before topping the salad.

Dijon Sorrel Dressing

1/4 cup TBS Olive Oil

3 TBS cup Rice Wine Vinegar

1 1/2 TBS Dijon (try Maille, it is very creamy and perfect for this)

A Good Handful Fresh Sorrel Leaves

Sea Salt, to taste (maybe go a little light since there will be plenty of salt from the salmon)

Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste

Add your ingredients to a blender and puree until well combined.

*Makah means generous with food, how cool is that?

I recently spent about two-seconds in Los Angeles in order to attend Mutineer Magazine’s Red Carpet Tasting. We flew in from Barcelona and aside from hitting up the Falcon Club for the party did not leave the hotel the entire time opting to sleep as much as humanly possible. We did manage to drag our muddled carcasses down to the hotel restaurant where we split a dish of lime, avocado and shrimp “salsa” (was nothing like salsa). What they actually served is more similar to a Mexican coctel only without the tomato based liquid. It was pretty good as far as hotel food goes, but I had expected more than a few sad pieces of avocado since it is one of the title ingredients.

What I loved about this dish was the fresh, light way the dish was presented. It was delicious and I felt good eating it. When I got home I set to creating my own version and it eventually evolved into the Prawn Ceviche Tostadas you see here. I used lime as the cooking liquid and flavored it with garlic, onions, jalepeno and oregano. This combination combined with the prawns and veggies was fantastic spooned over crispy fried corn tortillas, wrapped in crispy lettuce or even served on its own.

For those of you who don’t like the idea of eating raw prawns, the citric acid does cook it, albeit in a slightly unconventional way. If that is not comforting to you than cooking your shrimp ahead of time is acceptable, just do not under any circumstances overcook it.

Enjoy!

On another note, I am on Facebook and Twitter, so if you are too look me up!

Also, those of you in or around L.A. should definitely check out Manila Machine the first Filipino food truck in L.A. run by fellow food blogger and Mutineer Magazine contributor Marvin of Burnt Lumpia. If you need a little more persuading all I have to say is;”Sweet calamansi beef, achara slaw, and spicy sriracha mayo on a pan de sal roll”. Sounds like a little piece of heaven to me.

Oh, and once again the photo is my own feeble attempt to shoot my food. I really can’t wait until Phil is back in photographer mode. The hipstamatic just didn’t cut it for this dish.

Prawn Ceviche Tostadas

Juice of 3-4 Limes, (try to find nice juicy ones)

1 Garlic Clove

1/4 to 1/2 an Onion, diced relatively small

1 Jalepeno, seeded and minced or 2 TBS Hot Sauce

2 tsp Dried Oregano Leaves, crush in your palms

Sea Salt, to taste

Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste

1 lb. Very Fresh Prawns, cleaned and sliced in half from top to tail (quality counts here)

2-3 cups Grape or Jewel Tomatoes, sliced two or three times

1 cup Jicama, diced

1 Avocado, diced

A good hefty handful of Shredded Cabbage

12-16 Corn or Flour Tortillas, fried until crispy and drained (do not do these in advance)

Creme Fraiche, to dollop on top

Combine the lime juice, onion, garlic, jalepeno, prawns, sea salt and pepper in a large bowl, stirring to coat. Refrigerate for one to two hours stirring frequently.

After the allotted time, add in the prepared veggies, stirring to coat and checking for seasoning and adjusting to taste. Using a slotted spoon to allow excess juice to escape, top the crispy tortilla with the ceviche, garnish with creme fraiche and serve.

Note: Do not under salt this dish, trust me it will be a disappointment.

* I took the photo this week instead of Phil. Go Hipstamatic app!

One gorgeous clear morning last week, a small band of bleary eyed travelers made their way to Barcelona’s temple of culinary delight, Mercat de la Boqueria for breakfast and a little shopping. We didn’t have much time, but I was able to fill my stores with sea salt packed anchovies, mojama (similar to bottarga), some sort of dried mystery fish, saffron and pimenton (all will be making an appearance here). After my market whirlwind we met up with our gorgeous host Eva at the incredibly famous tapas bar Pinotxo for a bite to eat before we boarded the train south. We had a lovely cream filled pastry that I believe is called xuixo and my favorite which was a perfectly seasoned tortilla with zucchini and onion.

Before my breakfast at Pinotxo, I had only seen the tortilla made with potatoes. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see this it bursting with green goodness. The combination of the onion, zucchini and egg was fantastic. Now, I have always heard this eggy dish described as an omelet, but I see it as more of a fritatta. Whatever it is, it is delicious and I guess that is all that matters. Mine is by no means authentic, but it is incredibly tasty nonetheless. I blend nice thick yogurt and mustard in with my eggs to give them a little tang and richness. I hope you enjoy my version as much as I enjoyed the one I had at Pinotxo.

Pinotxo Tortilla

4 Small Zucchini, sliced thin

1/2 an Onion, sliced thin

6 Eggs (use really fresh eggs, you’ll thank me later), room temp

1/2 cup Thick Plain Yogurt, room temp

1 Garlic Clove

1 TBS Stone Ground Mustard

Sea Salt, to taste  (just don’t skimp)

Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste

1/4 tsp Paprika (I used hot)

2 TBS Olive Oil + more to saute the onions and zucchini

Over medium heat saute the onions and zucchini in olive oil until they are brown.

In a large bowl combine the eggs, yogurt, mustard, garlic, salt, pepper and paprika and whisk to combine.

Heat a smallish skillet over medium heat and add in the olive oil. Add the egg mixture and then the zucchini to the pan and allow to cook. After a few minutes begin to run a rubber/silicone spatula around the rim of the skillet to ensure the tortilla doesn’t stick to the pan, don’t force it this will get easier the longer it cooks. When it is cooked about halfway through run it under the broiler until the egg is set on top and golden brown.

To serve; run the spatula around the sides to ensure release and invert carefully onto a plate and slice into wedges or small squares for a crowd. Can be eaten hot, cold or at room temperature.

-Phil and I were in Barcelona working on a story for Mutineer Magazine. I can’t tell you what just yet, but I officially love what I do.

-To join me on Facebook click here.

I love the flavors of Southeast Asia and most particularly Vietnam. I have dreams about swimming in a vat of pho while eating a bahn mi sandwich; thinking about a bowl of bun cha and gigantic bottles of Sri Racha. When living in the Hamptons there wasn’t a Vietnamese restaurant for miles, so I began to make my own pho. Then we moved back to Seattle, Phil and I were spoiled some of the best Vietnamese food you can find in the United States just south of us in Federal Way. Sadly after having been spoiled by the restaurants there, I am slightly gutted to report that Petaluma has one Vietnamese restaurant and it is a disappointment. So, once again I am going to take matters into my own hands.

Last time I had to do this, I set about recreating pho. This time I am simply taking flavors and making something that is influenced by the gorgeous cuisine of Vietnam. I keep turning over a couple of images in my mind, one of bun, the ground meat sitting over a little grill in all its salty, smoky perfection and the other of the seasoned veggies of the bahn mi. So, I decided to take the best of each dish and create these delicious little bundles. The veggies give the dish a lovely crunch, while the glaze on these spicy meatballs adds a sticky element that is completely addictive as Phil can attest, he devastated the meatball population pretty quickly.

Enjoy!

Vietnamese Inspired Meatball Bundles

1 recipe Grilled Pork Meatballs (recipe below)

1 head Butter Lettuce, taken apart, leaves in tact, rinsed and dried

1 recipe Vegetable Filling (recipe below)

Place a couple of meatballs into a lettuce leaf, top with the vegetable filling and serve with a bottle of Sri Racha nearby.

Grilled Pork Meatballs

1 lb Ground Pork

3/4 cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats

1 Egg

1 Garlic Clove, grated

1 to 2 inches Fresh Ginger, peeled and grated

1/4 cup Fish Sauce

2 tsp Sri Racha

1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper

In a bowl, combine the ingredients  well using your hands or a spatula. Fashion into meatballs about the size of a Russian teacake or a little larger. Grill over low heat for 30-45 minutes glazing at regular intervals.

Note: Unless you have some sort of bbq friendly pan for cooking you can rig up a little foil tray to place on the bbq so the meatballs won’t fall through.

Glaze

1/4 cup Honey

1-2 TBS cup Fish Sauce

A Good Squirt on Sri Racha

Gently warm the glaze in a sauce pan and brush on the meatballs as they cook.

Vegetable Filling

1 Cucumber, peeled, sliced in half, seeds removed and sliced

2-3 Carrots, julienned

A Handful of Bean Sprouts

2 Scallions, sliced

1/4 cup Basil or Mint or Flat Leaf Parsley Leaves (loosely packed)

1 Garlic Clove, minced

1-2 inches Ginger, peeled and grated

1/4 cup Fish Sauce

1/4 cup Rice Wine Vinegar

1 TBS Sri Racha or Sambal Oelek

Combine the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and stir. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight, stirring occasionally. Use for meatball wraps.