Rice Bowls

My latest discovery has been rice bowls - rice, tossed with a protein, tons of raw veggies, tons of herbs, maybe some cheese and a simple sauce. These are especially good for getting rid of leftover veggies & herbs - you know, that 1/2 head of cilantro leftover from your favorite mexican recipe. Just use whatever amounts you have & like. I personally go pretty heavy on the herbs, almost treating them like a lettuce green. Here are my two favorite combinations so far, but you should really experiment to find your own!

Vietnamese

white fish, cooked w/ salt & pepper in a frying pan w/ some olive oil

fresh basil (lots)

cilantro (lots)

green onions

sliced cucumbers (I like the persian ones at trader joes)

fresh pineapple chunks

Optional ideas: Napa Cabbage, lettuce, snap peas, red bell peppers, thin sliced onion

Sauce: Nuoc Cham (click for recipe)

Mediterranean

Canned tuna in oil, preferably an imported super delicious one (like Flott or Ortiz)

Canned garbanzo beans

Veggies - as many as you happen to have from this list:

Red Bell

shaved (thinly sliced) fennel

arugula, cabbage or lettuce

Avocado

snap peas

cherry tomatoes

basil

Feta cheese - I've been loving french feta lately, it seems softer, more like chevre

Sauce: olive oil, lemon juice, coarse salt & fresh ground pepper

Other:

I have to add that nuts are also amazing in rice bowls. So is a vinaigrette of oil & balsamic. Avocados are always excellent. Seriously, if it sounds good to you, or you have it sitting in your fridge, just throw it in.

Also, i have been buying this amazing organic brown basmati rice from costco. It comes in a colorful burlap bag. I have never been very fond of brown rice, but you barely even notice with this kind somehow. So look for it at costco. Super cute bag, organic, basamati. Have fun!!

What we've been eating

So many new recipes this winter, I thought I'd get them down in one spot.

First, I've been doing a ton of new stuff from Orangette, my Christmas gift Zuni Cafe cookbook and most recently the Rebar Cookbook (all vegetarian and so far delicious!) I bought myself.

I've found myself rotating a few recipes through very freqently - we've had some form of chicken soup almost every week, usually one bean or lentil dish, one meat dish, something new, something old, seafood, homemade pizza....The kids have learned to love Tom Kah & Pho as a result of the repitition and its been fun watching them go from suspicious to realizing they like it.

Without further ado, here's what we've been eating regularly this winter, I've included recipes when available. Amazingly, our kids now eat most of these with minimal complaint. (except for the balthazar salad) For a long time I made them the "Young Mango Chicken" without the spicy sauce, but recently just gave them some of our spicy version and they actually ate it better! Go figure....

Winter 2101 frequent menu items:
Cuban Beans & Rice - from America's Test Kitchen Cookbook , amazing with avocado & hot sauce
Pho Ga - need to add recipe (each batch is worth 3 meals, so its worth making from scratch)
Tom Kah - need to add recipe
Coconut Lentil Soup
Balthazar Salad - delicious, made it twice, will make it again
Shaved Mushroom & Fennel Salad - delicious with butternut squash bisque
Butternut Squash Bisque - from America's Test Kitchen Cookbook*
Broiled Pork chops w/ rosemary & garlic, acorn squash & quinoa
Boiled Kale (as a side dish, or with egg & toast for lunch)
Young Mango Chicken
Crab, shrimp & mango salad - special occaision only, but sooooo good.

I also loved Zuni cafe roast lamb leg & roast chicken....but just tried them once each. Yum.

I am sure I will think of more later...

*I tried both of orangette's butternut squash soup recipes and they were too sweet for me. Also gave her celery root soup recipe a go and I'm not sure if I'm a fan of the celery root yet....its good, but I don't find myself wanting more.

Young Mango Chicken

Young Mango Chicken

adapted from "Simply Thai Cooking" by Wandee Young & Byron Ayanoglu

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I use two from a costco pack - they should be 1lb or less total)
1 large not-quite-ripe, Mango (rock hard = sour, just a little give in it is perfect - sour & sweet)
4 Tbsp Vegetable oil
1 tsp chopped garlic
4 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp Soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp Chili Paste (this part is key to the flavor. I use "Ground Chili & garlic in oil" from an asian market. Not sure if this is what the author intended, but it is delicious, and quite spicy. A thai chili paste from the grocery store will be milder usually.)
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 medium red pepper cut into 1/4" strips
1/3 cup roasted unsalted cashews
fresh cilantro
rice

Prepare bowls that will be ready to dump into wok as you cook.
Bowl #1 (small): Lime juice & chili paste
Bowl #2 (small): Sugar & Soy Sauce
Bowl #3 (medium): Peel & slice mango into 1/4" strips. Add bell pepper slices to bowl
Bowl #4 (medium): Slice chicken into 1/4" strips, add water to bowl with chicken

Lastly, chop up the garlic & cilantro and leave them on the cutting board.

Heat oil in a wok or lg frying pan on high heat until it is about to smoke. Add garlic & stir-fry for 15 seconds or until it just barely starts to brown. Immediately dump in the chicken bowl (Bowl #4). Stirfry 1-2 minutes until the exterior is white, but still pink on the inside.

Dump in bowl #2, (make sure you get the sugar out of the bottom) and stir-fry for 1 minute. Dump in bowl #1 and stir-fry for 1 minute. Dump in Bowl #3 and stir-fry for one minute. Finally, add cashews & stirfry for one more minute.

Remove from heat, top with cilantro leaves and serve immediately, accompanied by steamed rice.

Penne with Uncooked Tomato Sauce

Penne with Uncooked Tomato Sauce
from "Modern Italian Cooking" by Biba Caggiano

1 1/2 pounds juicy ripe tomatoes
12-15 basil leaves, shredded into small pieces
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 Tbs rinsed and dried capers
2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1/4 cup freshy grated pecorino, or 2-3 ounces mozzarella diced (I like the mozzarella)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt & pepper

1 lb penne

Peel, seed & dice tomatoes.** Put the tomatoes in a colander to drain off the excess juices. Put the drained tomatoes in a large bowl that can later fit the pasta. Add all the other ingredients and season lightly with salt & pepper. Cover bowl & leave at room temperature for 2 hours.

Cook the penne until pasta is tender. Drain the pasta well and add it to the sauce in the bowl. Mix well and serve at once.

**I puree whole ones in a food mill which sort of removes the seeds & skins. I've also pureed whole high-quality canned ones, but I also think you could just skip the peeling & seeding of fresh ones. Both ways I've done it have been delicious.

To peel tomatoes, stick them in boiling water until skin splits, no more than 2 minutes, transfer to cold water to cool & then peel them.

Kari's Asian Salmon Tacos

1 lb salmon filet
corn tortillas

Slaw:
3 cups Cabbage, shredded fine (just shave it off with a knife)
1/3 bell pepper, sliced thin or diced small
1/4 c cilantro, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
Shredded carrots (optional)
diced hot chili (Optional - serrano, jalepeno, your choice)

2 Tbs rice wine (or white wine) vinegar
1/8 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sugar

Sauce:
1/3 cup mayo
1 tsp grated ginger (or finely chopped)
1 tsp soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbs Lime Juice

1. Combine slaw vegetables. Whisk vinegar, sesame oil & sugar together, drizzle over slaw, toss to combine. Set aside.

2. Whisk together sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

3. Grill or pan fry the salmon filet until cooked to your liking. Warm corn tortillas one at a time in a small pan over med-high heat. (Don't buy mission, guerro is the best grocery brand tortilla I've found)

4. Put chunks of fish in tortilla, top with slaw & sauce. Enjoy!

Lemon Tart

"The Perfect Lemon Tart"
from Lucious Lemon Desserts by Lori Longbotham (an excellent cookbook)
needs aproximately 4 large lemons, 5 if they are on the small side

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 T finely grated lemon zest
1 3/4 c all purpose flour
1 1/4 c sugar
2 pinches of salt
6 large eggs
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 c whipping cream

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 350. Have ready an 11-inch tart pan, preferably with a removable bottom.

2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, add 1 Tbs. of the zest and let stand for 5 minutes. Whisk together the flour, 1/4 cup sugar and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Pour in the butter mixture in a fine stream, stirring with a fork, and continue stirring until the dough begins to come together when a small bit is pressed between your fingers. Transfer the mixture to the tart pan and press it with your fingertips evenly up the side and into the bottom. Bake for 20 minutes or until the crust is light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack while making the filling.

3. Process the remaining 1 cup sugar and 1 Tbs zest in a food prcessor until the zest is finely ground. (I always skip this part)

4. Whisk together the eggs, the sugar and zest mixtures, the lemon juice, and another pinch of salt in a medium bowl until smooth.

5. Beat the cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a medium bowl just until it forms soft peaks. (Do not over-whip! Keep the peaks soft!) Whisk the cream into the egg mixture just until blended.

6. Place a baking sheet in the oven, place the crust on the baking sheet, and pour the filling into the still warm crust. (be very careful not to spill the filling.) Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the filling is just set in the center. Let the pie cool on a wire rack.

7. Just before serving, generously sift confectioners' sugar over the tart. Cut into wedges and serve.

Comments in Italics are mine, not the authors. : )

Molten Chocolate Cakes

Molten Chocolate Cakes
Courtesy of "Everday Food" by Martha Stewart, December 2003

4 T unsalted butter at room temperature
1/3 c granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1/3 c flour
1/4 tsp Salt
8 oz bittersweet choclate, melted

1) Preheat oven to 400. Generously butter 4 cups of a standard muffin tin. dust with granulated sugar and tap out excess. Set aside.

2) In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer on low speed, beat in flour and salt until just combined. Beat in chocolate (do not overmix). Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups.

3) Place muffin tin on a baking sheet; bake just until tops of cake no longer jiggle when pan is lightly shaken, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes.

4) To serve, turn out cakes and place on serving plates, top sides up. Dust with confectioners' suger and serve with whipped cream if desired.

Hot Chocolate

This is hot chocolate how I always dreamed it could be - lots of chocolate, rich & smooth but with less sugar than mixes. Reprinted from "It must have been something I ate" by Jeffrey Steingarten.

Chocolat Chaud

2 1/4 cups whole milk

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup (generous) sugar

1 - 100 gm bar (3 1/2 ounces) dark bittersweet chocolate, Scharffen Berger, Valrhona or Lindt (see note) finely sliced with a serrated breadknife

1/4cup cocoa powder, loosely packed, preferabley Valrhona

In a 2 quart saucepan, stir together the milk, water and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the chopped chocolate and the cocoa and bring to a boil again, whisking until the chocolate and cocoa are dissolved and the mixture has thickened. Reduce the heat to very low.

Blend for 5 minutes with an immersion mixer or whirl the hot chocolate in a standard blender for half a minute, until thick and foamy. Yield: Four 6-ounce cups of hot chocolate

Note: I use a dark chocolate containing close to 70 percent cocoa, though Lindt bittersweet also works just fine. The Mayans and the Aztecs considered the froth the best part. Today, 30 seconds with a blender accomplishes what a half hour of beating did long ago.

Summer Crab Fettucine

My new favorite crab fettucine dish that is lighter than the one I listed previously. Ingredients are aproximate, I just invented & threw this together a couple times when we were given some whole crabs and I want to be sure to remember what I did.

Summer Crab Fettucine

serves 2

As much fresh dungeness crab as you have or can afford, picked out of the shell

1 cup of heavy cream

1 lemon

parmesan

2-3 roma tomatoes

6 kalamata olives, pitted

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

1 clove garlic

olive oil

Start cooking the pasta immediately because this dish comes together fast.

Core & take the seeds/pulp out of the roma tomatoes. Chop into 1/2 inch pieces & place in a bowl. Slice kalamata olives in half and add to tomatoes. Roll several basil leaves lengthwise and slice the opposite direction into very fine strips. (rolling them just makes it easier to cut evenly) Add shredded basil to the bowl, sprinkle with a little salt, drizzle with a little olive oil and add a finely minced or pressed garlic clove. (garlic optional) Stir everything together.

In a 12 inch frying pan, warm the heavy cream over medium heat. Add the crabmeat and heat Zest the lemon into the cream & crab mixture & remove from heat.

Pour crab/cream mixture over pasta & top with some of the the tomato mixture. Drizzle generously with lemon juice, scatter some fresh ground pepper & toss on some parmesan in a carefree manner. Enjoy with a glass of white wine.

Grilled Fajitas

This has been a favorite this summer, its quick and is all done on the grill.

Grilled Steak Fajitas

From "America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook"
serves two

1 lb Flank Steak
2 red bell peppers
1 large sweet onion
1 Avacado, scooped out & sliced
1 Lime
1 package tortilas
Sour cream & salsa (optional)
Cheddar cheese (optional)

Latin Spice Rub (makes enough to coat 2 lbs flank steak)
2 T cumin
2 T chili powder
1 T coriander
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Combine spice rub ingredients and generously rub on all sides of the flank steak. Slice onion through the "equator" into 1/2 inch thick rings. Keep the slices together and carefully thread horizontally onto a skewer so that the skewer keeps all the rings together. You should fit about 2 slices per skewer. Brush with vegetable oil

Cut the top & bottom off the bell peppers. Pull out the core & seeds, then make one cut lengthwise. Carefully flatten the pepper so you have one flat long piece of bell pepper. Brush with vegetable oil.

Heat grill to medium high & grill veggies & meat for aprox 10 minutes or until cooked through. The bell pepper will blacken some which is ok.

Slice the flank steak and drizzle with lime juice. Warm tortillas briefly on the grill and serve with grilled onions, peppers, steak & avacado slices.

Kari's Red Curry

After many tries, I finally figured out how to make a Thai red curry that we love. Be sure to check out an Asian import store for the ingredients, they are so much cheaper there than at a normal grocery store. ($.99 for coconut milk vs. $2.39 at haggens) I like the one attached to Hong Kong Garden on Meridian in Bellingham.

Kari's Tropical Red Chicken Curry

Aprox 4 Tbs Thai red curry paste - to taste (I like the Maesri brand - less than $1 a can)
1 can of coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 sweet potato
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, sliced in 1/4" thick strips
1 tsp sugar
3 kaffir lime leaves torn into thirds (optional - find them frozen in import stores)
2 Tbs fish sauce
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
1 red bell pepper cut into thin (1/4 inch) slices
Fresh basil (optional)
Cooked Rice for serving

Peel & chop sweet potato into 1/2 inch cubes. Pour 1/2 of the coconut milk, the chicken broth, 2 Tbs of the red curry paste and the sweet potato into a saucepan or wok over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the sweet potato is soft, smooth & creamy. (it will soften & be the texture of a regular potato at first - keep cooking it) If the liquid gets too thick, add some extra chicken broth.

Add chicken, sugar, lime leaves, fish sauce, and the remainder of the coconut milk & curry paste. Cook for 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Add the pineapple, red pepper and basil, stir & let them warm for a minute or so. Serve over rice.

Balsamic Spring Veggie Ravioli

Another Kari Kreation.

Ravioli Primavera

Serves 3-4

1 bag frozen cheese ravioli
1 Portabello Mushroom, sliced & cut into 1 inch sections
1 red pepper, sliced and cut into 1 inch pieces
3 Roma Tomatoes, chopped bite size
6 Asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch sections
1-2 cups Arugula (optional)
Whole roasted garlic cloves (optional)
1 Tbs fresh Thyme leaves, chopped (fresh oregano would also work or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
Chopped Garlic to taste
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Put 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar in a small pan on medium low heat. Get it simmering and then keep an eye on it while you cook the rest of the meal. You want to reduce it by at least 1/2 but be careful it does not dwindle down too fast and burn. When it is reduced (about 15 minutes at a low simmer) remove from heat and set aside.

Start water for cooking the ravioli.

Heat aprox 4 Tbs olive oil in a large frying pan over medium/med high heat. Add at least a tsp chopped garlic, thyme leaves and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook a minute till fragrant, but don't let it burn! Add mushrooms, red peppers & asparagus and cook until they start to soften. (5 -10 minutes) Make sure the heat is high enough that its cooking away most liquid that's being released. Start cooking your frozen ravioli. Add roma tomatoes and roasted garlic cloves, cook for a couple more minutes till they're warm and soft. Remove from heat and stir in Arugula till its wilted. Mix with Ravioli, adding a little more olive oil if needed to coat the raviolis. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar reduction over it and shower with fresh parsley, parmesan and ground pepper.

Roasted Garlic

Roasted Garlic Two Ways

Whole heads: Especially delicious served with Camembert cheese on bread. mmmmm.....

• Cut each head evenly in half (around the equator).
• Place in a baking dish about the same depth & width as the amount of garlic you're using. For one or two heads, I use a small corningware dish & put it in my toaster oven. You can sort of squeeze them in there if you need to.
• Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Add 1 Tablespoon of water for each head of garlic.
• Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake at 400 for 45 minutes to an hour until the cloves are golden, tranluscent and very soft.
• If you check them and they're not done, add a little more water before covering with foil again. If the outside cloves start browning or getting crunchy, it's overcooked!

Peeled Cloves: These are great thrown on pizza, mashed with camembert cheese as a bread spread, put into mashed potatoes, added to pasta sauces... they should keep a few days in the fridge. I would generally do whole heads unless you have a huge container of peeled garlic you are trying to use up.

• Spread cloves on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper
• Put the sheet in the oven at 350
• Check often to make sure the cloves aren't browning. Stir them once they have started to cook.
• If they are browning but don't seem quite done, throw some water on the sheet.
• The cloves should be golden, soft and translucent

BBQ Pork

Not very traditional, but the easiest recipe ever for a crowd and the garlic makes it extra yummy. Courtesy of my friend Julie

Slow cooker BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Serves 6-8

4-5 lb piece of pork. Loin is the leanest, but the fattier butt roast is great too if you remove the extra chunks of fat at the end of cooking. Ask your butcher. If you get a fattier piece you need more meat. If its a loin roast, 1/2 a pound per person should be plenty.

1 Large bottle of BBQ sauce or a couple small ones

As many peeled cloves of garlic as you can manage. Costco sells giant tubs of them for $5 and you can throw in 1/2 the tub if you want.

Put all the ingredients in the slow cooker on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-10. Remove pork & shred, removing any superfluous fat. Throw shredded meat back into the cooking liquid and serve in the cooker or in a separate bowl. The garlic will have cooked and softened like roasted garlic, make sure to put a few cloves on each sandwich. Serve on Hamburger buns with extra BBQ sauce, a salad, cornbread, etc.

Tomato Basil Mozzarella Sandwiches

I've been addicted to these lately and finely feel like I have the method perfected, for my tastes at least. I like having them for dinner with steamed artichokes on the side. You can buy fresh mozzarella for really cheap ($6 for two huge logs) at Costco, otherwise it tends to cost $5 packed in the little tubs of water with just enough for two people. It goes bad quickly too, so use it up within a week, maybe two.

Tomato Basil Mozzarella Sandwiches
Serves 1 for dinner, two for lunch

1 large ball of fresh, water packed Mozzarella, or 1/3 of a huge costco log (see above)
1 large bag of Basil
1 1/2 roma tomato per person
1 sandwich size baguette per person
1 clove of garlic
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper

Slice baguette in half length wise & stick cut sides up under the broiler until it is crunchy but not too browned. Remove from heat. Slice garlic clove in half and rub over the cut/toasted side until the bread softens. The garlic will disinegrate/melt into the bread. Do this to both halves of the baguette. Drizzle both halves with olive oil.

Core tomatoes and slice aprox 1/4 inch thick. Lay slices on baguette halves and then sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cover tomtoes w/ basil leaves. Slice Mozzarella the same way and lay on top of the basil. Eat cold, or broil for 2 more minutes until the cheese just barely melts.

Shrimp Tacos

Not super inspired, but this is the way I came up with and how I like to make mine. Unfortunately cooking this tends to give me an itchy puffy face (I think its the spices??), so who knows if I'll make it again. : (

Shrimp Tacos w/ Mango Salsa

Serves 2-3 (just add more meat for more people)

1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed (rock shrimp works well if you can find it, or try a white fish or even bay scallops)
2 Tb butter
2 tsp chipotle chili powder or smoked paprika, or maybe even plain chili powder
3 cloves pressed or finely minced garlic
Corn Tortillas, heated
1 very small head of green cabbage
Mango Salsa (recipe follows)
Sliced avacado (optional)

Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the shrimp, garlic and chili powder. Stirfry until the shrimp are cooked through, remove from heat and serve in corn tortillas w/ shredded cabbage (shave off with a knife), mango salsa and avacado slices.

Mango Salsa
1-2 mangos cubed
1/4 - 1/3 of a sweet onion, chopped very fine
Juice of 1/2 a lime
Chopped Cliantro to taste

Peel the mango & chop into 1/2 inch cubes. If the mango is not very juicy, mash part of it up with a fork to make the salsa more saucy. Add the rest of the ingredients & let the salsa rest in the fridge until dinner is ready. One mango is usually enough for 2 people, but two would be great if you love mango & have some chips to polish it off.

Lemon Cream Sauce

I often serve this over cheese ravioli, but any pasta will work fine. Another absolute favorite of mine even if Patricia's instructions are a bit over the top. heh heh heh....mmmm.....

Pasta with Lemon Sauce

from "Trattoria" by Patricia Wells

4 T unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
Grated zest of 3 lemons (please buy yourself one of these for zesting they are amazing)
3 T fresh flat-leaf italian parsley, snipped (chopped) with scissors
Freshly grated Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for the table (optional)

In a skillet large enough to hold the pasta later, combine the butter, cream, and lemon juice over low heat. As soon as the butter is melted, remove the skillet from the heat, cover, and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil. Add 3 T salt & the pasta, stirring to prevent the pasta from sitcking. Cook until tender. Drain, leaving a few drops of water clinging to the pasta so that the sauce will adhere. (memorize this technique and use it every time you make pasta.)

Transfer the pasta to the skillet, off the heat and toss to blend. Add the lemon zest and toss once more. Cover and let rest for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce. Transfer to warmed shallow soup bowls, shower with the parsley leaves and serve immediately. (make sure you shower the parsley, don't just drop it willy nilly! ha ha ha) Pass freshly grated cheese if desired.

Crab & Shrimp Fettucine

A decadent recipe I made up, influenced by Anthony's crab & shrimp fettucine and Biba Caggiono's Gorgonzola cream sauce. I will do my best to come up with measurements, but I've never written down this recipe before. If you are ready to splurge, use frozen crab meat ($12-$23 per lb, already removed from the shell) from the seafood counter and the tiny pink bay shrimp. If you are feeling a bit stingy, try using just prawns instead.

Crab & Shrimp Fettucine

serves 2

4 T butter
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms (1/4 inch)
1 cup sliced & halved zuchinni (1/4 inch, 1/2 moon shape)
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola
1/4 - 1/3 lb of fresh crab meat (buy it removed from the shell, previously frozen is ok)
1/2 lb bay shrimp (the small pink ones) picked over to remove bits of legs & shell
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped & seeded (only use the outside flesh)
1 lemon
1/4 cup fresh parmesan, plus more for garnish
1/2 - 3/4 lb linguini

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil once you have the ingredients for this dish ready. Put the linguini in as you start melting the butter for the sauce, they should be ready about the same time.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat until melted. Add garlic & cook for a few seconds. Add mushrooms & zuchinni. Stir once & then let them sit a couple minutes so that they sear & turn golden brown on the bottom. Stir and let them sit again for a minute or so. Once they are browned & starting to soften, add white wine. Reduce for 2 minutes. Turn heat to medium and pour in the cream & gorgonzola. Stir until cheese melts into sauce, but do not let the sauce simmer or boil. (turn heat down if you need to) Reduce heat to low and add the crab, shrimp and tomatoes & let them heat and soak up the sauce for a couple minutes. Stir in the parmesan. Put individual servings of pasta (you don't need to use it all) into bowls & pour sauce over top. Serve with more parmesan and lemon wedges. (or squeeze a bit of lemon over the sauce before serving.)

Spaghetti Puttanesca

This is another all time favorite that I make for company all the time. My Dad found it on the internet years ago (9 years!) and its been a family favorite ever since. Except my parents like to slice up Italian sausage, fry the rounds separately and add at the very end to their plate of spaghetti. Since I was still a vegetarian when they came up with this, I never really liked the idea, but nowadays I have to admit a sausage round or two can be sort of tasty.

Spaghetti Puttanesca

from "100 Great Recipes from the Innovative Restaurants of Berkeley, California" by Paul Johnston. As served by Caffee Venezia

1/3 c olive oil

9 anchovies (these melt away and you will never know they are there, I promise)

8 whole garlic cloves

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

28 oz can chopped tomatoes w/ juice

12 kalamata olives, pitted & halved

2 tsp capers, drained

5 garlic cloves choppe

1/3 c fresh parsley, chopped

1 T fresh basil, chopped (I use a ton of it - at least 1/3 cup, equal to the parsley)

1/2 to 3/4 lb spaghetti

Start your pasta water in a large pot with a couple tablespoons of salt.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add anchovies and whole garlic cloves. (make sure the heat isn't too high or the anchovies will brown & clump together) Cook until the garlic cloves brown and the anchovies fall apart. Add the red pepper flakes and cook a few seconds more. Add the tomatoes, olives and capers. Simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes. (mine always thickens in 15-20 minutes, maybe I cook it too hot?) Cook the pasta while the sauce thickens. Add the chopped garlic, parsley and basil to the sauce and simmer a bit longer.

Toss 1/2 of the pasta with the sauce until well coated. Arrange pasta on a platter and pour the remaining sauce on top.

Lemon Souffle Blueberry Pancakes

My favorite place to have breakfast used to be the Stalk Exchange on Phinney Ridge and I would always order the Lemon Souffle Pancakes with Marionberies. Unfortunately it closed, which may be lucky for me since they charged an arm & a leg (or $8.95) for them which was a bit ridiculous. Here's the closest I've come to duplicating the recipe. I need to keep experimenting with the lemon zest & oil combination, but I'm putting it up here for my friend who requested it.

Lemon Souffle Blueberry Pancakes

adapted from "How to cook everything", Light and Fluffy Pancakes, by Mark Bittman

1 cup milk

4 eggs, separated

1 cup flour

Dash of salt

1 T sugar

1/2 t baking soda

finely grated zest of lemon, to taste (no more than one whole lemon)

1 T fresh lemon juice

A couple drops of pure lemon oil (optional, can replace lemon zest for a finer texture)

1 cup Blueberries, fresh or frozen

Butter or oil

Preheat griddle over medium-low heat while you make batter

Beat together the milk and egg yolks. Mix the dry ingredients. Beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry.

Combine the dry ingredients and milk-yolk mixture, stirring to blend. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites; they should remain somewhat distinct in the batter.

Add 1 t butter or oil to the skillet and when it is hot, add the batter by the heaping tablespoon, making sure to include some of the egg whites in each spoonful. Immediately sprinkle a few blueberries over each pancake. Cook until llightly browned on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes, then turn and cook until the second side is brown. Serve, or hold in a 200 degree oven for up to 15 minutes.