Spare Room Workshop

Last weekend I took an amazing workshop with Seattle Food Photographer, Clare Barboza. Her photography is so inspiring to me. Becky Selengut, author of Good Fish: Sustainable Seafood Recipes from the Pacific Coast , was cooking up some amazing food for us, and I had such a fun day at Clare's studio. I was in heaven choosing dishes and surfaces from her prop wall.

Here are a few of the shots I came home with:

Delicata Squash

I discovered Delicata squash last winter when a good friend and I had drinks and a few snacks at a French restaurant in Ballard, Bastille.  I can't remember what I ordered but my friend ordered Roasted Delicata squash with Creme Fraiche.  There may have been more to the dish but it was simple and perfect. We tried to recreate it a few weeks later when she came over for dinner and we ate it like candy.  It's one of the few squash varieties that the skin is delicate enough to leave on and eat.  It has the sweetest, softest texture and makes the easiest side dish. I love to just roast it with salt and olive oil, no Creme Fraiche needed but its not a bad accompaniment if you have it laying around.

Cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and slice into half moons.
Roast at about 425 with salt and a generous amount of olive oil for about 20-25 minutes turning once.

Big Spoon Jam

This week I photographed my great friend Tina's artisan jam company: Big Spoon Jam. She makes deliciously unique preserves crafted from Washington fruit & honey. 

She's teamed up with the folks at Deru Market in Kirkland and will soon be selling their wares at an online store. The website is not up yet, but I will keep you posted.  Meanwhile, check out Big Spoon Jam on Facebook and the Deru Market Website.

Here are just a few of the shots.

Big Spoon Jam preserves

Pickled Fennel

Pickled Chanterelles

Figs

Fleur De Sel Carmel Sauce

Big Spoon Jam Preserves

Big Spoon Jam Preserves

Big Spoon Jam Preserves

Big Spoon Jam Preserves

Golden Beet and Blood Orange Fennel Salad

I don't Love beets. I feel like everybody has a really strong opinion about them; it's one of those things you love or you hate. I don't. I really like beets when every bite is accompanied by goat cheese. I guess I could say that about a lot of things. I think it's really the texture of beets that throws me off a bit. Now that I'm thinking about it, I havn't really given them much of a chance other than your typical overused menu item: "roasted beet salad with goat cheese and some kind of nut." I'm trying something new for me, a recipe with beets and no cheese. Golden Beets with Blood Orange and Fennel Salad. I think it sounds delicious. I'm excited about the citrus with the fennel alongside the sweetness of the beets. Maybe this recipe will turn me around.

Recipe for Blood Orange, Beet and Fennel Salad
..........................................

This week's basket had golden beets, romaine lettuce, apples, bok choy, rainbow carrots and again more pears. I've been waiting for some beets because I love their color and look. I don't know why, but my home delivery service likes to chop off the tops of the root veggies. I'm a bit baffled by that since using tops like beet greens are a great second use for beets. Total waste in my opinion. So, I had to make a run to Central Market for some more beets.

Cooking with beet greens:

Beet greens are similar to Chard or Kale. I cook them the same way I love to cook spinach. The younger and smaller the beets, the softer the texture of the beet green will be.

Sauteed Beet Greens, Spinach or Kale

1 bunch washed and drained greens

1-3 cloves garlic minced

Olive oil

Lemon juice

Salt

Heat oil in a deep skillet. Add garlic and give a quick saute. Add greens and cook down until wilted.  For spinach, I add the lemon and salt and take off the heat and serve right away.  For Kale and Beet greens, I let them cook just a minute or two in the pan covered.

Pear muffins with oatmeal crumble topping

I feel like we have been eating so meany pears this winter.  I've been getting them in my weekly produce delivery and buying them up at the grocery store cause my kids are eating them like candy.  I can't compain about that.  I was looking for something to do with them so i tried a pear muffin recipe.

 Pear Muffins with Oatmeal crumble recipe

A midwinters harvest

This weeks basket arrived with plenty of exciting things to cook with.  Butternut squash, red and green pears, collard greens, apples, mango. 

I have fully committed myself to writing this blog.  I'm a bit obsessed and i am very lucky K is home from work this week so I can get a start on this.  I am so much fun shopping for props and looking through cookbooks.  I feel there is a bit more of a justification to spend money on really beautiful cookbooks.  Its research right?

Working from a small table in the kitchen with two kids running around me hasn't been the best of work environments.  Today I found peace shooting on the side of the house by the garbage cans.  It worked.  

So on the agenda for this week:

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with a Cider Cream

Collard Green Olive Pesto

 

Recipe for soup. My favorite resourse for trusted recipes, Epicurious.com

I've never cooked with collard greens before. I was searching the internet for a good recipe I could make that maybe the kids would eat.  I found this one and I had to give it a try.  I made it and tossed with some pasta.  Sawyer at 2 bowls and Violet ate her share too.  Not bad for a couple of picky eaters.  The next morning I tossed a few spoon fulls in while scrambling my eggs and then topped with a little feta.  Delicious!

Collard Green Olive Pesto  recipe