Seattle on five meals a day: Chanterelle Soup

Chanterelle mushrooms, shallots, thyme, half & half, sherry and plenty of butter create a rich, creamy, earthy soup. Recipe (and mushroom substitutions) below.

A couple of times on our recent trip to Seattle, I wondered about the city’s name and its origin. More germane to our visit, however, is the fact that the word ‘eat’ is right in the middle of the name. In our short time there, it seemed we were constantly eating something delicious, talking about some delicious thing we’d just eaten or contemplating what delicious thing we would be putting in our mouths next. Fortunately for us, downtown Seattle is one giant StairMaster. We didn’t burn off all the glorious calories we consumed, but we at least made a tiny, doughy dent.

After an extravagantly delayed flight, cutting-edge inefficiency at the car rental pickup and our GPS device’s refusal to accept that we were not still in Chicago (and the attendant instructions on how to make the 29-hour drive from Chicago to Seattle), we finally checked into our hotel in the late afternoon. Then we headed straight out for oysters. Continue reading “Seattle on five meals a day: Chanterelle Soup” →

Falling for the season: six apple and pear recipes

The season’s newcomers, apples and pears, take turns in six recipes that are all over the map, from sweet to savory, breakfast to dessert. Recipes below.

Fall is officially here. So are apples and pears, in abundant variety. And while both are delicious to eat out of hand, they’re even more fun to cook with. Here are half a dozen Blue Kitchen recipes to help you make the most of the new arrivals at the farmers markets and produce departments.

1. Ricotta Pancakes with Sautéed Pears

Beaten egg whites give Marion’s ricotta pancakes pictured above a light, creamy finish. Here, they’re topped with quickly sautéed fresh pears, making a lovely weekend breakfast. You’ll find the recipe, along with other topping suggestions, here. Continue reading “Falling for the season: six apple and pear recipes” →

Radical hospitality, nurturing comfort: Italian Chicken Stew

Chicken, potatoes, artichoke hearts, olives and capers create a hearty, rustic Italian stew. The recipe is adapted from Hedgebrook Cookbook: Celebrating Radical Hospitality. Recipe below.

ONE OF THE PLEASURES OF WRITING BLUE KITCHEN is the opportunities we get to review cookbooks. We love food and we love the written word. Cookbooks give us both. The latest volume to come across our desk celebrates a place that has helped support the written word for 25 years now. Continue reading “Radical hospitality, nurturing comfort: Italian Chicken Stew” →

Summer mixes with autumn: Fennel Salad with Peaches and Blueberries

The last peaches and blueberries of summer combine with shaved fennel bulb, just hitting its seasonal stride. The resulting salad is crunchy, sweet and tart, with a refreshing hint of licorice. Recipe below.

The changing seasons are pulling us in different directions. Marion is looking forward to cooking with the apples and pears beginning to appear in growing varieties in the market. I, on the other hand, am thinking wistfully of the summer berries and stone fruits that will soon be gone.

This salad bridges seasons, combining the last of summer fruit with fennel bulbs, just coming into their autumnal own. Usually, fennel is braised or sautéed, often as part of an Italian dish—such as our current go-to weeknight pasta dinner. Here, it’s sliced thin and served raw, making the most of its sweet crunchiness. Continue reading “Summer mixes with autumn: Fennel Salad with Peaches and Blueberries” →

New pans, timeless techniques: Braised Lamb Shoulder Chops with Tomatoes and Sage

Lamb shoulder chops are pan seared, then quickly braised with San Marzano tomatoes, olives, shallots, garlic, sage and red wine. Recipe below—plus your chance to win a Calphalon Williams-Sonoma Elite Nonstick fry pan.

I love kitchen stuff. If left to my own devices in a department store, I don’t wander over to the big screen TVs. You’ll find me in the cookware department, checking out the newest pots and pans and gadgets. Our kitchen cabinets (okay, and various attic shelves) are crammed with assorted skillets, sauce pans, Dutch ovens, stock pots… So when I was asked to review some new Calphalon pans, I of course said yes. Continue reading “New pans, timeless techniques: Braised Lamb Shoulder Chops with Tomatoes and Sage” →

Seasonal summer cooking, as simple as it gets: Pasta alla Caprese

Pasta turns a classic Italian salad into a quick vegetarian meal, Pasta alla Caprese. Tomatoes, mozzarella and basil are the key ingredients. Recipe below.

The thing about growing tomatoes is this. You plant them as soon as there’s no chance of frost, and then you wait. For a long time, there are no tomatoes. No tomatoes. No tomatoes. Still no tomatoes. And then one day, there are TOMATOES!!! Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes, TOMATOES!!! So you find yourself looking for lots of things to do with TOMATOES!!! Continue reading “Seasonal summer cooking, as simple as it gets: Pasta alla Caprese” →

Cooking from the hip: Pork Chops with Peaches and Wilted Frisée

Pork chops are dry brined to keep them juicy and tender, then pan seared with rosemary. They’re topped with peaches and frisée quickly cooked in the same pan. Recipe below.

Forensic anthropologists would have a field day with my right hip pocket. It’s home to an ever shifting collection of folded scraps of paper, most covered with scribbled food notes. Some are shopping lists, folded and refolded to accommodate new lists. Looking at old lists, I can often reconstruct the meals I cooked based on the ingredients acquired. Continue reading “Cooking from the hip: Pork Chops with Peaches and Wilted Frisée” →

Biscuits and Vegetarian Red Eye Gravy to please (and maybe even fool) a meat lover

Adapted from The Southern Vegetarian Cookbook, this red eye gravy gets its umami-rich, sausage-like flavor and texture from mushrooms, herbs and spices. Paired with easy-to-make drop biscuits, it creates an iconic Southern breakfast. Recipes below.

AT DINNER WITH FRIENDS THE OTHER NIGHT, one of the diners at our table exclaimed over a vegetarian entrée on the menu. I realized at that moment that I will never willingly become a vegetarian. If there are meat or seafood options on a menu, I can’t get excited about vegetarian choices. Or as I put it to our companions, “It would take a death threat from my doctor to make me turn vegetarian.” Continue reading “Biscuits and Vegetarian Red Eye Gravy to please (and maybe even fool) a meat lover” →

Five summer recipes from fellow food bloggers

Things are a little too interesting right now at Blue Kitchen—in a good way. So rather than cook something this week, I’m taking a look at what’s cooking on some of my favorite food blogs.

1. Balsamic Roasted Cherry, Dark Chocolate and Brie Grilled Cheese Sandwich

A common thread these days is working with bountiful fresh fruit. I don’t think anyone does it more decadently than Kevin at Closet Cooking does with this sandwich. A grilled cheese sandwich. Made with brie. And dark chocolate. And cherries roasted in balsamic vinegar. Or brandy. Or port. If you’re already salivating like I am, you’ll find the recipe here. Continue reading “Five summer recipes from fellow food bloggers” →

Flavor, smoke and a little fire: Grilled Sriracha Apricot Chicken

A basting sauce of Sriracha, apricot preserves, hot chili sauce, rice vinegar and fish sauce gives grilled chicken a tangy, slightly spicy kick. Recipe below.

LOOKING OVER MY MOST RECENT POSTS, I realized I’d done two vegetarian dishes, a peach-centric roundup of mostly vegetarian and/or fruititarian dishes and last week’s boozitarian cocktail. It was time to get meaty again. Continue reading “Flavor, smoke and a little fire: Grilled Sriracha Apricot Chicken” →