Fresh Catering
Original recipes from a not-so-typical L.A. girl
Updated: 11 weeks 3 days ago
Corn and Opal Basil Salad with Avocado
.
Now lookie here my little geese. My darling ganders. My sweet peaches.
What with that arbitrary holiday known as Labor Day (which I am all for, being a Union lovin’ gal and a bit of a socialist at heart and whatall) having come and gone you may be thinking “Alas! Summer is over! Whoa is me!”
But lament not!
According to the sun and the moon and the celestial path of this good earth I can assure you summer (in these here parts) is not at all over. (Unless you are the school attending type I suspect) And the bounty continues and the delicacies abound and let’s face it…there is much to revel in still.
You can still feel the sweet kiss of the sun and bite in to the heavenly fruits of the day. The moment has not passed.
(And to think. You accuse me of being hyperbolic. Haven’t we talked about this? I am! I am!)
As a darned fine example of the sustainable pleasures on which we feast, I offer you this. This dreamy delight. This earthy rendition of fantastic. This which will make your eyes smile and your mouth sing. Yes indeedy my angels my loves, this is that good. This is that simple. This is that close to summertime perfection.
This recipe, which was taught to me (though altered slightly) by the amazing, the incredible, the utterly foxy, Meg, of Large Marge Sustainable Catering, is what I am talkin' about. (And I hope if you have any catering needs you will give her sweet self a jingle and tell her I send my love.)
And as a fabulous bonus in my particular case, the ingredients seen here are all from my garden (yes, even the avocado). Which makes my heart beat that much louder and my desire for you to try it that much stronger. Home grown happiness.
Now please do try this and taste the joy.
4 ears of sweet corn
1 large avocado, diced
1/2 cup small, whole, purple (opal) basil leaves
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt
Cut the kernels from the corn. Toss (oh so gently) with the rest of the ingredients. Season. Taste. Re-season as needed. Serve as soon as possible.
Serves four.
© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
______________________________________
© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com
This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at is guilty of infringing upon terms of my copyright. And generally cheesing me off.
In LA? Come take a cooking class at LA Food Works!
More than 50 million students eat lunch in school cafeterias daily. With the dawn of the new school year, districts across the country are signing on to the burgeoning "farm-to-school" movement. As a result, a number of school districts have cut back on fruits and vegetables purchased from large distributors in favor of working individually with local farmers. While that can be more expensive and may involve more work, food directors say it pays dividends in fresher, better-tasting produce that more kids eat. Signing up more kids for school lunches can help the bottom line, since schools receive a per-student subsidy from the Agriculture Department's National School Lunch Program. At the same time, schools are bolstering regional agricultural economies. - WSJ
Dark opal basil is a cultivar of Ocimum basilicum (sweet basil), developed by the University of Connecticut and John Scarchuk in the 1950s. With deep purple, sometimes mottled leaves, it is grown as much for its decorative appeal as for its culinary value. Dark opal basil is a past winner of the All-American Selection award. - Wikipedia
Now lookie here my little geese. My darling ganders. My sweet peaches.What with that arbitrary holiday known as Labor Day (which I am all for, being a Union lovin’ gal and a bit of a socialist at heart and whatall) having come and gone you may be thinking “Alas! Summer is over! Whoa is me!”
But lament not!
According to the sun and the moon and the celestial path of this good earth I can assure you summer (in these here parts) is not at all over. (Unless you are the school attending type I suspect) And the bounty continues and the delicacies abound and let’s face it…there is much to revel in still.
You can still feel the sweet kiss of the sun and bite in to the heavenly fruits of the day. The moment has not passed.
(And to think. You accuse me of being hyperbolic. Haven’t we talked about this? I am! I am!)
As a darned fine example of the sustainable pleasures on which we feast, I offer you this. This dreamy delight. This earthy rendition of fantastic. This which will make your eyes smile and your mouth sing. Yes indeedy my angels my loves, this is that good. This is that simple. This is that close to summertime perfection.
This recipe, which was taught to me (though altered slightly) by the amazing, the incredible, the utterly foxy, Meg, of Large Marge Sustainable Catering, is what I am talkin' about. (And I hope if you have any catering needs you will give her sweet self a jingle and tell her I send my love.)
And as a fabulous bonus in my particular case, the ingredients seen here are all from my garden (yes, even the avocado). Which makes my heart beat that much louder and my desire for you to try it that much stronger. Home grown happiness.
Now please do try this and taste the joy.
4 ears of sweet corn
1 large avocado, diced
1/2 cup small, whole, purple (opal) basil leaves
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt
Cut the kernels from the corn. Toss (oh so gently) with the rest of the ingredients. Season. Taste. Re-season as needed. Serve as soon as possible.
Serves four.
© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
______________________________________
© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com
This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at is guilty of infringing upon terms of my copyright. And generally cheesing me off.
In LA? Come take a cooking class at LA Food Works!
More than 50 million students eat lunch in school cafeterias daily. With the dawn of the new school year, districts across the country are signing on to the burgeoning "farm-to-school" movement. As a result, a number of school districts have cut back on fruits and vegetables purchased from large distributors in favor of working individually with local farmers. While that can be more expensive and may involve more work, food directors say it pays dividends in fresher, better-tasting produce that more kids eat. Signing up more kids for school lunches can help the bottom line, since schools receive a per-student subsidy from the Agriculture Department's National School Lunch Program. At the same time, schools are bolstering regional agricultural economies. - WSJ
Dark opal basil is a cultivar of Ocimum basilicum (sweet basil), developed by the University of Connecticut and John Scarchuk in the 1950s. With deep purple, sometimes mottled leaves, it is grown as much for its decorative appeal as for its culinary value. Dark opal basil is a past winner of the All-American Selection award. - Wikipedia
Categories: Food Section
Simple Greek Salad
.
On one flawless Southern California morning, I dolled up and walked my self over to photographers heaven, Samy’s Camera.
Armed with the make and model of the camera I had meticulously researched scrawled on a slip of notebook paper, I was finally ready to commit.
Arriving on the 4th floor, my info was conveyed to the adorable sales clerk. The camera was procured. Price was confirmed and a credit card about to change hands.
It all seemed so easy. (Sigh)
But then, alas, a few questions were posed. A revelation was made. (That I take pictures of food.) A different camera was offered up. (Waterproof! Smaller! Not available in fashion-colors!) The transaction completed and I traipsed off with what turns out to be the most annoyingly lame and un-useable camera known to human kind.
Seriously kids, do you see those pictures? That is a sampling of a month’s worth of trying every silly setting on the thing. Here there and everywhere the camera has come out and failed me spectacularly.
Dishes have not been recorded, moments not captured, and sadness has settled in my heart due to a stringent no-return/no-exchange policy (and a vague hope it was just really me and not the camera.)
But then I realized something…a little something. I can still share recipes without photographic evidence and you will still love me.
Well, I hope so anyway!
So while I do my darndest to figure out this shamefully overpriced digital contraption, I shall leave you with a recipe for Greek salad.
And I leave the imagery of this perfect summer salad to you.
1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
Juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons fresh oregano, minced
½ teaspoon salt
A few grinds of black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup olive oil
½ medium red onion, sliced thin
2 English cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, thick slices
6 large tomatoes, each tomato cored and cut into wedges
¼ cup loosely packed torn fresh parsley leaves
20 large kalamata olives, each olive pitted and quartered lengthwise
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 hearts of romaine lettuce, chopped
Whisk together the first seven ingredients in a large bowl.
Add the sliced red onion and cucumber and toss; let stand 15 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and parsley to bowl with onions and cucumbers and toss to coat.
Divide lettuce on wide, shallow serving bowl or platter; top with vegetables, sprinkle olives and feta over salad. Serve immediately.
Makes enough for six to eight people.
© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
______________________________________
© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at is guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright. And generally cheesing me off.
Are you coming to the Chicks with Knives Sustainable Supper Club dinner?
More than 90 % of American wine production occurs on the West Coast. A large part of carbon-dioxide emissions associated with wine comes from simply trucking it from the vineyard to tables on the East Coast. A wine bottle holds 750 ml and generates about 5.2 pounds of carbon-dioxide emissions when it travels from a vineyard in California to a store in New York. A 3-liter box generates about half the emissions per 750 ml. Switching to wine in a box for the 97 % of wines that are made to be consumed within a year would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about two million tons, the equivalent of retiring 400,000 cars. - NY Times
On one flawless Southern California morning, I dolled up and walked my self over to photographers heaven, Samy’s Camera.Armed with the make and model of the camera I had meticulously researched scrawled on a slip of notebook paper, I was finally ready to commit.
Arriving on the 4th floor, my info was conveyed to the adorable sales clerk. The camera was procured. Price was confirmed and a credit card about to change hands.
It all seemed so easy. (Sigh)
But then, alas, a few questions were posed. A revelation was made. (That I take pictures of food.) A different camera was offered up. (Waterproof! Smaller! Not available in fashion-colors!) The transaction completed and I traipsed off with what turns out to be the most annoyingly lame and un-useable camera known to human kind.
Seriously kids, do you see those pictures? That is a sampling of a month’s worth of trying every silly setting on the thing. Here there and everywhere the camera has come out and failed me spectacularly.
Dishes have not been recorded, moments not captured, and sadness has settled in my heart due to a stringent no-return/no-exchange policy (and a vague hope it was just really me and not the camera.)
But then I realized something…a little something. I can still share recipes without photographic evidence and you will still love me.
Well, I hope so anyway!
So while I do my darndest to figure out this shamefully overpriced digital contraption, I shall leave you with a recipe for Greek salad.
And I leave the imagery of this perfect summer salad to you.
1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
Juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons fresh oregano, minced
½ teaspoon salt
A few grinds of black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup olive oil
½ medium red onion, sliced thin
2 English cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, thick slices
6 large tomatoes, each tomato cored and cut into wedges
¼ cup loosely packed torn fresh parsley leaves
20 large kalamata olives, each olive pitted and quartered lengthwise
¼ cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 hearts of romaine lettuce, chopped
Whisk together the first seven ingredients in a large bowl.
Add the sliced red onion and cucumber and toss; let stand 15 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and parsley to bowl with onions and cucumbers and toss to coat.
Divide lettuce on wide, shallow serving bowl or platter; top with vegetables, sprinkle olives and feta over salad. Serve immediately.
Makes enough for six to eight people.
© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
______________________________________
© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at is guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright. And generally cheesing me off.
Are you coming to the Chicks with Knives Sustainable Supper Club dinner?
More than 90 % of American wine production occurs on the West Coast. A large part of carbon-dioxide emissions associated with wine comes from simply trucking it from the vineyard to tables on the East Coast. A wine bottle holds 750 ml and generates about 5.2 pounds of carbon-dioxide emissions when it travels from a vineyard in California to a store in New York. A 3-liter box generates about half the emissions per 750 ml. Switching to wine in a box for the 97 % of wines that are made to be consumed within a year would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about two million tons, the equivalent of retiring 400,000 cars. - NY Times
Categories: Food Section
Vietnamese Green Mango Salad
.
The Ombudsman is not just a mediating master...he is a regular Svengali when it comes to food (and pretty much everything now that I think of it). Just one off hand suggestion and next thing you know, I am growing corn. Because home grown corn is so fab. Or so we hear. (Report on that next week.)
One side-ways glance at a taco truck and everyone in the group is lining up with cash in hand. A whim involving Santa Rosa plums, a jar of pickled herring and a surf board and next thing you know…trip to Mexico. (There is a food correlation there. It’s just hard to extract.)
I tell you the boy is like an air borne pathogen. In a friendly way. (Is there such a thing? Maybe he is more like perfume? No. That’s too girly. I’ll stick with pathogen.)
He is forever getting people to try running a marathon (really) or eat at random Vietnamese hole-in-the-wall mini-mall lunch spots. Sampling fare such as this.
Then, of course, you/one/I become addicted to it/that/whatever-it-was he has introduced in to your life and you/one/I become that much more worldly and happy for it. And you/one/I start to wish I were better at navigating since I could never find that spot again without a chauffer.
So I am forced to make my own version at home and that is just fine by me.
And for you my peaches (and Santa Rosa plums) I share this version of the classic dish that is the best side-salad you can imagine.
Try it and taste the joy.
2 firm, green mangoes
2 vine-ripe tomatoes
1 cup blanched green beans, sliced on the bias
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 red Thai bird chile, sliced
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1 kaffir lime leaf, minced very fine
Fish sauce, to taste (optional)
1 cup mint leaves
1 cup Asian basil (Thai Holy, Opal or Siam Queen)
(My ingredients were all local and organic. Even the mango. A good way to go, ya? But if that's not feasible where you are, try it anyway. It's a tasty dish)
Peel the mangoes with a vegetable peeler. Grate or julienne the mango and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the garlic, chile, lime juice, brown sugar, vinegar, kaffir and fish sauce.
Taste and adjust as needed. It should be a balance of sweet, sour, spicy and salty.
Toss the dressing with the mango. Set aside.
Slice the tomatoes into long strips, removing the seeds. Add to the mango along with the green beans. Let rest for 10 minutes. When ready to serve, add fresh herbs.
Serves four.
© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
______________________________________
© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at is guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright. And generally cheesing me off.
Bennigan’s, an Irish-themed bar and grill with about 200 sites across the country, filed for bankruptcy, a move that will put hundreds of employees out of work and leave many landlords with empty retail space during a painful time in the real estate market. Sister brand, Steak & Ale, will also close. - NY TIMES
If fresh kaffir lime leaves are not available, use the tender new leaves of lime, lemon or grapefruit.
Are you coming to the next Chicks with Knives Sustainable Supper Club dinner? If you are in LA, I hope you will!
The Ombudsman is not just a mediating master...he is a regular Svengali when it comes to food (and pretty much everything now that I think of it). Just one off hand suggestion and next thing you know, I am growing corn. Because home grown corn is so fab. Or so we hear. (Report on that next week.)One side-ways glance at a taco truck and everyone in the group is lining up with cash in hand. A whim involving Santa Rosa plums, a jar of pickled herring and a surf board and next thing you know…trip to Mexico. (There is a food correlation there. It’s just hard to extract.)
I tell you the boy is like an air borne pathogen. In a friendly way. (Is there such a thing? Maybe he is more like perfume? No. That’s too girly. I’ll stick with pathogen.)
He is forever getting people to try running a marathon (really) or eat at random Vietnamese hole-in-the-wall mini-mall lunch spots. Sampling fare such as this.
Then, of course, you/one/I become addicted to it/that/whatever-it-was he has introduced in to your life and you/one/I become that much more worldly and happy for it. And you/one/I start to wish I were better at navigating since I could never find that spot again without a chauffer.
So I am forced to make my own version at home and that is just fine by me.
And for you my peaches (and Santa Rosa plums) I share this version of the classic dish that is the best side-salad you can imagine.
Try it and taste the joy.
2 firm, green mangoes
2 vine-ripe tomatoes
1 cup blanched green beans, sliced on the bias
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 red Thai bird chile, sliced
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1 kaffir lime leaf, minced very fine
Fish sauce, to taste (optional)
1 cup mint leaves
1 cup Asian basil (Thai Holy, Opal or Siam Queen)
(My ingredients were all local and organic. Even the mango. A good way to go, ya? But if that's not feasible where you are, try it anyway. It's a tasty dish)
Peel the mangoes with a vegetable peeler. Grate or julienne the mango and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the garlic, chile, lime juice, brown sugar, vinegar, kaffir and fish sauce.
Taste and adjust as needed. It should be a balance of sweet, sour, spicy and salty.
Toss the dressing with the mango. Set aside.
Slice the tomatoes into long strips, removing the seeds. Add to the mango along with the green beans. Let rest for 10 minutes. When ready to serve, add fresh herbs.
Serves four.
© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
______________________________________
© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at is guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright. And generally cheesing me off.
Bennigan’s, an Irish-themed bar and grill with about 200 sites across the country, filed for bankruptcy, a move that will put hundreds of employees out of work and leave many landlords with empty retail space during a painful time in the real estate market. Sister brand, Steak & Ale, will also close. - NY TIMES
If fresh kaffir lime leaves are not available, use the tender new leaves of lime, lemon or grapefruit.
Are you coming to the next Chicks with Knives Sustainable Supper Club dinner? If you are in LA, I hope you will!
Categories: Food Section
Drink of the Week: Vegetarian Bacon Martini
.
Okay, I give up. When did this whole "bacon" thing become a trend?
Are you kids really just clamoring for that much more bacon in your lives?
So much so that it has to invade the sacred realm of cocktails? (Well - as a purist, I consider it a sacred realm. Anyone out there adding things like chocolate and six varieties of fruit may beg to differ. In fact, to them, the realm as it were could be categorized as a bit of a free for all, or a brave new world, wouldn't you say?)
I guess so.
I mean, as the sweet boys (so dang sweet) at the local hot spot Animal can attest, bacon-chocolate combo desserts are pretty much the must-try treat these days. Almost everyone who saunters through the door at their minimalist space tops off their dinner with it.
Downright wacky stuff, eh?
So in the interest of trying my hand at the more-bacon wave, I started asking around, "What would you put in a bacon martini?" Because, facts being facts, I prefer a cocktail to dessert any day. Uh-huh. Drink it up!
The responses to my query started out quite basic (try bacon infused vodka) and then rapidly started veering in to places that would make a hog-farmer wince. And might make a distiller cry. Not to mention the elaborate schememing and garnishing being described would have involved a battery of kitchen equipment...never a good thing once the drinking has commenced...
So I pulled back and went simple. Followed my heart. Kept it chic.
What I ended up concocting not only works well with bacon dishes, but doesn't actually include any honest-to-goodness porcine delight. (Having tried a few bacon vodkas I deemed it not up to my standards. Or appealing to my palate. Heck, I just plain didn't care for it I tells ya!) The secret to its pork-like taste is thanks to my friendly shaker of Bacon Salt. When used as a garnish it just adds that certain something to the heady and smoky bevvie. And downing one of these will knock you on your you-know-what.
In other words…it’s perfect.
Now try it my peaches, and taste the joy.
Vodka
Scotch Whisky (the smokier the better)
Bacon Salt
Cocktail Onions
Pour three parts vodka to one part whisky over a mixing glass full of ice. Cap and shake vigorously.
Pour no more than two ounces (its straight alcohol! You don’t want to fall over after one!) in to a glass that you have rimmed with bacon salt.
Garnish with onions and serve.
© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
______________________________________
© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at is guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright. And generally cheesing me off.
For 1,200 years, an imperial edict banned the eating of meat because of a Japanese Buddhist belief that it was unclean. Fish was central to the Japanese diet, and meat was consumed furtively, only for medicinal purposes. In 1872, Emperor Meiji lifted the ban, “To catch up with and overtake the superior culture of the West.” NY Times
Want to see a photo of a bacon-chocolate martini. Here's one!
In the early 1800s salt was four times as expensive as beef on the American frontier - it was essential in keeping people and livestock alive. - Food Reference.com
Okay, I give up. When did this whole "bacon" thing become a trend?Are you kids really just clamoring for that much more bacon in your lives?
So much so that it has to invade the sacred realm of cocktails? (Well - as a purist, I consider it a sacred realm. Anyone out there adding things like chocolate and six varieties of fruit may beg to differ. In fact, to them, the realm as it were could be categorized as a bit of a free for all, or a brave new world, wouldn't you say?)
I guess so.
I mean, as the sweet boys (so dang sweet) at the local hot spot Animal can attest, bacon-chocolate combo desserts are pretty much the must-try treat these days. Almost everyone who saunters through the door at their minimalist space tops off their dinner with it.
Downright wacky stuff, eh?
So in the interest of trying my hand at the more-bacon wave, I started asking around, "What would you put in a bacon martini?" Because, facts being facts, I prefer a cocktail to dessert any day. Uh-huh. Drink it up!
The responses to my query started out quite basic (try bacon infused vodka) and then rapidly started veering in to places that would make a hog-farmer wince. And might make a distiller cry. Not to mention the elaborate schememing and garnishing being described would have involved a battery of kitchen equipment...never a good thing once the drinking has commenced...
So I pulled back and went simple. Followed my heart. Kept it chic.
What I ended up concocting not only works well with bacon dishes, but doesn't actually include any honest-to-goodness porcine delight. (Having tried a few bacon vodkas I deemed it not up to my standards. Or appealing to my palate. Heck, I just plain didn't care for it I tells ya!) The secret to its pork-like taste is thanks to my friendly shaker of Bacon Salt. When used as a garnish it just adds that certain something to the heady and smoky bevvie. And downing one of these will knock you on your you-know-what.
In other words…it’s perfect.
Now try it my peaches, and taste the joy.
Vodka
Scotch Whisky (the smokier the better)
Bacon Salt
Cocktail Onions
Pour three parts vodka to one part whisky over a mixing glass full of ice. Cap and shake vigorously.
Pour no more than two ounces (its straight alcohol! You don’t want to fall over after one!) in to a glass that you have rimmed with bacon salt.
Garnish with onions and serve.
© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
______________________________________
© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at is guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright. And generally cheesing me off.
For 1,200 years, an imperial edict banned the eating of meat because of a Japanese Buddhist belief that it was unclean. Fish was central to the Japanese diet, and meat was consumed furtively, only for medicinal purposes. In 1872, Emperor Meiji lifted the ban, “To catch up with and overtake the superior culture of the West.” NY Times
Want to see a photo of a bacon-chocolate martini. Here's one!
In the early 1800s salt was four times as expensive as beef on the American frontier - it was essential in keeping people and livestock alive. - Food Reference.com
Categories: Food Section
Two Toned Melon Gazpacho
.
Now mind you, I am not the only woman vying for The Ombudsman’s time. Sure, his quality time is spent with me, (or so I like to think. Being that kind of friend) but he also spends some hours with The Historical Babe, doing all sorts of bendy yoga maneuvers and dining on raw foods.
Seriously, it seems as if they're always getting massages and doing all sorts of calming activities. It's sexy stuff.
So when I ran in to them outside of the very chic and delightful Akasha restaurant in when-did-this-place-become-cool Culver City the other night, I wasn't the slightest bit surprised. Having just eaten there myself in the company of everybody's favorite Texan, Pace, I was able to vouch for it's excellence and tranquil vibe.
The ideal spot for the health and environment conscious who still want a super star meal.
What is so darn-tastic loveroo about it is that they are all about the whole grains and locally sourced biz-nizz. Makes a girl happy. Plus, the food is just dreamy fabulocity. All earthy and groovy without getting too darned granola. (Not that I don't love my granola-eatin' peeps mind you, but this restaurant is just not that vibe) In other words, it gets my kudos rating.
Now mind you, I am not the only woman vying for The Ombudsman’s time. Sure, his quality time is spent with me, (or so I like to think. Being that kind of friend) but he also spends some hours with The Historical Babe, doing all sorts of bendy yoga maneuvers and dining on raw foods.Seriously, it seems as if they're always getting massages and doing all sorts of calming activities. It's sexy stuff.
So when I ran in to them outside of the very chic and delightful Akasha restaurant in when-did-this-place-become-cool Culver City the other night, I wasn't the slightest bit surprised. Having just eaten there myself in the company of everybody's favorite Texan, Pace, I was able to vouch for it's excellence and tranquil vibe.
The ideal spot for the health and environment conscious who still want a super star meal.
What is so darn-tastic loveroo about it is that they are all about the whole grains and locally sourced biz-nizz. Makes a girl happy. Plus, the food is just dreamy fabulocity. All earthy and groovy without getting too darned granola. (Not that I don't love my granola-eatin' peeps mind you, but this restaurant is just not that vibe) In other words, it gets my kudos rating.
Having split a roasted artichoke, tomato tart (so delish!), short ribs and a summertime trio of desserts (yum. rhubarb. yum.) I did think I may have gone a bit on the heavy side for such a postcard perfect evening. So the next day, with my farmers market bounty calling, I made this fun soup duo to balance things out. Light for heavy. Vegetable for animal.
Easy as can be to zip together and a visual delight to present. It's light and refreshing and just what a girl needs on a lazy summer day. Especially after sampling Akasha's key lime and hibiscus cocktails...
So do try this my peaches and taste the joy.
4 each tomatoes, 2 red, 2 yellow
4 cups melon, 1/2 watermelon, 1/2 cantaloupe
2 each bell pepper, 1 red, 1 yellow
2 each jalapeno chile pepper, one red, one green
2 each cucumber, peeled and seeded
2 cloves garlic
3/4 cup olive oil
4 teaspoons sherry vinegar
2 cups white bread , crusts removed
2 tablespoons sugar, as needed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt and pepper
3 bunches chervil , optional, for garnish
In a food processor, combine all of the red ingredients (including all of the tomato paste) and half the garlic, olive oil , vinegar and bread. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding sugar only if needed.
Clean out the food processor bowl and do the same with the yellow ingredients, (excluding the tomato paste) taste and adjust seasoning (salt, sugar, vinegar) as needed.
Refrigerate each batch until chilled.
To serve, you can either pour the two colors into a bowl simultaneously (side by side) or use chef rings (round cookie cutters) to make a bulls-eye pattern. You can also use a toothpick, drawing out from the center to create a pattern.
Garnish with chervil and serve.
© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
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© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at is guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright. And generally cheesing me off.
Stellar Organics Wine from South Africa is the top selling organic wine brand in the UK. Organic wine is now the largest sector in the organic alcohol category, and accounts for 56% of its sales; which with an extra 267,000 shoppers buying organic wine this year compared to last year, is an increase of 42% year on year. Stellar's wines are organic and Fairtrade, the only wine to gain both labels. – Harpers.co.uk
It costs farmers £1.45 to produce a kilo of pork, according to BPEX (the British Pig Executive), which represents the pork industry. At the beginning of 2008 supermarkets sold pork for £1.05 a kilo, and by May - eight months after farmers had started bearing the increased cost of feed - it had still only gone up to £1.20 a kilo. 78 per cent of the British public said they were prepared to pay more for pork to help farmers who have been campaigning for a better price. - BBC
Categories: Food Section
Triple Lemon Grilled Arctic Char
.
Everything is daisy-sunshine happiness these days. Summer rocks!
In other words...what's not to like?
Brilliance!
*grin*
And me, I'm taking the summer one day at a time. Lots of relaxing and lots of tooling around thinking about the wonder of it all.
And one great place to spend an hour or so is one of our lovely outdoor markets.
I'm sure you know (or have maybe read), the SoCal farmers markets are a bit of a dream in terms of edible options. A cornucopia if you will.
So if you are open minded, flexible with your menu and willing to try new things (and eat a lot of fruit) it really can be a guilt free and lovely day-time excursion.
Phew.
So here is my recipe for a grilled triple lemon fish - ingredients for which can usually be found year round at any good farm stand. Sustainable, delicious, delightful. Perky too. Zippy, really, if you must know. And except for the pepper, it all came from my local farmers market.
I only wish I had captured a better shot of this before we ate it on down...
Now try this my peaches, and taste the joy.
6 each lemons
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup black olives, diced, dry cured such as Gaeta
4 each Arctic Char, fish steaks, six ounces apiece
1/4 cup olive oil
1 each lemon, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon pink peppercorn, coarsely ground
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine the honey and lemon juice and set aside until ready to grill.
Marinate the fish in the lemon oil, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, pink pepper and salt at room temperature for no longer than 1 hour.
Using vegetable peeler, remove peel (yellow part only) from lemons in long strips. Squeeze 6 tablespoons juice from lemons. Blanch peel in small saucepan of boiling water 30 seconds; drain. Bring 6 tablespoons of the lemon juice, olive oil, canola oil, garlic, and pinch of salt to simmer in small saucepan. Add lemon peel and simmer over low heat until peel is soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the black olives.
Preheat your grill.
Grill the fish for 7 minutes per inch, basting once with the honey-lemon glaze. Remove and serve with lemon confit as garnish.
Everything is daisy-sunshine happiness these days. Summer rocks!In other words...what's not to like?
Brilliance!
*grin*
And me, I'm taking the summer one day at a time. Lots of relaxing and lots of tooling around thinking about the wonder of it all.
And one great place to spend an hour or so is one of our lovely outdoor markets.
I'm sure you know (or have maybe read), the SoCal farmers markets are a bit of a dream in terms of edible options. A cornucopia if you will.
So if you are open minded, flexible with your menu and willing to try new things (and eat a lot of fruit) it really can be a guilt free and lovely day-time excursion.
Phew.
So here is my recipe for a grilled triple lemon fish - ingredients for which can usually be found year round at any good farm stand. Sustainable, delicious, delightful. Perky too. Zippy, really, if you must know. And except for the pepper, it all came from my local farmers market.
I only wish I had captured a better shot of this before we ate it on down...
Now try this my peaches, and taste the joy.
6 each lemons
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup black olives, diced, dry cured such as Gaeta
4 each Arctic Char, fish steaks, six ounces apiece
1/4 cup olive oil
1 each lemon, zested and juiced
1 teaspoon pink peppercorn, coarsely ground
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine the honey and lemon juice and set aside until ready to grill.
Marinate the fish in the lemon oil, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, pink pepper and salt at room temperature for no longer than 1 hour.
Using vegetable peeler, remove peel (yellow part only) from lemons in long strips. Squeeze 6 tablespoons juice from lemons. Blanch peel in small saucepan of boiling water 30 seconds; drain. Bring 6 tablespoons of the lemon juice, olive oil, canola oil, garlic, and pinch of salt to simmer in small saucepan. Add lemon peel and simmer over low heat until peel is soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the black olives.
Preheat your grill.
Grill the fish for 7 minutes per inch, basting once with the honey-lemon glaze. Remove and serve with lemon confit as garnish.
© 2008 Fresh Approach Cooking
______________________________________
© 2008 Rachael at "Fresh Approach Cooking" www.freshcatering.blogspot.com This RSS Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, or at the aforementioned url, the site you are looking at is guilty of infringing upon terms of copyright. And generally cheesing me off.
The city of Beverly Hills gave final approval Tuesday night on a deal that will bring a local restaurant from Thomas Keller, the only American chef with two 3-star establishments.Keller will be opening one of his casual-dining Bouchon bistros in Beverly Hills by fall 2009.
Popcorn was $11 for 20 lbs in January of this year. It's now $17 for the same bag.
Categories: Food Section