While we build our new and improved website, this Eats Blog is taking a reprieve.
Look for my Sustainable Food writing on Examiner, and follow Serena’s Travels blog for the latest GrassRoutes posts in the mean time.
Thanks for your patience!
My mother-in-law’s close friend recently returned from some kind of epic fishing trip in Monterey Bay, where he and his buddies managed to score a couple pretty darn large squid. It is a short season for the stuff in the winter (read more on squid fishing community forum here), and these often mis-understood and mis-used fish are actually a very sustainable way to enjoy healthy seafood. Squid are lower on the trophic scale, which often means there’s more to go around. But, if we keep feeding them to the bigger farmed fish, the wild populations will suffer. Seafood is complex, and gets even more and more esoteric the more data we get on the state of our seas. But I digress. This generous family friend carefully froze his catch, and one very big bag ended up in my freezer. The only problem with this whole exciting project was that the steaks were frozen in such a way that I couldn’t defrost them in singles (*note for next year’s catch preservation). So the whole big bag of 6 big steaks was on my hands. No secret supper clubs planned, not even a pot luck to speak of, no family gatherings coming up (or any where squid would go on the menu)…hmmmmmm….
Stuck, I decided to do my very own squid cook off. I am still not finished. But I still like squid, so that must mean something’s going right.
The first recipe is my own, albeit Californicated recipe for Okinomiyaki, something I positively O.D.’d on when I lived in Kyoto. Okinomi means “everything you like,” more or less, “whatever you want.” Yaki means cooked, just like in Takoyaki (incredible octopus street food), or sukiyaki. But knowing what the words mean doesn’t mean you’ll understand this dish. More than not it is referred to as Japanese pizza, which I think is beyond ridiculous, but I’ll pick my battles here. Its more like a savoury pancake, but since that sounds pretty gross, I’ll just get to explaining.
My favorite hole-in-the-wall okinomiyaki spot in Kita-Ku, north Kyoto, brought simple menus when my friends and I filled up the booths. We picked from a list of extras, (and I guess this is where the pizza metaphor works since ordering is a lot like picking toppings) then big bowls of batter would arrive at the table, placed right in front of our faces so as not to get burned on the table-come-cooking surface. The ingredients would be mixed by our server and then we’d add our favorites: savory mochi cubes, fabulously processed cheese, such that can’t quite be paralleled outside this country, and squid. There were lots more options, but each meal it seemed these were our Okinomi.
We cooked the pancakes ourselves after our first trip to this restaurant, where we got a lesson. They were delicious. Let’s just say I never again imagined that it was weird to add squid to pancakes.
Elsewhere in Japan I’ve seen fried noodles added (the custom in Hiroshima from my experience), and I’ve seen foreigners not allowed to cook their own pancakes, so I recommend dropping your expectations of how your authentic Japanese Okinomiyaki experience will go. Better yet, try this at home! Even if they don’t look as perfect as in my memories, these were delicious, and a solid first dish for my squiddy project. Here’s the photos:
start with slivering cabbage – doesn’t matter what kind. I use a serrated bread knife, faux pas or not
run the knife through it again to slim down, cabbage is a key ingredient to any okimoniyaki, and the texture you get from it is a crucial building block, so pick the right size and shape for your palate
measure out your favorite pancake mix, although if you have a good eye and live near a big city you can find real live okinomiyaki mix at your Asian grocer
add in shredded carrot for color and more veggies – this was my idea, not something I ever saw in Japan
slice up the squid steak, cleaned, a butcher knife helps but isn’t necessary, I like long thin wedge shapes
half-cook them in hot butter, NOT ALL THE WAY
add an egg or two (approximate based on the pancake mix recipe) and stir your batter
fry up, big cake, small cakes, whatever you want! in Japan they were pretty flat but large
a little lightly dressed, chopped Japanese red mustard greens (from the garden) and a mixture of sriracha, mayo and ketchup spread on top and its eating time!
Tomorrow we’ll have squid steak sandwiches (easy to grill, even stove-top!), and the remained three steaks I cleaned and cubed and set in a bowl of canned plum tomatoes with a plate over top in the fridge for some kind of seafood stew, but that’s for another edition, or at least another meal!
A food-art-history-museum moment!
Lovely Lovely Lovely
After a sunny hike in the Berkeley hills, complete with epic Golden Gate views and hillsides of gold poppies and purple asters, I made quite a discovery.
Getting off the hill Daniel, Dutsi the research poodle, and I walked along Berkeley’s side of Claremont Avenue, evidently part of the Bay Area roadside free-cycling geography, and lo and behold a wilted cardboard box met my eyes. I peeked inside to find the shiny metallic glow of KitchenAid attachments, complete with receipt from Hobart’s in San Francisco, October 31, 1952. The Oil Dropper will aid in mayonnaise making, the food shredder will recreate leftovers, and the veggie slicer will, well, slice.
Not to say that one should litter, but anything that fits the category of “works, but I’m not finding a use for” and isn’t over-sized or dangerous can happily be passed on, as these valuable culinary objects were to me.
Just need to clean these babies off!
There are two pieces for the veggie slicer, one is more of a grater
I wonder if this “food shredder” will work like a food mill?
The catalogue was also in the box!!
Oh yeah, she love’s her KichenAid
Three models, each with their own attachment options, then 11 attachments that fit all three machines – the attachments I found are in this last category!
The Oil Dropper and Food Shredder explanation, I wonder what I would have done had I found the Pea Sheller??
24.53 was all it took to get these home back in 1952
Here’s the price list from 1950 for all the options, what a find!
Chocolate Lovers Unite! Today’s the San Francisco Chocolate Salon at the Fort Mason Center is going to be one rich event. Chocolate makers and crafters from all over the world showing off their fine stuff. There are a lot of processes from plant to hand-painted truffle, so I am hoping the process is described as part of the festival.
I’ve got my eye out for local chocolatiers like John Schmidt, and new-to-me confectioners who use fair trade chocolate, or other conscientious policies in their chocolate-making.
Come out today, Saturday, March 20, from 10a-6p at the Fort Mason Center Festival Pavilion for some sweet and inspiring foodie fun.
In addition to the many delicious samples and displays, there will be special presentations going on throughout the day, attendance is inclusive with your ticket price. Highlights include meeting and learning from master chocolatier Gary Guittard of the Guittard Chocolate Company at 12:45, a Chocolate Dating Game at 2p, and a demonstration and book signing by the author of “Chocolate Bliss” at 3:30.
Start your Bay Area foodie weekend on the right foot at the Claremont Hotel, 6:30 – 8:30 tonight for the opening night of the first annual Berkeley Wine Festival. The steep $85 ticket price gets you unlimited access to some of the best wineries in Napa and Sonoma, from the vantage point of this whitewashed hillside palace. As you watch the sun set over Angel Island and the Golden Gate, take mental notes of how the crab pairs with the chardonnay…
Saturday head to Awaken Cafe in downtown Oakland for a special Waffle Day! Especially if its sunny, this sunny cafe is the ideal place to munch on a sidewalk seat or inside near the local art that perpetually hangs on the walls. The coffee is incredible, check out these fun pix from co-owner Cortt:
Finally, on Sunday head up to the town of Napa, a short 25-minute drive from Oakland most days, for the Napa Mustard Festival. There are events planned each year starting in January, as the golden wild mustard starts to bloom, through the end of March as the spring starts ushering in new shades to the county. This Sunday is the second day of the Napa Riverwalk Marketplace, from 11a -5p in the historic riverfront area of downtown Napa. Keepy your eye out for tasty local treats, and creative arts like Jewelry from Oakland’s fabulous Mangosteen silversmith necklaces. It’ll be a smash hit, and you can grab a beer at Bounty Hunter after you take in the eye candy…
Finding a family-fun Italian-American restaurant that brings the goods each and every time is like finding a perfect pair of jeans, or getting into a great college – at least that’s how excited I am when I discover a new one.
In Sonoma this weekend I was told this was a must for family gatherings like the Sunday brunch I enjoyed. The menu is written on boards above the counter, but there’s far more available than deli food as the casual self-serve ordering style would suggest.
All the crucial items are made from scratch: ciabatta and foccacia breads, chocolate-dipped biscotti, lasagna and raviolli, roasted turkey and stimulating coffee drinks. Order a sandwich with such traditional sensations as mortadella or sliced leek frittata, and choose their homemade mozzarella as your cheese like I did. There’s local Russian River beers, wines from the surrounding acres and imported Italian bottles, plus plenty of tammer bevvies.
They let me have some mortadella and some of their house roasted turkey on my mozzarella sandwich – they added a pie of undressed coleslaw and served it on their freshly-baked foccacia bread
We also tried the Tuscan salami combination with a seedy mustard and very wet potato salad, the Damnation white beer from Russian River Brewing Company was an ideal pairing
A half-order of the lasagna is enough with an order of one of the tempting salads, like anchovy-heavy ceasar and tomato and mozzarella duo with aged balsamic
Plenty of homey, painted decor
Order here! Then you’ll be served everything else at the table…
Dutsi, my research assistant poodle and I checked out the scene, then he waited patiently outside until we were finished
Now is a perfect time to head to Sonoma County, California, as the wild yellow mustards make all the fields glow… this is Arnold Road, just a few minutes down the road from the restaurant
Looking up at the menu board, the desserts looked tempting even after we were full!
Isn’t Sonoma just beautiful!? Even with the vines bare…
Look how different the old vine zines look (some in the area are reaching 60 years in age) compared to the cabernet grapes above
If you go:
Cafe Citti is in Kenwood, on Arnold Road.
Goats have once again proven themselves to be one of the greatest animals on the planet – this time with help from Chef Mark Domman at One Market Restaurant in San Francisco.
We all know how delicious and creamy goat cheese can be, and how sweet the milk is, but the goat-centric tasting menu from One Market’s Weekly Beast event is yet another. Since last November, Chef Domman has been given all the freedom to create with whim for this weekly tasting menu, available only Friday and Saturday nights – the only catch is his got to use the whole animal, meld each dish with the freshest seasonal ingredients, and he’s got two days to come up with the menu. Considering the other classic crab, steak, and famous foie gras plates at One Market, which have been honed with time-honored care, this is the wild side of the restaurant to be sure.
Here are the snapshots of the many courses I tried, and I’ll post a link to the full review when it comes.
If you can make it tonight for a last minute prix fixe dinner (only $49 for 5 full courses) get acquainted with goat, or wait until next weekend’s suckling pig feature, or another Weekly Beast when you’re in town.
a “shrimp popsicle” amuse bouche made with charred Louisiana shrimp in creole spices with lime, chili, and tequila foam
no-casing on this goat sausage, but the bread crumb layer was extra crispy and went well with the tarragon-infused warm lentils (which I am pretty sure were mixed with diced celery root – I’m loving that combo)
“crab apple” with green apple water, fruit, and sorbet with the tastiest Dungeness crab, right from the ocean, and did I mention the jalapeno gelee underneath the whole lot?
octopus gone wild with “soy air”
the onion broth, and mirrored favor with smoked onion froth, really brought out the braised goat in these pasta pockets, unfortunately the handmade dough didn’t have the gluten built up enough so it was a bit tough
my extra course from Chef – Thanks Mark! This mahi mahi, which I never would have ordered, was cooked perfectly, I mean it!
duck – from Liberty Farms – served two ways, the rare breast was so succulent, with polenta
rack of goat with the first nettles of the season, pureed, and a crusty farina cake
honey cake – not your average Passover schlop – with honey and ripe pears, a Cyrpess Cove goat cheese torte, savory, and the best crispy little goat cookie there ever was
and Crunch Cake, not that we needed another bite!
and here’s the ivy topiary
Today I’m going over the line – I can’t say it is the first time I’ve crossed it, but going to One Market’s Weekly Beast dinner, featuring Goat, is at least a stark contrast to my recent goat-y experiences.
I was staying with some close friends who’ve had goats for some 20 years, but I was milking and then making cheese. So here’s to facing my food – not living under any dilusions, loving all the uses and wonders of livestock.
Especially with my farm-to-table mentality, it should be doable, plus the meat Chef Dommen picks is from the best local farms like Marin Sun, who treat their animals very well during their life, and never stuff them with antibiotics, hormones, or weird science diets through tubes in tight pens – no one wants that, even for something they’re planning on eating.
Here’s the chef prepping plates for a charity ball
All that said, make one of these seasonal prix fixe menus an outing for you and yours – the beast of the week is an affordable way to treat yourself to lots of courses from one of the city’s best chef. Lamb, duck, pig, and other beasts are soon to come, check back for menus and schedules. I’ll let you know how it all went~
Here are some pix from Food Gal – I hope I’m in store for some of this!
If you are continuing from my Examiner piece about today’s harvest, then read on, if not, go back and catch up, but either way, I hope you’ll love the slide show of what’s going on in the GrassRoutes Garden this week, at the close of February and an especially wet winter…
Other findings in today’s harvest-
The Meyer Lemon tree in my front yard is slowing down for some reason, but I grabbed a few to add to tea at breakfast. If I had more I’d make Israeli-style lemonade with mint (two kinds are sprouting now, chocolate peppermint and brilliant green spearmint). Head to Amba, Oakland’s newest kosher eatery to try their version.
Chives – nothing is better in an omelet. Like spring onions, my favorite crimson forest bunching onions, and scallions, these guys re-grow themselves in bundles and can be picked at different stages, from baby to full flower. Try the eggs at Mary’s (Aunt Mary’s Cafe, that is)- there are always fresh herbs added just like my chives.
Romaine Lettuce “Sea of Red”- nothing like this classic salad base in terms of color and also nutrition. You can pick the leaves when they are baby or wait, like I did in this case, until they become full heads of lettuce. Continue harvesting leaves from the base to make your plants produce longer. I got these seeds from Renee’s Garden, but I’ve harvest my own seed this past season.
The navel oranges were a gift from my Uncle Bill, from his abundant tree. I swap fruit and veggies with friends and family all the time – there’s even a couple gardeners around my neighborhood who have wanted to trade when something’s in full swing – that way we can have some figs on our salad, instead of lettuce coming out of our ears when the season’s stuck on one crop!
Here’s the slide show of the whole garden!
I love the feeling of getting my hands involved when making bread.
This was the very first recipe I ever learned, back when I was five or six. We used milk to froth the yeast, a dash of honey, and whole wheat bread flour.
Whichever bread recipe you use, these pictures still show the order of events so to speak. Happy baking! And better yet, happy sandwiching afterward!
(P.S. Bread is the best to make when you’ve got a days of random tasks around the house. Mix yeast and milk. Weed veggie garden, check email. Mix dry ingredients and wet ones, form dough and knead. Do laundry, walk dog, blog. Set oven, knead again, bake. Change sheets, mess around on Facebook. Set aside to cool. Go on a quick jog. Make sandwiches and enjoy!)
SO, HERE GOES!
Start with good ingredients. I use organic whole wheat flour, raw milk, free range eggs, rock salt, local olive oil (California Rocks!)…
Measure out your milk and place in a warm, not windy, spot.
Dust the packet of yeast over the milk’s surface
Don’t worry if it falls in and looks a bit messy – resist the urge to stir it and just walk away, returning in about 10-15 minutes to see if it is ready, i.e. foamed up
It’s foamy! Yippie!
Now, measure out the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
Make a well in the dry ingredient bowl…
and add in your Wet Ingredients to the Well, including the foamy yeast mixture.
Stir with your hands
It’ll start to ball up and form a dough
Flour up your surface – I got this great piece of marble from a design studio that no longer needed it – I strongly suggest you ask around if you don’t already have a nice stone surface to knead on!
Knead the dough until there is a smooth consistency about it – depending on the pressure used it can take as little as five minutes and as much as 15.
Continually spin dough, press with heels of hand, then flip and spin again to get a good action going. After the dough is a good smooth consistency ball it up.
Then oil your bowl and dough ball and put it in that same warmish but not windy place to rise.
Cover it up!
Dough has risen! It usually take 30-45 minutes.
Now fit it into a loaf pan or two…
Paint it with oil and salt or an egg wash…
Hash the surface and bake according to your recipe
Yippie! Bread is done after cooling!
AND, here’s an approximation of the recipe I first learned at Waldorf School Kindergarten!
1 packet yeast
1 c warm water or milk
1 t. honey
6c flour- 4c bread flour, 2c whole wheat (or all whole wheat)
1-2 t. salt
3c water
1/3c honey
1/3c oil or melted butter
proof the yeast in small amount of water and honey until it gets bubbly.
mix water salt honey and oil in another bowl. Add yeast mixture to liquids and allow child with wooden spoon to stir while you add flour one cup at a time until it is too hard to stir. get your hands messy by mixing/kneading the rest in by hand until the flour is smooth and easy to work. knead for awhile until the dough is smooth and ’shiny’, put in clean bowl with a small amount of oil in it and cover with a damp towel. allow to rise double
punch down, make snakes, mountains, rocks, and loaves and allow to rise again.
350 oven for 40 min or so depending on the size of the loaves.
