Garlic Shrimp & Broccoli (Week Night Dinner)

When I first moved to Seattle, as a going-away present, my dear friend Christy gave me a gift certificate to a random Seattle restaurant she found online. She’d never been to the Emerald City, and she had no idea which part of Seattle I was moving to. Additionally, I have no idea how she stumbled upon this particular restaurant because they had only been open like a week. Literally. The gift certificate was a meticulously hand-written menu and voucher on a note card – they were so new that they didn’t have actual printed certificates.

Where you ask? Ocho. This was absolutely hysterical because initially I lived in a condo exactly 2 blocks from the place. And to make the story even crazier, the owner lived on my floor!

So on my first visit to Ocho, we rolled in, sat at the bar and told the bar tender to start bringing us whatever was delicious. After basically eating my way through practically the entire Spanish tapas menu, I was 100% smitten. The food is garlicy and fiery, the ambiance is sultry and seductive, the music is eclectic, and the drinks are stiff. *Swoon* I love it there. Attention Men of Seattle: if you want to woo a girl, take her to Ocho.

Two of my favorite dishes there are the Gambas al Ajillo (spicy garlic prawns), and the Broccoli and Escarole with garlic and pine nuts. Ok, so you can’t come near me for at least 3 days afterward because of the garlic, but it’s well worth it. I have taken friends to Ocho who don’t even like broccoli, and they left as transformed believers.

Well I can’t think of a better combo than shrimp and broccoli, so when I hit my own kitchen in an effort to recreate, I combine the two dishes. I don’t claim to have nailed it, (I have no idea what they use at Ocho; there’s a good chance it’s crack) but this is a decent likeness.

If you must go try the real thing for yourself, Ocho is on Market Street in Ballard. I have actually resisted even mentioning the place out loud because the last thing I need is more Ocho fans like me. A girl needs to be able to get a seat at the bar, ya know? In the meantime, give this recipe a whirl. Just make sure you feed it to your significant other/roommate. Otherwise you and your garlic breath will be banished from the living room. Enjoy!

**Click here for a printer friendly version of this recipe**

Garlic Shrimp and Broccoli
Serves: 3 – 4
Time to prepare: 20 minutes

1 1/2pound broccolini or broccoli raab, cut into small florets, stems chopped into 1 inch slices
1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
5 – 6 large cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 tablespoons good quality olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts

Pre-heat the broiler to high.

In a saute pan (not non-stick), heat the olive oil over medium heat. Smash the garlic cloves with the flat side of a large knife, and add to the oil, along with the crushed red pepper. Infuse the oil over medium-low heat while trimming the broccoli and preparing the shrimp.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the broccoli for 30 seconds, just until vibrant green. Drain and stop the cooking by running under cold water or plunging into a bowl of ice water.

Remove 2 tablespoons of the oil and spoon over the broccoli. Toss to coat. Spread evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, season with sea salt and place under the broiler about 6” from the flame to lightly brown – about 5 minutes, tossing once. Watch the broccoli closely. You want a little browning on the edges, but don’t let it burn. Remove from the oven when finished.

Meanwhile, add the shrimp to the pan, turn the heat to high, and toss to coat. Season lightly with sea salt. You want the edges to carmelize a bit, so don’t stir the shrimp constantly – cook on one side for a few minutes, then flip. Cook until the shrimp is pink and cooked, about 4 minutes.

Add the broccoli, along with the pine nuts to the pan, and toss to mix and coat. Remove the garlic cloves and discard. Check for seasoning, and serve.

Tulip Festival! (Seattle foodies)

So a confession up front: this post has nothing to do with food. But man oh man, do I have a treat for you!

I am consistently surprised (and a little bummed) that it’s not my culinary explorations that readers ask me about. It’s SUE!. That’s right. Apparently most of the Seattle Palate followers read it for the SUE! stories. I can’t say I blame them.

The funny thing is that they don’t believe that she actually exists. It’s as if she’s intriguing like the Sasquatch, jovial like Santa, and benevolent like the Tooth Fairy – all wrapped up in a Vera Bradley bag-toting second grade teacher. As if I could possible conjure up such a character!

So the ‘rents came to visit a few weeks ago, and as I’m sure her fans aren’t surprised to learn, SUE! loves a good tulip festival. Two years ago they came out for it, and it snowed. A lot. This year the weather was a little bit better, and the blooms were a-bloomin’. It really is quite a sight – acres upon acres of brilliant striped tulip fields.

Even though this blog is about food, somehow growing things (even flowers) and cooking goes hand-in-hand – at least for me. (Evidence – and hopefully the bounty – of my new P-Patch Garden to come.) So I’m passing along some pics from our day. And as your extra-special treat – a picture of SUE! in the flesh. She does exist! (Note stylish leopard-print scarf and glitterati sunglasses. You can’t see it in this picture, but the glasses have rhinestones on them. Of course they do.) If you want to see more pictures of her, don’t worry. She made a Shutterfly photo album of the day and I’m sure she’d love to show it to you.

Enjoy! Next time we’ll get back in the kitchen.

Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Three-Herb Chimichurri Sauce ( week night recipe)

Maybe it’s my brief (albeit lackluster) career as a graphic designer, but I am completely enamored by color. Given that, it’s no surprise Seattle has been a good fit for me – it’s a Technicolor city. Even in the dead of winter, everything is kelly green.

I just read a fun fact the other day: before the spice trade reached the Europe, there was no word for the color orange. It’s because there weren’t naturally occurring orange things, so there was no need to name that color. And that’s why gold fish are called gold and redheads are red, even though both are orange. Who knows if that’s really true, but I heard it on NPR, and I’m quite content to not be called an orange head, so I’m going with it.

My color obsession translates quite well into the food world. A brief stroll through the produce aisle and you can see pretty much every color in the good ‘ol ROY G BIV. And eating a colorful diet is a sure way to make sure that you’re eating a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods. (You know I meant a NATURALLY colorful diet. Sorry, you thought you had me there. No, Fruit Loops are not healthy.)

And maybe it’s my current (hopefully stellar) career in marketing, but I’m intrigued by the relationship between color and food packaging. Another fun fact is that there aren’t any naturally occurring blue foods. Blueberries are close, but really are closer to indigo. That’s why very few food companies use the color blue in food packaging – it’s not a color that we associate with food. The power of suggestion runs deep. Think about it – when you see that bright green Snackwells package, don’t you almost mistake it for a box of vegetables? You laugh, but I just read an article about how the mere sight of the colors red and yellow (the most predominant colors used in fast food establishments) causes us to eat faster. YIKES!

Anyway, back to the point, which is that my current favorite color is green. And with spring (hopefully) springing, I’m so so excited for peas and asparagus and little green sprouts of anything peeking through the dirt. I’m in a monthly potluck dinner group, and March was my turn to host. Coincidentally, dinner was also two days before St. Patty’s day, so we all got creative and made dishes that were a tribute to the color GREEN.  At first I was worried that a monochromatic plate would be a little boring, but it was far from it. And the food was good.

As soon as I settled on the theme, I knew immediately that I’d make my chimichurri sauce. It’s fluorescent green and fabulous. Chimichurri has been a restaurant darling this past year, and I know why – it’s a vibrant explosion of fresh, bold flavors. I served it over beef tenderloin and halibut filets (we have a few vegetarians in the group), both with a paprika and adobo chili pepper rub. The meat develops a spicy coating that balances so nicely with the herby chimichurri.

The great part about this recipe is that it has serious wow factor, so it’s a great option for a dinner party. And the even better part is that you can make ALL OF IT before your guests even arrive. A great dinner party includes you partaking in the pre-eating schmoozing, not stuck behind the stove. So I love recipes like this. And don’t worry if you have left over chimichurri – you’ll find plenty of things to put it on. It’s great on chicken breasts, cold cut sandwiches, pasta, cous cous, bruschetta… Don’t worry. You’ll polish it off.  Enjoy!

PS – if you’re wondering what other green delicacies we feasted on along with the chimichurri, we had a green salad with avocado and amazing home made green goddess dressing, asparagus and gruyere tart, and chocolate hazelnut (with green sprinkles) panacotta for dessert. Sure, the dessert wasn’t particularly green, but who cares. It was chocolate!

**Click here for a printer friendly version of this recipe**

Beef Tenderloin with Three-Herb Chimichurri
Adapted from: Bon Appetit, July 2006
Serves: 8-10
Time to Prepare: 2 hours, active time 25 minutes

Spice Rub
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder or ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Chimichurri sauce
3/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 medium shallots, peeled, quartered
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
3 cups (packed) stemmed fresh parsley
2 cups (packed) stemmed fresh cilantro
1 cup (packed) stemmed fresh mint

Beef tenderloin
1 3 1/2-pound beef tenderloin
2 tablespoons olive oil

For spice rub:
Combine all ingredients in small bowl.

For chimichurri sauce:
Combine first 8 ingredients in blender; blend until almost smooth. Add 1/4 of parsley, 1/4 of cilantro, and 1/4 of mint; blend until incorporated. Add remaining herbs in 3 more additions, pureeing until almost smooth after each addition.

For beef tenderloin:
Let beef stand at room temperature 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a sauté pan to high heat, add tenderloin and sear each side until browned.

Finish in the oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of beef registers 130°F for medium-rare, about 40 minutes. Transfer to platter; cover loosely with foil and let rest 15 minutes. Thinly slice beef crosswise. Serve with chimichurri sauce.

Notes: The spice rub can be made days ahead, and the meat can be rubbed with olive oil and the spices and stored in a zip-top bag overnight. Bring to room temperature, and sear it off a few hours before your guests arrive. Finish it in the oven just before your guests arrive. This recipe works well grilled, too. The meat is good even at room temperature, so you can let it rest for a little while before serving if timing works out best that way.

If you’d like to make this with fish, you can cook the fish en papillote – tear off a piece of parchment paper about 4x as long as your fish fillet, fold in half, and trim into a half-heart shape. Place the fish in the middle close to the seam (rubbed with the olive oil and spices), and crimp the edges together, starting at the top of the heart, so it seals the parchment satchel closed. The fish will steam to moist perfection in the bag, and you’ll get bonus points because it looks fancy when you present it to the table. Alternatively, you can cook it on the stovetop in a little olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear one side for a few minutes, flip, cover and cook until done. If you want to see a video of how to prepare fish en papillote way, this one is good. It’s a great trick to have up your sleeve.

Toasted Israeli CousCous with Butternut Squash & Mozzarella (week night recipe)

Sometimes you just need a quickie. (Dinner. I’m talking about dinner.) And it’s a good idea to have quickie ingredients in your pantry because you never know when the mood will strike. (Frantic. That frantic “OMG what am I going to make for dinner” mood.)

I’ve been experimenting with some new little grains, rices, and starches lately because they cook up in a flash, go with just about anything, and are a nice change from linguini or penne. Shy away from the boxes of “flavored” starches; they’re loaded with sodium and artificial stuff. Plus you can make something far more delicious in the same amount of time. If you have a natural foods grocery store at your disposal, you can commonly find these virgin starches in bulk bins – they’re perfect for trying out something new in a low-cost, no-risk way.

Risotto is actually a rice has a tendency to scare people out of trying to cook it at home. But it’s actually really easy – you just need to babysit it.

Couscous found mainstream popularity over the past few years partly because of its unique texture and mild flavor. The fact that cooks in literally 5 minutes doesn’t hurt. But I just found red couscous – you’ll love its nutty, earthy flavor.

Another fun one is quinoa. It’s actually not a grain but a seed. It’s packed with protein, amino acids, and dietary fiber, and like cous cous, offers an amiable flavor profile that goes with just about everything.

Farrow has been gaining popularity in the restaurant scene over the past few years. It’s a type of wheat, but it is significantly higher in fiber than typical wheat. It has a rough texture that not everyone loves, but if you like rustic whole grains, you’ll enjoy it.

Lately I’ve been in love with Israeli (or pearl) couscous. It’s actually not cous cous, but pasta. When slowly simmered (like risotto), the little balls of dough offer a fun, chewy texture that I really like. You can also toast it in a dry sauté pan over medium heat for a few minutes first then simmer, and you end up with a completely different toasted, nutty flavor.

So now that you have all these great starches to play with, simply open up your fridge and see what’s in there. You can pair any of these with just about any veggie. Don’t have fresh? Frozen or even canned works just as well. If you have salad greens that are on the verge, add them to the pot – they may not be crunchy and fresh enough for a salad, but wilted they’ll be delicious.

Chop up some fresh herbs and throw them in at the end, or stir in dried herbs half way through cooking. If you have leftover meat, or even canned shredded chicken, or chopped cold cuts, sauté a bit to brown the edges, then add to the mix. Got cheese? (What kitchen doesn’t!) Shred some of whatever kind you have on top and voila, you’ve got a great quickie dinner. No matter which ingredients you mix and match, I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll have it done faster than the pizza guy can deliver. Enjoy your quickie!

**Click here to print Toasted Israeli CousCous with Butternut Squash Recipe**

Toasted Israeli CousCous with Butternut Squash and Fresh Mozzarella
Serves: 4
Time to prepare: 30 minutes

2 tablespoons butter
1 medium shallot, sliced
1 small butternut squash, diced into 1” cubes
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups Israeli couscous
2 tablespoons dry white wine
1 ¾ cups water
2 cups salad greens
1 cup small fresh mozzarella balls, halved
salt & pepper to taste

Peel and dice the butternut squash.

Melt butter in a large heavy sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallots, diced squash, nutmeg and cinnamon. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until the shallots are soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the couscous and toast until fragrant and very lightly browned, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently so as to prevent burning.

Add the white wine, stir and simmer to reduce.

Add the water, ½ teaspoon salt, bring to a light simmer, season with salt and cover. Simmer until liquid is almost absorbed and couscous and squash is tender, about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Stir in the salad greens and toss. Cook, stirring frequently, until greens are wilted.

Remove from heat, season to taste with salt and pepper, stir in mozzarella and serve.

Hazelnut Chocolate Mousse Cake (Recipe)

Oy. I can’t believe it’s been almost a month since my last post! Sorry kids, and thanks for your diligence in checking in on me. It’s been a whirlwind since the New Year – moving to a different neighborhood, setting up a new house (and kitchen), starting a new job, and trying to get sufficient Vitamin D so as to not go crazy in the process. So far I have found and unpacked everything from the boxes except for my steamer insert and one slipper. I figure that’s pretty good for a big move!

Truth be told, I haven’t been blogging because I haven’t had much to tell. For some reason my new abode has the world’s most sensitive smoke detectors and I’m literally scared to death of them. I’ve succeeded in setting them off, oh, at least 6 times. Seriously. Most recently at 6:15 in the morning – from heating a kettle of water on the stove for my morning coffee. Seriously. Seriously?! My next blog post will be: How to Make Friends With Your New Neighbors Against All Odds.

The kicker is, the town house has one of those fancy alarm systems where all SEVEN smoke detectors are actually linked to each other. So when one goes off, the others can’t handle being left out and start blaring as well. Unfortunately, they aren’t linked when it comes to shutting them off, and you have to go around and disarm them each individually. Harder than it sounds since the place has wonderfully high ceilings, and even with a ladder I can barely reach them! So perhaps now you understand why my cooking mojo has been hiding under the bed recently.

My first dinner party in the new pad had me whirling around the kitchen getting ready, when all of a sudden the apocalypse alarms went off. Since it was the first time, I had to find the ladder (which was still packed in a pile of junk who knows where), climb up on my tippy toes and try to shut the first one off. After about 5 minutes of screeching alarms, the doorbell rings, and I’m convinced it’s the very annoyed neighbors, the fire department, or the cops ready to arrest me for disrupting the world’s quietest neighborhood. Good Lord. Luckily it was just the (tall) dinner party guests, and they were able to help me return the house to pre-alarm status. It’s worth noting the alarms did go off TWO other times that night. I am still yelling because my hearing has been permanently damaged.

ANYWAY. Now that you’ve suffered through that terrible story, I have a delicious recipe as a reward for you. If you have a mean sweet tooth or are a chocoholic at heart, you will love this cake. I made it for my friend Kirsten’s birthday last weekend and it was heavenly. It’s a flourless hazelnut chocolate cake, and I served it up with some tangy raspberry sauce, dark chocolate sauce, and sweetened whipped cream. ¡Ay, caramba! It was seriously delicious.

There are three great things about this cake: 1. It’s not hard to make. Maybe not as easy as a box cake, but pretty close. 2. It’s seriously rich, so you can make pretty small slices and everyone will still be satiated. 3. It’s got a wonderful mousse-like texture that is a complete mystery – you’d just never believe a cake so rich could feel so light and airy.

So, make up some fake holiday or special occasion and make this cake for your chocolate-loving friends and family. They will undoubtedly love it. Enjoy!

**Click here to print Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse Cake Recipe**

Gianduia Mousse Cake
From: Gourmet Magazine, February 1998
Time to prepare: active time 15 minutes, total time 3.5 hours
Serves: 14 – 16

9 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
7 ounces fine-quality milk chocolate
1 cup Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread
3/4 cup unsweetened hazelnut butter
6 large eggs
1/2 cup superfine granulated sugar
1 cup well-chilled heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350° F and butter a 10-inch spring form pan. Wrap bottom and side of pan with a large piece of heavy-duty foil to waterproof.

Chop chocolates into small pieces and melt in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, stirring until smooth.

Remove top of double boiler or bowl from heat and stir in Nutella and hazelnut butter until combined well.

In a large bowl of a standing electric mixer or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer beat eggs until frothy, about 1 minute.

Gradually add sugar, beating mixture at high speed until thick and pale and it holds a slowly dissolving ribbon when beaters are lifted, about 4 minutes if using a standing mixer and about 8 minutes if using a hand-held mixer.

Pour chocolate mixture into egg mixture and stir until combined well.

In a chilled bowl beat cream until it holds soft peaks and fold into batter gently but thoroughly.

Pour batter into spring form pan and put spring form pan in a roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to reach halfway up side of spring form pan.

Bake cake in middle of oven 1 hour and 10 minutes. Turn off oven and let cake stand in oven 40 minutes.

Remove spring form pan from water and cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes. Remove side of pan from cake. Let cake cool completely before serving.

Serve cake with whipped cream. Cake keeps, covered and chilled, 3 days. Cake served at room temperature will have a texture reminiscent of mousse; chilled cake will be more fudge-like.

Raspberry Sauce
1 bag frozen raspberries, about 2 cups
2 tablespoons water
1 – 3 teaspoons sugar (to taste)
½ teaspoon cornstarch combined with 1teaspoon water in a slurry

In a sauce pan over medium low heat, heat the raspberries, water, and sugar.

Break up the berries with a fork as they defrost and warm.

Simmer for about 20 minutes, then bring to a boil and add the cornstarch slurry, stirring constantly as it thickens.

Simmer about 10 minutes or until desired consistency is reached.

Strain through a fine-mesh strainer.

Sweetened Whipped Cream
1 cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar

Beat ingredients with hand or stand mixer until soft peaks form.

Notes: Make sure to wrap your spring form pan tightly with extra wide, heavy duty foil. If you don’t have wide foil, you can use two pieces that are rolled together to try to seal the seam as best you can. If water gets into the pan the cake will be a little soggy, but not the end of the world!

Hazelnut butter is like peanut butter, but instead of using peanuts, it’s made with hazelnuts. You can find it in nicer grocery stores right next to the PB. Nutella can also be found in most grocery stores, typically also next to the PB.

This cake is seriously rich and sweet. A nice, tart raspberry sauce compliments it nicely and gives you another flavor layer. Ditto with the whipped cream. It might be too much to eat the cake by itself, so be creative with the accoutrements.

Put your chocolate sauce (I just bought a good quality chocolate sauce from the grocery store) and raspberry sauce into a small zip top bags and slice the very edge of one of the bottom corners off to drizzle the sauce on the plate like they do in the restaurants!