• List All Categories
    •  
    Seattle Cook Local Examiner
    Recipe and Shopping List - Week of July 7th
    POSTED July 5, 10:02 AM

    A squash blossom in my garden
    This week I bring you two recipes from The Washington Local and Seasonal Cookbook as well as an interview with one of the authors. I've also created my own recipe for you this week. Stay tuned for a report on my first three weeks of CSA membership as well.
     

    Dijon and Hazelnut Crusted Halibut


    Full Circle Farms Potato Salad

    Homemade Mayonnaise

    Braised Swiss Chard
    • 2 small red onions (from Anselmo Farms)
    • Butter (from Golden Glen Creamery or homemade)
    • 2 pounds of swiss chard (from Alm Hill Gardens)
    • White wine

    For more info: The The Washington Local and Seasonal Cookbook features recipes that spotlight our fresh local ingredients.
    Subscribe
    0 Comments: Add
     
    Weekly Produce Report (First in a Series)
    POSTED July 3, 4:41 PM
    If you're not a regular at the farmers markets, but want to become one, this series is for you. Thanks to the suggestion of a good friend, I'm going to start posting a weekly Produce Report. I'll highlight some of the new produce you can find... Read More
    0 Comments: Add
     
    Grilled Garlic Scapes
    POSTED July 3, 12:01 PM
    A few weeks ago at the market, I saw what looked like really long green beans. I had no idea what they were. Then a few days later, I saw this post on Accidental Hedonist. Nutty, garlicy, kind of like green beans? Sure. I'm in. The very next... Read More
    0 Comments: Add
     
    Tender Greens with Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
    POSTED July 2, 11:49 AM
    Another week, another salad dressing. This one comes to you from the fine folks who wrote the cookbook Tasty. I've been waiting for several weeks to make this recipe, until strawberries were plentiful and reasonable at the farmers markets. Tender... Read More
    0 Comments: Add
     
    Should You Join a CSA? (Part 3)
    POSTED July 1, 4:39 PM
    I've received two shipments from my CSA so far this season and I am very pleased with the quality and quantity of the vegetables. So in this installment of our mini-series, I'll provide some information on the variety of CSAs available in this... Read More
    0 Comments: Add
     
    Slow Poached Salmon with Red Wine Reduction
    POSTED June 30, 1:41 PM
    This is one of those meals that demands a special occasion. It isn't that complicated, or even that time consuming, but the end result is a rich and flavorful meal that your guests (or special someone) won't find anywhere else. It is also a very dramatic... Read More
    1 Comment: Add | Read
     
    Crispy Goat Cheese Salad
    POSTED June 28, 9:32 AM
    My husband and I eat salads just about all summer long. My biggest problem with salads though, is that I get bored. Sure, we often use a wide variety of 'add-ins', such as dried fruit, seeds, nuts, and croutons, but bottom line, it's still a salad.... Read More
    0 Comments: Add
     
    Recipe and Shopping List - Week of June 30th
    POSTED June 27, 9:21 PM
    Summer is finally here! There are so many new fruits and vegetables are finally showing up at the markets and I can't wait to share these recipes with you. I got a new cookbook that I'll also tell you all about - the Washington Local and Seasonal... Read More
    0 Comments: Add
     
    Local Cooking News!
    POSTED June 27, 9:10 AM
    Today I'm launching a new feature at the Cook Local Examiner - a news feed! If you visit the main Cook Local Examiner site, you'll notice a list of news items on the left side of the page. I'll update this list regularly when a new fruit or vegetable... Read More
    0 Comments: Add
     
    Cheese Stuffed Strawberries with Champagne Granita
    POSTED June 26, 1:31 PM
    This past weekend, my husband and I had a little celebration at our house. I'd like to say that we were celebrating the wide availability of fresh, local strawberries, but really, it was an anniversary party. I intended to make this little dish... Read More
    0 Comments: Add
     

    More Entries (50)

    Patricia DiGiacomo Eddy
    Patricia DiGiacomo Eddy never met a Farmer's Market she didn't like. Well, there was that one ... Since moving to Seattle, Patricia and her husband (AKA The Dishwasher) have embraced the Pacific Northwest's vibrant local food movement. She blogs at www.cooklocal.com.
    Search for more posts
      
    subscribe to Seattle Cook Local Examiner's posts

    Seattle Cook Local Examiner's Feeds

    • When I Don't "Cook Local"I will talk to just about anyone about the benefits of cooking and eating local. However, there are a handful of non-local ingredients in my kitchen and there probably will be for quite some time. So what foods or ingredients are important enough for me to go far and wide for them? Well, it wouldn't be a blog if I didn't tell you, now would it?
    4 days ago (Cook Local)
    Very well thenApparently, I am a little bit fickle. Only three short months ago, almost to the day, I was singing the praises of homemade mayonnaise, and now here I am, about to offer you a recipe for basil aioli made by doctoring a jar of Best Foods. This might be a good time, I think, to call into service my favorite Walt Whitman quote:Do I contradict myself?Very well then, I contradict myself,(I am large, I have eaten a lot of mayonnaise).I am not usually a quote person, but I find that this one comes in handy in lots of different situations.This past Saturday night, our friend Olaiya had a barbeque. The party was ostensibly to celebrate her new backyard - she moved a couple of months ago - and our newly arrived summer weather, but between you and me, I think it was just an excuse for icy drinks and corn on the cob. (Which I really can’t fault her for.) We all chipped in and brought six-packs of beer, and I made two batches of fresh mint ice cream, and once the sun went down, the tables were lit with tea lights in old jars. It was 85 degrees outside, and Olaiya wore a foxy little dress, and the night was so pretty that not even a stain on the tablecloth from spilled beer, or strawberry margarita, or whatever it was, could mar it.Olaiya is a caterer, so she makes these sorts of things look maddeningly easy. For dinner, she made fresh salmon burgers with radishes and red onions, and she covered a platter with sliced tomatoes and slivered basil, and there was an enormous bowl of corn on the cob with butter and lime. For his part, Olaiya’s boyfriend John made some excellent margaritas, both regular and the aforementioned strawberry, and though I am a lightweight of almost comical proportions, somehow they didn’t even make me tipsy, which pleased me so much that I had to tell everyone how not-tipsy I was, which, in retrospect, probably means that I was in fact tipsy. Either way, it was a gold star party all around. Also, when it came time to play Who Would You Rather, I managed to come up with the following doozy: Johnny Cash, or Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash? (Go ahead and take a minute to think about it. It’s tough.)But the very best part of the evening was one of its smallest details: the basil aioli. It was the recurring theme of the party - a benevolent sort of stealth weapon, I guess you could say, sneaking its way into everything. While we waited for the grill to heat, it served as a dip for tiny carrots, radishes, snap peas, and potato chips, and as a finishing topknot for deviled eggs. I spread some on the bun for my salmon burger, and it was delicious, too, on a slice of tomato or a bite of corn on the cob. (I even contemplated sneaking some into my bag to bring home, since it was already finding its way into everything, but I decided to be polite.) It was such a simple, subtle touch, but I couldn’t help thinking it was something that we all - you, me, everybody - should have in the arsenal.So yesterday, I made Brandon show me how to make it. He had made a big batch a couple of weeks earlier, for one of Olaiya’s catering gigs, and it wasn’t too hard to scale it down, tasting and tweaking. Essentially, you make a slurry of olive oil, basil leaves, garlic, lemon, and salt - very much like pesto, minus the pine nuts and parmesan - and then stir it into your favorite mayonnaise. Now, I love homemade mayonnaise - so much so, in fact, that I might argue that it’s not even in the same species as store-bought - but sometimes, I cannot be bothered. We were short on time, and also, our kitchen is currently very, very hot, so for the sake of instant gratification, and so that we didn’t kill each other, we used store-bought. (Anyway, when you’re making flavored mayonnaise, it often isn’t worth it to start from scratch, because all those soft, delicate nuances will be covered up anyway. It strikes me that this might be veering dangerously in the direction of Sandra Lee, but I think it’s perfectly fair.) Folded together with basil puree, the mayonnaise turned a pale shade of seafoam green, which looked impossibly elegant - almost Martha-esque! next up: topiaries! - on the end of a carrot. And it tasted just as you would imagine: like the best parts of pesto and mayonnaise put together, with a faint whiff of garlic, smooth and creamy and, in a word, summery. I’m thinking burgers, here, people, and chicken salads, and tomato sandwiches, and BLTs. I’m thinking Fourth of July. I can’t wait.Shortcut Basil AioliI used Best Foods – also sold as Hellman’s – mayonnaise for this recipe. It’s the brand I grew up with, and I think it has great flavor.2 Tbsp. olive oil¼ cup packed basil leaves½ tsp. lemon juice1 medium garlic clove, pressedPinch of salt½ cup mayonnaise, either homemade or commercialIn the jar of a blender (or a small food processor), combine the olive oil, basil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Process until the mixture is smooth like pesto, pausing every now and then to scrape down the side of the blender jar with a small spatula or knife.Put the mayonnaise in a small bowl. Add the basil mixture, and stir well to mix.Serve as a dip for raw vegetables, spread onto sandwiches, folded into chicken salad, or dolloped on top of deviled eggs (minus the paprika and hot sauce, preferably).Note: This recipe doubles very easily. However, don’t automatically double the amount of garlic and salt called for here; start with the quantities for a single batch, and then add more to taste.Yield: a little more than ½ cup
    5 days ago (Orangette)
    I baked you a cakeWow. I’m not sure what to say today. I sent off my revised manuscript at 9:30 this morning, and judging by the mess around our apartment, my entire brain went with it. Just now, I retrieved the mail from its slot by the front door and discovered that, apparently, when I paid the bills last week, I didn’t put stamps on any of the envelopes. Consequently, they all came back today, like a small flock of homing pigeons, only flatter. Let’s hope that my brain does the same. Soon.I’m not going to type for long today, because I feel a nap coming on. But I wanted to celebrate this little victory with you, because you’ve been very patient with me lately, and with my brain. I want to thank you for that. So I baked you a cake.Well, actually, I baked it for a friend’s party, and it’s all gone now, but I saved the photographs for you. And the recipe. Does that count? I hope so.I also hope you like carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. I know I do. To me, carrot cakes taste like picnics on red checked blankets and parties by the pool, and because I can’t give you a picnic or a party, I thought this was a good alternative. There are pecans in the cake part, and it was supposed to have raisins too, but I left them out, because I worried that you wouldn’t like them. It’s moist and lightly spiced, and the frosting is not too sweet, and it’s three layers tall, which means that there’s plenty for everyone. Brandon shaved a taste from of one of the layers before I frosted it, and he made all sorts of moaning noises and declared it the best carrot cake ever, and I don’t think he said that just to make me feel better about the loss of my brain. (Although maybe just a little.)So dig in! And don’t worry about saving any for me. All I need is that nap.Classic Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese FrostingAdapted from Bon AppétitI know there are lots of carrot cake recipes out there, and with all sorts of embellishments, but it’s important to have a classic one in your repertoire, and I think this one will be mine. It’s simple and miraculously moist, and the flavors are spot-on.Oh, and if you like raisins in your carrot cake, add ½ cup with the carrots and the pecans.For the cake:2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour2 (slightly heaping) tsp. baking powder2 (slightly heaping) tsp. baking soda1 tsp. salt1 tsp. ground cinnamon½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg¾ tsp. ground ginger1 ½ cups sugar1 cup vegetable oil4 large eggs½ cup unsweetened applesauce3 cups finely grated peeled carrots1 cup pecans, choppedFor the frosting:2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, at room temperature½ cup (4 oz. / 1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature2 ¼ cups powdered sugar, or to taste3 tsp. vanilla extract1 tsp. lemon juicePosition racks in the top and bottom third of the oven, and preheat to 325°F. Lightly grease 3 (9-inch) round pans with butter or cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper, and then grease the paper too.In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Whisk well to blend.In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the sugar and oil until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well to incorporate after each addition. Add the applesauce, beating to mix. Add the flour mixture, and beat to incorporate, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if needed. Add the carrots and the pecans, and beat briefly.Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. (It will look pretty skimpy, but don’t worry; the cakes will rise nicely in the oven.) Slide the pans into the oven – I put one on the top rack and two on the bottom and rotated them once or twice during baking – and bake until the cakes begin to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The original recipe says that this should take about 45 minutes, but in my oven, it only took 30 minutes. Cool the cakes in their pans on a wire rack for 15 minutes; then turn them out onto the rack to cool completely.When the cakes are cool, make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Sift in the powdered sugar, and beat on low speed until incorporated. Add the vanilla and the lemon juice, and beat well to incorporate. If the frosting is lumpy from the sugar, bump the speed up to medium-high and beat the crap out of it. That usually does the trick.To assemble the cake, place one layer on a platter or cake stand. Spread it with ¾ cup frosting. Carefully place another layer atop it. Spread with ¾ cup frosting. Top with the third cake layer, and then spread the remaining frosting over the top and down the sides. Serve at room temperature.Note: You can make the cake layers one day before assembling the whole cake. Wrap them tightly in plastic wrap, and store them at room temperature. The assembled cake can be prepared up to 2 days before serving. Store it in the fridge, covered with a cake dome, and allow it to come to room temperature before serving.Yield: 10-12 servings
    5 days ago (Orangette)
    The Anti-FoodsView Poll: #1213953
    6 days ago (Cooking for 2)
    Cooking Quotation"Cooking is like love, it should be entered into with abandon or not at all." --Harriet van Horne
    7 days ago (Cooking for 2)

    Seattle Local Cooking News!
    My Favorite Farms
    Most useful cooking tools
    Cook Local Examiner's Favorite Links
    More Seattle Examiners

    Home

    Examiners

    News
    Los Angeles
    California
    US
    World

    Politics
    White House
    Iraq
    Race for 2008

    Entertainment
    Movies
    Movie Reviews
    TV
    Music
    Strange

    Sports
    NASCAR
    Basketball
    College
    Football
    Soccer
    Hockey
    Baseball
    Golf

    Business
    Technology
    Science
    Stock Market
    Stock Quotes
    News Releases

    Health

    Classifieds

    Autos

    Jobs

    Real Estate

    Also Visit:

    Family Movies and Books
    from Walden Media

    Venues, Sports and Music
    from AEG Worldwide

    Concerts, Artists and Tickets
    from AEG Live

    Be Inspired - Quotes and Stories
    The Foundation for a Better Life
     
     
    Add News to Your Website | RSS | Contact Us | Join Examiner | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
    Advertise with Examiner: In Print | Online

    (page generated in 0.27 seconds)