Little is better than a spectacularly fresh piece of fish that’s been grilled to perfection, like this halibut. Perhaps I’m just easy to please. All it needs is a bit of salt and pepper and the gentle licks from the barbecue’s flames. But when topped with a fruit salsa, such as Papaya Salsa, all the neighbors from blocks away can hear my whoo-hoos.

It’s that damn good.

We based our recipe on our Mango Salsa and substituted with Papaya, either are delicious. Here’s a simple recipe:

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Categories:	Fish & Seafood • Fruit	2 Comments
Tags:	fish • grilling • halibut • mango salsa • papaya • papaya salsa

I am finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to our yard. Prior to us purchasing our home it had been empty for a year, so needless to say, the garden was and has been in complete disarray. Where does one begin!? I have an exceptionally limited knowledge of gardening and have found the whole task of landscaping daunting. No, let me rephrase that, I found it mind numbingly overwhelming.

Fortunately for me and Barnaby, my mother and step-father are master gardeners. This last weekend they loaded their Euro Van with shrubs and plants, left their Sunset-magazine-perfect home and headed north to Seattle to improve the state of our garden. We arrived home from work on Friday greeted by the two of them wielding all sorts of garden tools and implements. I knew what I was in for and I knew I had to keep up – Mom and Greg are serious forces to be reckoned with in the garden.

Saturday morning I  donned the grubby jeans and the protective eye wear, and trimmed hedges like a burly man. Barnaby, on the other hand, steered clear of the gardening whirlwind and whipped up meal after meal for us. That evening, fresh and clean from our showers, we sat in our beautiful backyard and sipped chilled Rosé while Barnaby barbecued.

Along with his famous Caesar Salad he grilled up yogurt-marinated vegetable and shrimp skewers and served them with a Moroccan-style cumin yogurt sauce. That – and a handful of Tylenol for the sore muscles – fixed me right up for another days worth of gardening!

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Categories:	Fish & Seafood • Veggies	2 Comments
Tags:	grilled vegetables • grilling • kabobs • kebabs • kebobs • shrimp • skewers • vegetable skewers

Since summer is officially here, lets have a toast! Another way to celebrate summer herbs besides eating them in your salad is to infuse them into drinks.  I like to make a recipe that is grilled peaches brushed with lavender simple syrup and stuffed with gorgonzola dolce and since we just happen to have extra lavender simple syrup I made some vodka soda drinks adding the leftover lavender simple syrup for added sweetness and flavor and they were delicious! I just had to share it with you all.

Vodka Soda with Lavender Simple Syrup
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. dried lavender blossoms
ice
4 oz. vodka
12. oz soda water

Combine water and sugar in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Add dried lavender, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and cool. Into each pint glass, add ice, 2 tablespoons lavender simple syrup, 2 oz. vodka and fill with soda water. Stir. Depending on your sweet scale, you may want more lavender simple syrup.

Cheers!

Photo by Lakobos

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Categories:	Beverages • Entertaining • Herbs • Uncategorized • cocktails	8 Comments
Tags:	cocktails • lavender • summer drinks

Aside from cupcakes, madeleines are about the cutest darn things ever. Mini Bundt cakes are right up there too. This past weekend, my friend Tracy brought to our barbecue not one, not two, but three lip-smacking varieties of corn bread – all charmingly shaped as diminutive madeleines and Bundts.

The beautiful fresh lavender that she plucked from her yard that morning was a lovely treat as well!

Try one (or all!) of these delicious corn bread recipes for your next barbecue. Baked in a non-traditional way like these will certainly bring ooos and aaaas from your guests.

Click below for the basic corn bread recipe. Optional ingredients for variations are given in the “Cornbread Madeleines” section:

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Categories:	Baked Goods	2 Comments
Tags:	Baked Goods • barbecue • bread • Bundt cakes • corn bread • cornbread • madeleines

As a restaurateur, the ambiance and experience your guest will have in your restaurant is just as important as the food they will eat. Often months of research and development take place before a restaurant opens while the owners, chefs and management search for the right look, feel and taste to define what their new venture will be. Instead of trying to replicate that slow-cooked tomato sauce that tastes authentically like an Italian grandmother’s secret recipe, one restaurant owner decided to go straight to the source. According to the New York Daily News, Joe Scaravella of Enoteca Maria Italian restaurant on Staten Island has hired eight Italian-born grandmothers to  cook truly authentic Italian cuisine every night. Each of the women rotate cooking for the 35-seat restaurant and since each of the women come from different parts of Italy, regional dishes can vary from night to night. One woman was quoted saying that she’s happy to cook what she wants and how she wants, her husband is spoiled and doesn’t appreciate what she does, at Enoteca Maria, people clap in appreciation at the end of the night.

If you can’t get to Staten Island any time soon, you can attempt to create your own Italian style dishes- here are some standouts from Foodista for inspiration.

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Categories:	Restaurants	Leave a Comment
Tags:	Chefs • enoteca maria • Food • Italian • Restaurants

My Aunt Dolores always makes this wonderful pasta salad for her barbecues and I’m adding it to my repertoire this summer as well. It doesn’t really have a name, so I’ll call it Mediterranean Pasta Salad, as it contains a lot of the yummy goodness from that region: Kalamata olives, Roma tomatoes, fresh basil, Balsamic vinegar… It’s slightly different each time, depending on what ingredients you happen to have around. The shape of the pasta can change too, though it’s best to use a variety that can “hold” the dressing otherwise it will dry out too quickly.

In this case, I happened to have some nice broccoli flourets on hand, some lovely ripe tomatoes, fresh tarragon, and a beautiful red onion. For the dressing, mix in a bit of aioli (mayonnaise can be used) to coat but not drench the noodles. This will give it a nice creaminess. Then add Balsamic vinegar, some sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, and mix well. Adjust to your personal tastes: if you want it creamier, add more aioli; richer, add more Balsamic. Toss in a bit of extra virgin olive oil before serving for added flavor.

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Categories:	Italian • Mediterranean • Salads • Sauces	Leave a Comment
Tags:	Italian • Mediterranean • pasta salad • salad • side dishes

Editorial Note: We’re happy to introduce Warren Etheredge of The Warren Report as a Contributing Editor on the Foodista Blog. Be sure and check out the video clips below.

Which would you rather eat?

a) a genetically-modified, patent-protected soybean increasingly devoid of nutrients that may put all family farmers out of business?

b) a hamburger comprised of dozens of the ground-down slaughtered carcasses of cattle — raised more cruelly than Augusten Burroughs, Christina Crawford and Antwone Fisher — and padded with an ammonia-cleansed filler of fat, gristle and trimmings?

c) your words?

FOOD, INC. poses this question indirectly, but it is the crux of the movie. If we truly are what we eat, shouldn’t we review our options a little more judiciously? And, shouldn’t we discuss our choices publicly before our Freedom of Speech is bought out by the very business interests that intend to limit them?

Robert Kenner ’s well-packaged documentary serves up the issues in a manner suited for mass consumption. The film covers all the inherent problems with our increasingly industrialized food chain from the main ingredient of chicken soup to Big Food’s litigious oppression of growers and consumers that’s just nuts. We learn that poultry-breeders are today’s indentured servants, seed-cleaners are tomorrow’s witches and grocery-shoppers are an endangered species because food-like substances being marketed and sold to us are killing us slowly. (Think you’re healthier than your grandparents? Guess again. They didn’t stop thrice daily at the Yum-Yum Snack Shack for a Mega-Meal and Jug-o-Pop. Grandma and Grandpa also got out in the sun — to work! — once in a while.)

Authors Eric Shlosser and Michael Pollan have stated their convincing cases before — in Fast Food Nation and In Defense of Food, respectively. Here, they offer up their worries and warnings in bite-sized chunks that serve as a narrative backbone, along with pinches and dashes of like-minded mavericks such as Joel (Salad Bar Beef) Salatin of Polyface Farm and Gary (Stirring It Up) Hirshberg of Stonyfield Farm (The latter is a entrepreneurial champion of the commodification of the organic movement; the former, an authoritative advocate for the (re-)simplification of the food cycle. Bet he read Snip, Snap, Snurr and The Buttered Bread.) Naturally, the big cheeses of Big Food refuse to go on camera, on record. Consequently, it is the repressed testimony of Republican mom Barbara Kowalcyk that lifts and separates FOOD, INC. from the cornucopia of related documentaries. Having lost her 2-year-old son to an E. Coli outbreak in 2001, Ms. Kowalcyk now fights for food safety legislation despite the efforts of lobbyists and lawyers to shut her up. Sadly, these money-launderers and three-bit shysters have succeeded to a great extent. Congress has done little to protect the public. And, when pressed to explain how her own eating habits have changed since her son’s death, Ms. Kowalcyk zips her lips for fear of prosecution. (You’ve got to see it to bereave it.) Apparently, it’s okay for the food industry to kill kids with tainted burgers, yet it is not okay for to her to have it her way and speak her piece.  Even Elise Pearlstein, the producer of FOOD, INC., shied away from talking about her diet, during our conversation, for fear of retaliation. Only Oprah is bold and wealthy enough to speak up and shill out for a dream team of defense attorneys. But what good is the First Amendment if Free Speech is only available for purchase? What good is the FDA if its policing-powers are as morally-corrupted by conflicts of interest as Eliot Spitzer at a Hookers-For-Justice conference? What good is the federally-approved food pyramid if its corn-and-grain keystones serve only as building blocks for a fatter, not fitter, America?

FOOD, INC. frames the dilemma, offers multiple choices. THINK before you bite. Read Pollan, Schlosser and Salatin. Read Nina Planck’s Real Food: What to Eat and Why, the best blend of the sense and science of nutrition. Better yet, visit a farm, not just your farmers’ market. If you’ve got kids, take ‘em. If you’ve got fists, shake ‘em at Tyson, Perdue, Monsanto and so many more. Remind yourself where your meals come from before saying grace. Not everything that lands on our plates is worth being thankful for, but by changing your shopping habits, you can ensure you are blessed. Think global, eat local.

(For more information on food issues, purchase a copy of The Warren Report: EAT ME, a half-hour investigation of organic food and farming with special guests Nina Planck, Colin McCrate and John Peterson of THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN The dvd — which contains bonus materials including a 40-minute panel discussion with Peterson, McCrate and Maria Hines, chef/owner of Tilth — sells for only $10, plus $5 p&h. Order on-line or write to warren@thewarrenreport.com)

FOOD, Inc. Interview

Eat Me Trailer

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Categories:	Author	Leave a Comment
Tags:	cattle • Eric Shlosser • Food • Gary Hirshberg • genetically modified foods • inc • michael pollan • the warren report • warren etheredge

Italy holds a special place in my heart. I spent six months there in college, and those six months I still consider the best in my life. Maybe because it was the first time I’d gone abroad alone and thus, quickly learning to fend for myself; maybe it was learning a new language, then surprising myself when I actually spoke it; maybe it was all that wine and delicious foods I discovered. I’m sure it was all those things and more. I know it was the friendships I formed (both American and Italian), friendships that I still maintain today (thank you, Facebook!).

Italy became one of those places I consider home. Even though I’ve not been there in twenty years I still think of #10 Via Patricio as home. So when I heard about the April 6 earthquake in Abruzzo, I shuddered. Fortunately none of my friends were affected by the devastation, but many cannot say the same. Hundreds of lives were lost, thousands were hospitalized, and tens of thousands more have been displaced.

Here in the Northwest (Seattle and Portland) restaurants are rallying together in an effort to support the victims of the quake in Abruzzo. On June 24, restaurants participating in the “Big Night for Abruzzo” will donate a portion of their sales to the victims of the L’Aquila earthquake.

Participating Seattle Area Restaurants Include: Barolo, Bella Italia, Bella Napoli, Branzino, Cafe Lago, Caffe Fiore, Caffe Umbria, Caffe Vita, Calabria Ristorante, Cantinetta, Ciao Vito, Europa Bistro, Firenze, Gaspare, Hunt Club @ The Sorrento Hotel, Il Bistro, Il Terrazzo “Carmine”, La Rustica, La Spiga, La Vita é Bella, Mamma Melina, Marcello, Mio Posto, Mondello, Paradiso, Piccolino, Pizzeria Guido, Pizzutos, Procopio, Pulcinella, Restaurant Zoe, Ristorante Luciano, Salumi, Salvatore, Sorrentino, Tavoláta, The Mark, The Pink Door, Trinacria, Troiani, Tulio, Tutta, Bella, Via Tribunali, Vince’s

Participating Portland, Oregon Area Restaurants: Ciao Vito, Nostrana, Salute

Major Sponsors Include: Caffe Vita, Dinerware, Ferrari of Seattle, Gravity Payment, Peroni, Rosella Produce, Stoneway Concrete, Vi Wines, Vio Vi Juice of Blood Orange

Date: Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
Location: Please See List Above
Time: Varies Depending on Location
More Info Please Email: yuasa@caffevita.com

For more information about the L’Aquila earthquake click here.

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Categories:	Events • Italian	Leave a Comment
Tags:	abruzzo • earthquake • fundraiser • Italy • l'aquila earthquake

This last Monday night, Foodista collaborated with Michael Hebb of Onepot.org and Foraged and Found Edibles in the Caffe Vita Loft for a “Friends of Foodista” dinner. What came together in the kitchen was beyond extraordinary. If you have followed Michael Hebb lately, you’ll notice that the guy is involved in a variety of projects all over Seattle and making the rules up as he goes. As part of the evening’s experiment, I showed up to the Vita loft around 11:30 am and set up my laptop at the edge of the kitchen counter right next to Chef Conor Donahue from San Francisco who was busy slicing butter clams, and began to document recipes directly into Foodista as each recipe was created in front of me.

The dinner wasn’t completely thrown together by the seat-of-their-pants. Over the weekend, chef and co-founder of Foraged and Found Edibles, Christina Choi, and Chef Donahue met with Hebb and decided on a menu inspired by seasonal and foraged ingredients from the area. The menu would be about the ingredients. Every recipe on  Monday night’s menu was either foraged wild or locally harvested. Even the butter clams for the Butter Clam Fritter Appetizer was foraged by Foodista co-founders Barnaby and Sheri over a long weekend near Hope Island.

Chef Choi showed up at the loft carrying ingredients freshly picked only 24- 48 hours prior and set to work baking off Elderberry Shortbread to go with the local strawberries with elderberry syrup that we would later eat for dessert. As I was attempting to write precise recipes into the Foodista site, I received less than standard responses to measurements, techniques and even ingredients for most of the recipes. Not to anyone’s fault, it’s just that chefs don’t often use measurements while they are cooking, chefs cook by feel, taste, touch and smell. So when I ask for the recipe on how to make their specific court bouillon, they’re recipe suggestion was to “use what you have lying around,” only half joking of course. For example, while Hebb was preparing the octopus, I asked, “Okay, so what is the next step?” ”

“Use a sharp knife and cut head from tentacles,” he said.

“And then what do you with the head?”

“Say… give it to your cat.”

“Michael, can you tell me what is in the spice rub for the elk shoulder and what the amounts were?”

His response was, “Open your pantry, use a variety of spices that appeal to you. We used juniper berries, fennel seeds, chili flakes, cumin and coriander guajillo chili peppers.”

Over the course of the day and into the evening I watched the three experienced chefs create stunning dishes out of simple, but high quality ingredients and all inside a fairly basic kitchen set up. The dishes were beautiful, delicious and made with respect to the ingredients. I kept thinking as each gorgeous dish was passed around the table, I’ve seen these ingredients before, I can do this at home- with the right recipe that is. When you buy fresh and local, the ingredients speak for themselves and don’t require too much work on your part. Plus, you are supporting local farmers and foragers who didn’t fly your produce from half way around the world to get it to you. If you need a little inspiration for turning your farmer market seabeans or garlic scapes into a great meal, check out the recipes created by Onepot on Foodista.

MENU

Appetizers

Butter clam fritters with wild sorrel aioli:

Lemon balm leaves with raw porcini salad and chive flowers:

Plates

Local scallop crudo with sea beans and shiso:

Octopus with fingerlings and wild onion blossoms:

Elk shoulder with porcini, farro, and garlic scapes:

Wood violet and miners lettuce salad:

Sweet

Local strawberries with elderflower syrup and cream:

Farm direct Caffe Vita Sumatra Gayo River coffee

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Categories:	Entertaining • Events • Fish & Seafood • Fruit • Herbs • Meat & Poultry • Pasta & Grains • Salads • Shellfish • Veggies	Leave a Comment
Tags:	caffe vita • christina choi • foodista • foraged • found and foraged • local • michael hebb • one pot • onepot.org

I stare at food all day. At least recipes and photos of food. Some days I get the “cooking bug” and want to rush home to whip up the various dishes that inspired me, others times I just get a bit overwhelmed by it all. When that happens it’s either a quick stop at the market to pick up a roasted chicken or heading home and yanking something out of the freezer.

Last night was an “I’m-too-tired-to-cook-and-we-don’t-have-anything-in-the-fridge” kind of night. So Barnaby took charge. He opened the freezer, pulled out a bag of edamame (soy beans) and some sashimi-grade albacore tuna, and looked at me and said, “Oh, there’s always something in the freezer.” My contribution was putting rice and water into the rice cooker, pushing the “Cook” button and pouring us glasses of wine. That’s about all the energy I could muster up.

True to Barnaby’s form, he produced yet another fantastic meal in no time flat. He boiled the edamame, then pureed them with a bit of white miso and mirin.

He gave the tuna a quick sear on both sides, then sliced it thin and laid it on top of the rice. For added color and flavor he sprinkled it with a bit of furikake.

Healthy, delicious and quick! All I had to do was drink my glass of wine and wait!

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Categories:	Asian • Fish & Seafood • Japanese • Veggies	Leave a Comment
Tags:	albacore • Asian • edamame • edamame puree • fish • Japanese • miso • puree • seared tuna • tuna