I had images of barbecuing all weekend, kicking it in the sun while languidly listening to the waves lap against the side of our boat, reading my Kindle and favorite food mags.

But instead of sun we got rain.
Lots of rain.
And wind. (Give me a moment to dab my eyes).

Mean Mother Nature waylaid those grand plans (can’t you go down to the fires in LA where they need you?), and we’ve been stuck inside like it’s already fall. Instead of barbecuing we’ve been cooking up an International storm indoors. Last night, inspired by his days long ago in Spain, Barnaby created a fabulous forget-about-barbecue meal that made us feel like we were sitting in a Madrid cafe.

The day before, we made the picturesque trek over to Taylor Shellfish in Shelton, WA and picked up an assortment of oysters, mussels and clams. On our way home we stopped off Pike Place Market for chanterelle mushrooms and a visit to The Spanish Table for chorizo.

Off to our warm and dry shelter for dinner! Barnaby gently sweated some garlic in olive oil then cooked the chanterelles, topping them with freshly chopped parsley. In another pot, he sauteed slices of the smoky, bold chorizo with tender fingerling potatoes. Adding white wine and bay leaves he simmered the clams into a dish known in Spanish as Almejas con Chorizo. The aroma alone was enough to make you want to dance the Flamenco.

We served it up with a warm rustic bread, tender green salad, a good Rioja, and even better company.

Go to Foodista for the recipe:

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Categories:	Fish & Seafood • Shellfish • Spanish	4 Comments
Tags:	chanterelle m • chanterelle mushrooms • chanterelles • chorizo • clams • Spanish

Not too long ago Mark cooked live lobsters for the first time and because it was such a special occasion, it called for special butter. Of course there is nothing more delicious than lobster dipped into sweet hot butter, but what if you kicked it up a notch? After boiling the lobsters he split them in half, placed them on the barbecue for just a couple minutes and brushed them with chipotle butter. They were quite the treat. I can imagine this butter on grilled corn on the cob, added to steamed clams or even spread on a baked potato.

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Categories:	Fish & Seafood • Sauces • Shellfish • Uncategorized • condiments • quick and easy	2 Comments
Tags:	grilling • lobster butter • seasoned butter

Julia Child week continues at Foodista! Last night I prepared Julia’s appetizer of Mussels Marinated in Oil and Herbs. I was looking to cook something quick and delicious and slightly off the beaten path of weeknight dinners. If you are a shellfish fan like I am, you’ll love it. Fresh herbs, vermouth and sweet mussel meat creates one tasty dish! Although created as an appetizer, these herb-y mussels would be perfect added to a salad with some scallops or shrimp or just added to a light angel hair pasta.

Love mussels? Here are three other mussel recipes that I’m planning to make in the near future.
Sausage and Mussel Soup with Kale From imafoodblog

Cedar Planked Mussels From Steamy Kitchen Food Blog

Moules Fromage Bleu From Laura’s Best Recipes Blog

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Categories:	Fish & Seafood • French • Herbs • Salads • Shellfish • Uncategorized • quick and easy	2 Comments
Tags:	appetizer • Herbs • julia child • mussels • Shellfish

I’m from New York City, my mother and grandmother were born in Rockville, Maryland. They always told me to never eat oysters in a month without an R (May, June, July, and August). Originally one of the most prolific oyster producing regions in the world, East coast water temperatures vary dramatically from winter to summer. I now live in Seattle, where water temperatures are always cold and people eat oysters year round, but I still hear that bit of folkloric advice from time to time even here. When it comes to food and folklore, I’ve found that folklore is usually spot on, which got me wondering if there’s more to this. My thinking was that it all had to do with modern refrigeration. Turns out the issue is more complex.

Last night I volunteered to do a bit of oyster shucking at an event for the Northwest Women’s Law Center. The oysters were provided by “Oyster Bill” Whitbeck, the market manager for Taylor Shellfish. Bill is one of the world’s leading authorities on oysters and co-author of The Joy of Oysters. Since we were about to shuck and serve 17 dozen oysters in July, I asked Bill about the whole “R” thing and offered my theory about water temperature. Bill smiled big and said “Oh that old wive’s tale! I get that question all the time.” He then went on to explain that, while refrigeration and water temperature used to be a part of the reason people didn’t eat oysters in the summer, the most important reason is because that’s when oysters spawn. In fact, a law was passed in 1762 in Connecticut prohibiting consumption during those months as a way of combatting the already declining oyster population. Today, it’s still important what type of oyster you choose to eat for each season. Last night we were shucking Pacific Oysters (crassostrea gigas) and Kumamoto (crassostrea skimea) Oysters.

Originally from the warmer waters of Japan, these two varieties are at just the right point in their breeding cycle (just before spawning) during the summer months here in Washington. During spawning, oysters use up much of their stored glycogen (a natural sugar) and lose their firmness. Still perfectly safe, they are just not as tasty. So, if you have been depriving yourself…stop it! Go get some oysters and enjoy! Do be sure to keep them very cold on ice. Also try my Yuzu Shiso Granita as a topping, it was very popular among our guests.

Oh and don’t forget the wine pairing! Jameson Fink, local wine steward and blogger at Sparkling Vouvray, brought a great set of whites for us to try. My favorite was an Austrian Grüner Veltliner.

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Categories:	Cooking tips • Fish & Seafood • Shellfish • condiments	3 Comments
Tags:	Folklore • Oyster Biology • oysters • Shiso • Summer • yuzu

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

What kind of food lover am I?! I completely missed Chinese New Year this year!  Next year I swear I’ll do better (and it’s on Valentine’s Day, so I know I won’t miss it). I had these wonderfully grandiose plans to create an exotic multi-course meal, each dish symbolic and auspicious and all that good stuff. But alas, we’d just returned from the Sundance Film Festival with nasty colds and, unable to taste nary a thing, we wanted nothing but chicken soup for days.

So in order to pay homage to any deities that I may have scorned during the celebrations I thought I would whip up some semblance of a respectful noodle dish. Let me preface by saying I know nothing-nada-niente about Chinese cooking. I am, as the expression goes, whiter than white on rice. I will unabashedly admit that for a layman I am somewhat brilliant when it comes to Japanese fare, but Chinese – nope, not at all. So if you’re Chinese please keep that in mind and forgive my feeble attempts at your lovely cuisine. Let’s call it Fusion Chinese or something to save face.

Jaden from Steamy Kitchen (one of my most fave blogs) inspired me to make noodles, a symbol of long life, with her Garlic Scallion Noodles dish. I grabbed what I had on hand in my fridge and threw together this tasty dish.  I sauteed a bunch of crushed garlic and ginger, then tossed in the vegetable noodles. I added a bit of oyster and hoisin sauce and a splash of toasted sesame oil. In a separate skillet I sauteed the snow peas, then the prawns. I made a little nest of the noodles, lined it with the snow peas and laid the prawns on top. I garnished the dish with a bit of black sesame seeds and we were ready to eat!

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Categories:	Asian • Fish & Seafood • Pasta & Grains • Sauces • Shellfish	3 Comments
Tags:	Asian • chinese • chinese new year • garlic • ginger • noodles • shrimp • vegetable noodles

On cold winter nights in Tokyo I loved nothing more than sliding my legs under the warm kotatsu table and enjoying a big pot of nabe. Nabemono (or simply nabe) is a  Japanese dish that is also known as “one pot” food. It can consist of a variety of ingredients: fish, meat, chicken, tofu, vegetables, noodles, or a combination of all. Probably the most well-known types of nabe here in the U.S. are sukiyaki and shabu shabu.

For a teacher on a meager salary in blindingly expensive Japan this was a fairly economical meal to prepare, yet it seemed so expensive and exotic. I’d go into the basement of the Sogo department store (where all the foods were) and pick a bit of vegetable here, a little tofu there, some thinly sliced beef, noodles, and whatever else looked good. All got thrown into the pot with either a dashi or soy sauce-based broth. Perfect with hot sake or an ice cold Kirin beer.

With a houseful of family here for the holidays we decided to put together a nabe meal, something everyone could enjoy cooking together at the table. In the center we placed our little portable stove with our nabe pot, and put out platters of paper thin pork, brisket, and beef short rib; mizuna (Japanese mustard greens), fish cake, eggplant, and sliced shiitake mushrooms; vegetable tofu and little tied bundles of konnyaku noodles (a yam-based noodle); tender scallops and shrimp.

I know everyone is happy when their hashi (chopsticks) are click-clicking away and their sake cups are frequently in need of refilling.

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Tags:	foodista • nabe • nabemono • one pot cooking • shabu shabu • Soup • sukiyaki • yosenabe

For as long as I can remember we’ve always had crab cioppino on Christmas Eve. It was a tradition started by my Grandma Ida, and one that I have vowed to continue in my own home since she passed away last year. I’m working on perfecting the recipe, though I know it will never be quite like hers. It’s not a difficult recipe, by any means, and ours last night was beyond delicious, but there are some things that will just always taste better when prepared by a loved one. Especially a grandma.

Grandma Ida lived in a hilly town on the peninsula just south of San Francisco. Being a traditional San Franciscan dish I’m fairly certain we’re not the only family that eats crab cioppino during the holidays. It’s also known as San Francisco cioppino, California cioppino, or just plain cioppino. If you’re a native (or a transplant who’s been there long enough) and you hear “cioppino” you’ll know exactly what seafood is in it: Dungeness crab, scallops, shrimp, clams, and some type of white fish. All simmered in a tomato sauce flavored with garlic, onions, white wine, and fresh herbs.

Because you use your fingers (as well as a spoon) to eat this Grandma Ida always supplied us with flour sack bibs and finger bowls with warm water and lemon. Big slices of toasty garlic bread always helped sop up the delicious soup too.

Crab Cioppino

4 pounds freshly cooked Dungeness crabs (approximately 2 lbs each)
2 dozen clams, well scrubbed
3 cups dry white wine
⅓ cup olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
3 ounces tomato paste
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon basil, finely chopped
2 pounds fresh white fresh white fish, cut into large pieces
¾ pound scallops
¾ pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
Chopped fresh parsley

Remove the legs and claws from the crabs and break the body in half, reserving as much of the “crab butter” as possible (the yellow-colored center).

Set crab pieces aside and force the crab butter through a sieve into a small bowl. Set aside.

Place the clams in a pan, add 1 cup of wine, and steam, covered, over medium heat for 5 minutes or until clams open.

Remove clams and discard any that do not open. Strain the stock through a cheesecloth and reserve.

In an 8-quart saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onion and garlic and sauté over medium heat until soft, but not browned.

Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and remaining 2 cups of wine, pepper, herbs, and clam stock. Partially cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the fish, scallops, shrimp, crab, and crab butter. Simmer for approximately 5 minutes or until all seafood is cooked; do not stir or the fish will break apart. Add the clams and heat for 1 minute.

Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately from the pot.

Serves 8.

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Categories:	Fish & Seafood • Holiday • Shellfish • Soup	4 Comments
Tags:	california cioppino • cioppino • crab cioppino • dungeness crab • foodista • san francisco cioppino • Shellfish

I’m a big Donna Brazile fan. So you can imagine my excitement when I heard she would be the guest speaker at a Washington Women Lawyers Awards Dinner that I was attending. Thanks to the swift shipping of Amazon.com, I had two copies of her book Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in America, a memoir of her life in politics, in my hands the next morning, ready for Tracy and I to have signed later that night.

As I introduced myself to Ms. Brazile, I said, “I’m actually not an attorney, I’m a food writer.” Clearly being a food lover herself (each chapter of her book is named after a New Orleans food), she flipped towards the back of the book and showed me her late mother Jean’s recipe for seafood gumbo.

“I’m talking gumbo with Donna Brazile!” I was screaming like a twelve-year-old inside my head.

There’s a lot of chopping and prepping involved in gumbo, so Jean would divvy up the tasks among her nine children. Who needs a Cuisinart when you have nine kids as your prep chefs! I bet they also made for some lickity split clean up too.

This last Saturday we hosted a dinner party and spent the afternoon making Jean’s gumbo. As Ms. Brazile recommends in Step 1 of her cooking instructions, “Pour yourself something cold…You’re about to cook with grease.” Out came the wine and the Dr. John.

Many shrimp, oysters, sausages, glasses of wine, and much stirring-and-browning-of-the-roux later, we dished up the gumbo sat down with our nine guests.

Then we raised our glasses and toasted the stirring up of America’s pot.

Damn, that gumbo was good.

Check The Politico for the complete recipe and instructions for Jean’s Seafood Gumbo.

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Categories:	Cookbooks • Fish & Seafood • Meat & Poultry • Seasoning & Spices • Shellfish • Soup • Veggies • wine	1 Comment
Tags:	Donna Brazile • Food • foodista • gumbo • new orleans • oysters • Politics • seafood • seafood gumbo

I love oysters on the half shell, but if they’re too big and briny they can kinda make me gag. But, the big ones are good for one thing: Oysters Rockefeller.

Oysters Rockefeller were created at the famous Antoine’s, owned by Antoine Alciatore, in New Orleans and were named after the richest man at the time, John D. Rockefeller. Antoine’s son, Jules, came up with the recipe when there was a shortage of escargot. While there are many versions of this dish the original recipe has never left the family vault, even former employees keep their lips sealed. They’ve been serving up their famous Oysters Rockefeller since 1899.

Oysters Rockefeller

The original recipe purportedly contains no spinach, but instead a bunch of fresh herbs and parsley. We also added a bit of Parmesan cheese to our version. I found this recipe after making our own spinach version:

• Two dozen fresh oysters on the half shell, oyster liquor reserved
• 4 springs flat-leaf Italian parsley
• 4 green onions
• A handful of fresh celery leaves
• 6 or more fresh tarragon leaves
• 6 or more fresh chervil leaves
• 1/2 cup dried fresh French bread crumbs, unseasoned
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (Rockefeller was rich and so are these!)
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• Tabasco, to taste
• 2 tablespoons Pernod
• Rock salt

Finely mince the parsley, green onions and the herbs. In a mortar, mix the herbs with the breadcrumbs, softened butter, and any remaining oyster liquor until you have a textured paste. Season to taste with salt, pepper, Tabasco and Pernod.

Spread about a 1/4 inch of rock salt in an oven-safe dish and set the oysters on top, making sure they’re level. The salt will help keep the oysters from sliding around and also make a pretty presentation. Spoon an equal amount of the herb butter paste on top of each oyster. Place on the middle rack under the broiler and broil until the edges of the oysters curl and the herb butter paste bubbles, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

I wonder what dish Warren Buffet would inspire?

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Categories:	Cooking tips • Herbs • Seasoning & Spices • Shellfish • Uncategorized	4 Comments
Tags:	antoine's • Food • foodista • new orleans • oysters • oysters rockefeller