Barnaby has the uncanny ability to look into the fridge and be able to whip up some fabulous gourmet meal. I, on the other hand, will take a look and immediately say, “We have nothing, nothing at all. We need to go to the store.”

Last night was one such night. I saw nothing and Barnaby saw a cornucopia of delectables. So he took over (hmm, maybe I should just start feigning culinary ineptness more often!). What he grabbed from the depths of our pantry and cold storage was this:

Freezer: clams in an abundance of their juice, a fillet of King salmon and a few halibut cheeks.
Fridge: a bit of fennel, mayonnaise
Pantry: an onion, a carton of good quality tomato sauce, saffron threads, white wine, chili powder, the remainder of a loaf of pugliese, truffle oil…I’m sure I’m missing some other minor ingredients, but you get the gist.

The result of his genius was a beautiful and ever so scrumptious non-traditional bouillabaisse. We named it Pacific Northwest Bouillabaisse due to two of its key ingredients: halibut cheeks and King salmon. He didn’t stop there, oh no, he served it with toast drizzled with a bit of truffle oil and a rouille on the side (you want to move in with us, don’t you?).

It was the best darn scavenged meal I think I’ve ever had.

For further eating pleasure:

Here’s a great classic bouillabaisse recipe from Simply Recipes.
Jacques Pépin’s Chicken Bouillabaisse from Food and Wine.

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When cooking a meal one always uses some sort of seasoning. A special spice, a dash of a secret something from Grandma’s recipe, maybe just sea salt and cracked pepper for simplicity. As food is an integral part of our daily life, don’t we want it to taste as full and decadent as it possibly can be? Just as we want the air we breathe to be clean and pure. Why settle for less? La vita è corta!

Thankfully, World Spice Merchants in Seattle, Washington are at our beck and call (well, close enough: Mon. – Sat 10am – 6pm, and Sun. Noon – 5pm) to assist you, the gourmand, in finding that perfect ingredient to complete your culinary creation. Tired of plain chicken? Dress it up with preserved lemons, berbere, or Biscayne citrus rub. Want to dabble in Indian? Ethiopian? Tibetan? The experts at World Spice Merchants will kindly guide you in the right direction. And, true to Seattle style, in a very cool, casual, yet highly informative way.

Along with a huge selection of pure spices and hand-mixed blends that are blended in small batches to maintain the utmost freshness, their client list alone is sure to further impress you.

Enjoy the experience and the results.

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What was most beautiful was the large, whole, three-day smoked sturgeon that had just arrived that day and had yet to be sliced into. At $19 a pound we took a chunk and added a whole smoked mackerel as well for a mere $4 and change. Sunday brunch is calling…

When Barnaby was a child his father would bring out the toaster oven and set it and an assortment of bagels, cheeses and spreads, smoked fish and fish pâtés on the dining table for a self-toast-and-serve Sunday feast. We’ve continued this tradition on the occasional lazy Sunday. Whenever we stumble upon a good cheese, maybe a fine stinky Stilton, or a beautifully smoked fish, we’ll look at each other in agreement and say, “Let’s do a Dorfman breakfast this weekend.” Then we’ll build the menu around that one prized ingredient: the best bagels we can get outside of New York, maybe some chopped chicken liver or a bit of smoked sable, thinly sliced red onion and cucumber, some tomatoes and capers…you name it.

Try your own Dorfman Sunday feast at home some weekend. Brew a big pot of a Earl Grey tea, grab your favorite section of the New York Times and enjoy a delicious leisurely morning with your loved one.

Don’t know where to get great smoked fish? Zabar’s in New York can ship it, and many other delicacies, to you just check out their Fish Counter.

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The other day Barnaby and I decided to check out the new Persian restaurant down the road. Unfortunately, it had been years since I last had Persian food. But that is going to change! Why had I waited so long? It’s so Puurrrrsia-licious! Wonderfully fragrant cinnamon, saffron, sumac and mint are just a few of the delicate flavors that lend balance to a dish.

For an appetizer we were brought a basket filled with walnuts, herbs, feta and a thin pita-like bread. I could have made a meal from this herby delight alone. We were told it was called panir sabzi.

Panir sabzi consists of fresh mint, lemony Persian basil, Persian tarragon, garlic chives, walnuts, feta cheese and flat bread. The walnuts are soaked overnight in salt water making them soft, moist and salty.

We recreated this dish at home and while I could not find the exact Persian herbs and bread my substitutions were just as good.

Panir Sabzi

Fresh mint
Fresh basil
Garlic chives
Feta (in brine is best as it’s the most moist)
Pita, cut into quarters
Soaked walnuts (we were told to soak overnight in very salty water, like Dead Sea salty!)

Put a little bit of each on a piece of pita and enjoy! I think a sprinkle of sumac on top would add a lovely bit of color and lemony flavor, too.

Check out Chow for more Persian delights such as Pomegranates, Dried Lemons, Rose Water.

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Mmm…clams.

Clam chowder, clambakes, marinated, fried, steamed, stuffed, oh my!

However you like them, and wherever you are from, there seems to be a myriad of delicious way to prepare them. Last night we dressed up our buttery little Manila clams in a garlic white wine soup.

Zuppa di Vongole (Clam Soup)

• 3 dozen small hardshell clams (we used Manila)
• 1/2 C olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• Approx. 15 fresh cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 C dry white wine
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 T Italian parsley, chopped
• Optional: fennel, red pepper flakes, fresh chopped tarragon or 1 tablespoon of Pernod

Scrub and rinse the clams under cool running water. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over a medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté over medium heat until soft, but not browned. Then, add the tomatoes and wine and cook on medium-low for about 10 minutes. Toss in the clams and salt, cover, and cook over medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes. All the clams should be open after this cooking period. If any remain closed, throw them away. Add the parsley, stir, and serve. For added deliciousness, serve with toasted bread drizzled with white truffle oil.

La vita é bella!

Other great ways to prepare your clams:

Most of my family is in the San Francisco area. For as long as I can remember my grandmother has made cioppino every Christmas eve. There’s nothing better than tying on that big flour sac bib and tucking into a big bowl, juices dripping down your arms. Here’s a James Beard-adapted cioppino recipe from Simply Recipes.

Grilled Clams on the Half Shell with Ginger Mignonnette from Laura the Lobster Lady

New England Style Clam Chowder from Cooking For Engineers

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Forgive me, mi scusi, but I can no longer remain silent. I have a burning desire to correct those out there who keep saying, “bruSHetta.” Please, my friends, it’s pronounced broo -SKE – ta. We don’t say shool, do we? Well, we do if we’re Jewish and off to learn Hebrew. No, we say school.

So there, I’m off my high horse. I’ve said it. Now let’s collectively work on making all Italian servers smile jubilantly when we correctly order this tasty appetizer. On behalf of my Italian friends, grazie mille!

Bruschetta is a food that dates back to 15th century Italy. Traditionally, olive growers will take country bread to the mill at pressing time and toast pieces in order to sample the freshly pressed oil. Then, they’ll rub the toasted oiled bread with garlic and sprinkle with salt. Dio mio, makes working in a mill sound divine, eh? Sign me up!

In the summer when my tomatoes are ripe, I love to rub them – sun-warmed – on toasty garlicky slices of ciabatta. Topped with a slice of proscuitto is molto bene too.

Check out Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil from Simply Recipes.

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Couscous is so versatile you can flavor it with fruit, vegetables, seafood, meat, herbs, spices or a combination of any of these. Think of succulent turmeric stewed lamb; currents, mint and pistachios; herbs, almonds and preserved lemons. Makes me want to ride a camel to a tented oasis in the desert at sunset, have my hands washed in tepid rose petal water and eat sweet, earthy, aromatic delights with my fingers. Heavenly! (Though maybe I could leave the camel there and take a cab back? Somehow bouncing around with a full belly on a camel ruins the whole romantic Lawrence of Arabia thing).

To go with our chicken tagine last night I made couscous with red pepper, almonds, Italian parsley and preserved lemons. For about 3-4 side servings:

1 large red pepper, julienned
1/4 C toasted sliced almonds
1 small preserved lemon, sliced thin then in half
1/2 C Italian flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon zest for garnish

Sauté red pepper in a small amount of olive oil until soft. Add 1 cup chicken broth and bring to a boil. To keep the couscous moist, add 1 small pat of butter or a quick drizzle of olive oil to the stock. Add almonds, preserved lemons, couscous and stir. Turn off heat and cover for about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, tossing in parsley. Garnish with fresh lemon zest.

Janet Is Hungry has a lovely fresh recipe for Couscous Salad with feta. Yum! (I hope she got her dishwasher fixed!)

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