the best granola

This is my absolute favorite store-bought granola. The secret ingredient is cocoa nibs. They aren't sweet but impart a subtle chocolate flavor. That mixed with the hazelnuts... mmmm.

The ingredients are: Organic Oats, Organic Coconut, Organic Maple Syrup, Organic Safflower Oil, Organic Ground Flaxseed, Walnuts, Marshall's Farm Honey, Hazelnuts, Organic Pumpkin Seeds, Organic Sesame Seeds and Scharffen Berger Cocoa Nibs. It is incredibly high in fiber and very good for you!

It isn't the cheapest granola ever and you can't find it just anywhere but it is worth the effort. I find it at Whole Foods and the small store by my house, Other Avenues. Here is a link to Divinely D'lish's website which has just changed its name to 18 rabbits. Since they are switching to this new packaging, it may be more difficult to find for a little while.

strawberries

I like strawberries.

Not strawberry flavored anything. No candy, ice cream, yogurt, or whatever... Just real, red, ripe, juicy, flavorful strawberries. No watery, pink and white out of season imposters. I could eat bowls and bowls of the good ones every day.

I try to eat organic, seasonally and as local as possible so watching all these strawberries from Chile come through the markets all winter has been killing me. I've been sooo tempted but know that it wouldn't be worth it. The flavor would be bland and all the energy costs to get it to the table from half way across the world are not good. Well, a couple weeks ago I saw the first "local" berries come through. From nearby Watsonville. They weren't organic but I couldn't hold myself back! From what I understand pesticides are put into the soil the berries are grown in so you cannot merely wash the pesticides off. They are actually part of the berry. Plus, there are something like 370 pesticides legally okay for conventional strawberry farmers.

Well, hopefully we won't grow 2 extra heads or anything because I couldn't hold myself back. I quickly bought 4 pounds (yes they are still expensive but not outrageous) and I think they were gone within 2 days. I didn't even want to tell my family about them. I didn't want them to open the refrigerator and see them. I wanted them all. But, my more generous side won and we have all been enjoying strawberries frequently. In fact I bought 4 pounds on Wednesday and I am positive they will already be gone by tonight. You had better watch out when the organic berries come into the store. There won't be any left after I leave! Mmmmmm.

scallion pancakes

We love scallion pancakes around here. In fact, even my 5 and 8 year-old boys will eat them (despite the green speckles). They aren't difficult to make but sometimes it is difficult to visualize the process so I thought I'd throw a few pictures in from when I made them this week. The salt on top combined with the taste of the sesame oil is a truly addictive combination.

1. Combine 2 cups of all-purpose flour with 1 cup of really hot tap water in a bowl and mix until a shaggy ball is formed. Rub a little toasted sesame oil on your hands and knead the dough a couple of times and then form 8 equal sized balls. Lightly coat each ball with sesame oil (to prevent them from drying out) and set out on counter for at least 30 minutes to let the dough relax.

2. Thinly slice, then roughly chop 3-4 scallions and set to the side. Heat about 1 1/2 inches of canola or peanut oil on medium- medium high heat in a wok or deep sided saute pan while you begin to form the pancakes.

3. After the dough has rested, lightly coat your hands and the work surface in sesame oil so it won't stick. Take one ball and pat it out into a flat circle about 6 inches in diameter. Sprinkle a few green onions across the surface of the dough.


4. Now roll up the "pancake" like a cigar.


5. Next you roll the cigar up like a snail shell.

6. Now press the rolled up dough flat like a pancake again- about 6 inches across. The scallions may poke through the dough a little and that's okay. Just try to be gentle so there aren't lots of holes.


7. Meanwhile the oil should have been warming up. You know it is ready when you stick the tip of a wooden chopstick in and it immediately is covered by little bubbles at the tip. Lift the pancake off the counter and gently set in the hot oil. It will shrink a little when it hits the oil. While the pancake is cooking get started on the next one. The cooking pancake will probably be ready to flip after you get the next one to "snail" stage. I use chopsticks to flip the pancakes but you can use tongs. The bottom should be golden and look mostly cooked through. The second side will take almost as long to cook. Finish getting the next pancake ready so that when you remove the first, you are ready to go. It's an assembly line. :)

8. When you take the pancake out of the oil, put it on a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with coarse salt and let cool as long as you can stand it. Cut each disk into quarters (kitchen shears work great for this). Enjoy! We even eat these cold at our house if they actually make it that long.

comfort food

It's been a busy, slightly stressful week around here and so I haven't had the kind of free time I'd like to have. Anyway, it seems like times like these, especially during weeks of constant rain (the literal kind) call for ultimate comfort food. One of my favorite recipes is "Penne al Forno". It comes from the days when I worked for HomeChef Cooking Store and School here in the city when they taught classes on basic cooking techniques. This recipe was covered in their sauce class- you go from a basic bechamel to a cream sauce to a mornay sauce and then stir it up with a few more ingredients to make this dish- basically macaroni and cheese all grown up! One tip, if you make just the sauce, it is great for eggs benedict. Mmmmm.... Next time I make it I will pop a picture in here- just to make you drool. If you feel the need to round out your meal you can add a big green salad.

Penne al Forno

1 ounce unsalted butter (2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1 cup creme fraiche (available at well-stocked grocery stores and cheese shops)
freshly grated nutmeg to taste (optional)
fine sea salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
2 ounces Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated (about 1/2 cup)
2 ounces Swiss or French Gruyere, finely grated (about 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
8 ounces penne, cooked al dente
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 ounces Panko bread crumbs, about 1 cup (available at well-stocked grocery stores and Asian markets)

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a heavy saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook over low heat for 3 minutes or until the raw flour smell is gone and it begins to smell slightly nutty. Add the milk, whisking constantly, and continue whisking until the sauce comes to a boil. (Now is a good time to start your pasta). Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. It should be able to coat the back of a wooden spoon well- pull your finger through the back of the spoon and the line should stay clear and not run back to the center or drip. When the sauce is of desired consistency (there should be about 1 1/2 cups of sauce), add the nutmeg to taste.

Whisk in the creme fraiche and keep warm on the burner at low heat. Add the grated cheeses and mustard and stir until the cheese melts and the sauce is smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Drain your pasta, transfer to a large baking dish and toss with 1 tablespoon butter. Heat the remaining butter in a skillet and saute the onion until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Mix the onion, pepper, and cheese sauce with the penne. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake in a preheated 425 oven for 15 minutes or until the bread crumbs are lightly toasted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

weekend ramblings

We are hitting the end of a long weekend and while there are a few things I'd really like to write about, I want to do a little more planning first. Anyway, OTHER than those things which I will hopefully write about later in the week, I've found a some new things to be excited about. (Maybe I can say "things" a few more times. Things, things, things, things, things. Okay I think it's out of my system.)


I just began reading a book a couple days ago called, "What is the What?" by Dave Eggers and I wish I could find more time to throw myself into it. It is an autobiographical novel about Valentino Achak Deng, a refugee from the Sudanese Civil War during the 80s. He is part of a group of children called the "Lost Boys of the Sudan" who were fleeing the south on foot for thousands of miles towards what they hoped was sanctuary in Ethiopia after their villages were burned and families murdered. Last January I read the article in National Geographic about the story of one of these boys (a different one from this novel, but still very similar experiences) and was intrigued. These are stories of the endurance of the human spirit. These boys watched as thousands of their peers were kidnapped, murdered, starved to death, taken by disease and eaten by lions. Their hardships go on for years. There was also a movie about the Lost Boys called "Got Grew Tired of Us" which I never saw but would like to. Anyway.... hopefully I can give my thoughts on the book in a week or so. I am only about 20 pages in so far but it is a good read- moving and unbelievable but with some humor thrown in!

Something I found out about today that I am excited for is the new U2 3D Imax movie! Apparently it is opening in a few cities in two days (but not here in San Francisco) and then many more places Feb 15. I was a big U2 fan in high school and this looks like a good time! Can't wait to see it.

yael naim new soul clip

I discovered this video on a friend of a friends' blog "Oh Happy Day" a couple of weeks ago and just loved it. Like she expressed- it made me smile! Thanks Jordan. I started searching for a place to find the album but itunes didn't have it yet and it was scheduled to be released stateside last week. It was finally posted on itunes when I checked yesterday. Yay! She has a really beautiful sound. Enjoy!

blood oranges

I look forward to the beginning of January each year not because it is time to set new resolutions or because I get to clean my house after Christmas has blown through. I get excited because the first blood oranges arrive at the farmers' markets! Tuesday was my first visit since Christmas and I was so excited to see them at the stand I always buy them from. I bought 6 or 7 and could barely wait until I got home to eat my first one. They have very few seeds and are fairly easy to peel so eating them out of hand is a pleasure compared to few in the middle of winter.

The taste of a blood orange is so unique- definitely tangy but it also has a floral sweetness like that of a raspberry. When you cut out the individual sections for a salad or dessert they look like rich ruby jewels waiting to be consumed by a hungry suitor. One of my favorite ways to eat them is in a salad. My lettuce of choice is arugula because I like the peppery flavor which offsets the sweetness of fruit very well. Also good choices are red leaf lettuce or butter lettuce but you can really use whatever you prefer. Cut the sections out of the orange by first slicing the ends off and then cutting the peel and pith off with a sharp knife, following the curve of the fruit. You are left with a red orb separted by the white membranes appearing as thin stripes in between the flesh of the fruit. Holding the orange over a bowl, use your knife to cut close to the membrane on each side of the section. The section will fall into the bowl. Continue with the rest of the orange and then squeeze the membranes to release the rest of the juices. You can use sections like these in many dishes- in a wild rice salad, on cheesecake, in a fruit salad... experiment. The leftover juice can be used in the vinaigrette or mixed with a little mineral water for a nice drink. I put these sections in the salad along with some thin slices of red onion, and toasted pistachios or hazelnuts. You can also add other citrus like ruby red grapefruit or navel oranges, maybe even kumquats. I make a dressing from a light tasting vinegar (Trader Joes makes a great Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar that I can almost use drink and is great on a salad even by itself) and a citrus olive oil (I use Stonehouse Blood Orange Olive Oil) but let your taste be your guide. A hazelnut oil would be great too. Another option for this salad instead of nuts would be some sliced avocado- also currently in season. Enjoy!

Arugula Salad with Blood Oranges, Onions and Hazelnuts
(feeds one hungry soul or 2-3 as a side dish)

3 oz baby arugula (half of a bag)
2 blood oranges, sectioned (see above for directions)
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 oz. toasted, coarsley chopped hazelnuts
2 tablespoons orange muscat champagne vinegar or rice vinegar
2 tablespoons citrus olive oil or nut oil
1/4- 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk vinegar and mustard together in a small bowl. Slowly add oil while still whisking and add salt and pepper to taste. In a medium bowl toss together arugula, orange sections, onion slices and hazelnuts. Add about 3/4 of the dressing and toss gently- I like to use my hands. Add more dressing if needed. Serve!