Review: Veil Restaurant, Seattle, WA

I really shouldn't be writing a post tonight, I should be researching restaurants in Rome and Tuscany, or calling my old friend that I haven't talked to in 6 months. Dinner at Veil was so inspiring I feel the need to get it all down in bytes before I can forget any details.

Although Veil had been on my mental short-list for awhile, the additional motivation for this pilgrimage came when Dana from tastingmenu.com recently signed on as their pastry chef.  But you'll have to wait a few paragraphs for dessert.

We came in early, and the modern room seemed a bit stark in the bright daylight. As the sun mellowed, so did the space. Lindsay's service was equally warm. She took note right away of our special requests (vegetarian, nut allergy) and was ready to figure out how to customize the menu and alert the kitchen. And her attention to details like bringing more bread so that we could mop up the last bits of sauce made us feel right at home. If you are a vegetarian, by no means should you let the online menu discourage you. Veil will work with you to create a first-rate meal.

Veil likes to treat first-time guests to a glass of champagne to set the mood. I'm not a big bubbles drinker, but this was a nice glass, dry and crisp and appetizing. The amuse bouche was a peach soup with herb oil garnish, served in shot glasses. It was full of the perfume of the perfect end of summer peaches we are getting right now,  seasonal and delicious.

For appetizers we had the green salad with whipped Laura Chenel goat cheese (my personal favorite) and pickled grapes, and an heirloom tomato salad with basil oil. If I were to mention one minor flaw in a great dining experience, perhaps a few leaves in the green salad could have been picked over more carefully. The pickling of the grapes was subtle but interesting, and complemented the chevre. The tomatoes were spot-on ripe and needed no elaboration beyond the oil and a few grains of salt to be great.

For entrees we ordered larger portions of two dishes that were designed as second courses. We asked for the mascarpone enriched carnaroli risotto to be supplemented with artichokes, which turned out to be a great call. The artichokes were trimmed down just to the base of the hearts, cut into triangular wedges and sauteed. Risotto can be properly served either wet ("all'onda") or a bit firmer depending on the region of Italy, but in any case should be al dente. Veil's was delightfully creamy, full of the flavor of good wine and mascarpone, and relatively firm with a good bite,  topped with first-rate Parmigiano-Reggiano. I would say it is the best and most refined risotto I've had in Seattle.

Our second entree was house-made agnolotti filled with a silky-smooth turnip puree. Agnolotti means "priest-hat", and I don't think Veil's are quite in the traditional shape. Or possibly the chef attends a different church than I'm familiar with. These were more like ravioli with an additional fold that made them into little purses. In any case, the shape wasn't really relevant to the fact that they were wipe-out-your-bowl delicious. It takes a confident hand to fill pasta with turnips, which not everyone loves. This worked great, the marriage of the toothsome pasta with the creamy and slightly bitter filling dressed with top-notch olive oil and chives is still rattling around in my brain.

And then we come to dessert. Narrowing down to only two choices was a solemn duty. We settled on the Chocolate Fondant Cake (which I believe predates Dana's tenure) and the Kaffir Lime & Lemongrass Creme Brulee (which is her creation). I'm most familiar with fondant as the heinous handball-like coating found on wedding cakes. None of that here of course. This was a delicious affair of two layers of chocolate topped with an intense caramel.

The star of the show was undoubtedly the creme brulee. We both tend to be skeptical of messing with this classic, but this turned our heads. The flavor of the kaffir lime leaves was intense yet elusive. Sarina and I were literally dissecting the dish trying to figure out if it was infused in the custard or the sugar top, or possibly in some sort of thin layer between? In any event it was haunting and great.

Modern food can so easily lean on the shock value of extreme flavor combinations, or focus far too much on stunning presentation and forget flavor. And there is also an unfortunately high correlation between modern style and snobby, scenish atmosphere. Veil suffers from none of these faults. Every bite of food we ate had clear, clean, intense flavors that made sense together and looked great on the plate, and the service couldn't have been nicer or more considerate.

Our ticket is a bit misleading tonight because we didn't order any drinks. The total including the complementary champagne and amuse, two salads, two customized entrees, two desserts and two coffees was $112 plus tip. So probably a realistic grand total would be around $80 per person, which for me puts Veil in the "event" category more than the "run out and grab a bite" realm. I have high expectations when we get to that level, and Veil exceeded them, providing us with a meal that I'm sure we'll be talking about for quite awhile.

Details:
Veil Restaurant
555 Aloha St.
Seattle, WA  98109
(Lower Queen Anne, at Taylor St., near Crow)
(206) 216-0600 or opentable.com for reservations
http://www.veilrestaurant.com/

Chocolate Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Filling And Chocolate Gelato

We have officially entered the Snacky Pants birthday celebration period, which extends approximately 30 days on either side of the actual anniversary of her entrance to this world. We've kicked in to high gear a bit earlier than usual owing to our rapidly approaching trip which will separate her from many of her usual admirers during this important holiday. Brother and CatWoman feted her with gifts, and I was directed to produce both chocolate cupcakes with a cream cheese filling and a chocolate ice cream. Normally I would have wanted to go to vanilla or some sort of caramel ice cream, but one does not argue with the birthday girl.

Simply Desserts, in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood is famous for their chocolate cream cheese cupcakes, and in fact I'd just eaten some at a going away party that my office crue held before my leave of absence started. So the flavor was fresh in my mind when I started searching, and I settled on this recipe at recipezaar.com. The only change I made was to use chopped Guittard bittersweet chocolate instead of the chips. I was slightly skeptical of the vinegar, and could taste it faintly when they were warm, but no-one seemed to mind, though I'm not sure why the recipe wouldn't just call for baking powder instead of or in addition to baking soda. These cupcakes were super moist and tasted even better after a day in the refrigerator.

For the ice cream, I once again turned to Fanny over at Foodbeam.com and followed her recipe for Willy Wonka's Everlasting Chocolate Gelato. Wise call. This time I used Scharffen-Berger unsweetened bar chocolate and Lake Champlain cocoa powder, and pressed brother into service  separating eggs and whisking and manning ice water baths while I began removing the general sheen of chocolate from the whole kitchen. The result was astonishingly rich. If you have a chocolate itch that this doesn't scratch, you may need to be hospitalized for your own safety.  As my friend Stu says, "dzaing main"! The only problem we had was that it really needs some freezer time to harden up, and since we started cooking late in the evening, we ended up eating it in semi-souplike form, even after a brief attempt to quick freeze on a baking sheet. Anyhow this only made it quicker to deliver the chocolate punch straight to our arteries. The picture above was taken the next day, at the "proper" texture. Yes, I re-lit the candle for verisimilitude. Clearly I need one of those ice cream freezers like they have on Iron Chef that can go from custard to ready to serve in 20 minutes.

Snacky Pants and all of the other revelers reported full satisfaction and an inability to sleep due to chocolate overload. Mission accomplished.

Contest: Looks Sweet, Eats Savory

Yesterday's Caramelized Pear "Cupcakes" With Blue Cheese Frosting got me thinking that it would be fun to see what other playful stuff folks might make in this genre of food that looks like a sweet but eats like a savory. Let's have a contest! Here are the rules:

• Write up your entry and post it on your blog, or if you don't have a blog you can email it to me at the address below. A formal recipe isn't required, we'll settle for a picture and a description. Please link back to this entry in your post.
• Email me at herbivoracious@gmail.com with Savory in the subject line:
  - the url of your post
  - the name of your dish
  - your name
  - your geographic location
• Also, please put a comment on this post linking to your post so we can all see it sooner!
• Deadline is Sunday, September 16th and I hope to post the roundup within a few days after that (depending a bit on how much fun we are having in Rome.)

Also, special thanks to Veggie Chic for hosting the latest Carnival!

Caramelized Pear "Cupcakes" With Blue Cheese Frosting

I was on my way out the door to work the other day and for some reason I said to Snacky Pants, "what would go with Blue Cheese Frosting?", and she gamely replied "pears of course". And then I was thinking of a great post (that I can't seem to find) that Dana had over at tastingmenu.com about a meal she prepared that was all sweet savories and savory sweets. I love the idea of that. Here's my first try at this concept. I used puff pastry and caramelized the pears in a skillet, making alternating layers. Then I added smoked Spanish paprika (pimenton dulce) and baked them in mini muffin tins. For the icing I mixed about 1/3 Pena Azul (a Spanish blue cheese) with 2/3 plain cream cheese and a bit of lemon juice, and topped them with a few grains of the red Hawaiian Alaea sea salt. Verdict: pretty good, not bad for a first try at a totally new area of cooking for me. Definitely fun but I think the flavors need a bit of refinement. Also I bet using phyllo instead of puff pastry would be appealing. I didn't have mini parchment cupcake wrappers, but that would add to the effect, and clearly I should take more care in piping out the frosting. I think the Pena Azul is too salt, I think I would try a Gorgonzola Dolce instead. You could serve them an appetizer with a good sherry. Here's an approximate recipe:

Caramelized Pear "Cupcakes" With Blue Cheese Frosting
Makes 6

• 1/2 lb. homemade or frozen all-butter puff pastry
• 2 ripe but still firm pears
• 1 T. sugar
• 2 t. smoked spanish pimenton de la vera (dulce) paprika
• 1/4 c. Pena Azul Gorgonzola dolce or other blue cheese
• 1/2 c. cream cheese
• 1 T or so lemon juice
• red Hawaiian Alaea sea salt for garnish
• butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 and butter 6 spots in a mini-muffin tin
2. Slice the pears about 3/16" thick, skipping the core
3. Find a couple circle cutters the approximate size of the top and bottom of your muffin tin. Cut 6 small and 6 larger circles of pear. You'll have lots of pear leftover to eat.
4. Heat a skillet on medium, add a bit of butter, and after it melts, sprinkle in the sugar. Add the pear slices and cook a few minutes on each side, til nicely caramelized.
5. Again with the circle cutters, cut 6 small and twelve larger circles of puff pastry.
6. Put a small piece of puff pastry in each muffin tin, top with a slice of pear, and add a pinch of the paprika. Repeat, and finish with a layer of pastry.
7. Bake about 15-17 minutes until golden brown
8. To make the icing, just warm both cheese in the microwave for 30 seconds or so until beatable, add the lemon juice, and go at it with a small whisk until smooth. Don't put any salt in the icing because you want to be able to garnish with it. Taste and adjust.
9. Cool the cupcakes, remove from muffin tins, and pipe on the icing with a pastry bag or cut the corner off a small ziplock. Top with a few grains of the red salt.

New Day, New Name!

When I started this blog, the impulse to create it THAT VERY MOMENT superseded the fact that I wasn't really happy with the name The Vegetarian Foodie. Many of you offered great suggestions and I bent the ears of everyone around me. My friend MG suggested Herbivoracious and the more I sat with it, the more I felt it really captured my attitude towards vegetarian food. I don't want to eat animals, and I do have a voracious appetite, not so much in sheer quantity but in the desire to try everything I can, learn everything I can, cook everything as well as I can, and share great meals with people I love. So Herbivoracious is the new name and I hope everyone likes it!

Dragonfruit, Dragon Fruit, Is That A Pitaya In Your Pocket?

... or are you just glad to see me? I'm glad to have made the acquaintance of this tropical fruit, known also as a Strawberry Pear, Nanettikafruit, Thanh Long, as well as the more common names of Dragonfruit (or Dragon Fruit), and Pitaya. Apparently it comes in several varieties and can be grown in many tropical parts of the world, but the organic one I spied today (costing a double-take-inducing $12/pound!) at Madison Market had red skin and and stunning neon-magenta flesh dotted with small black seeds.

The flavor and texture immediately reminded me of a giant kiwi fruit, although they are apparently not relatives. The dragonfruit grows on a cactus, while kiwi is from a vine. Nonetheless, the slightly grainy, watery flesh and seeds were very reminiscent. The flavor is mildly sweet and tangy, not particularly intense.

While tasty enough to eat out of hand, at that price I don't think many of us will be slicing pitaya up for an everyday breakfast. It would definitely be attention grabbing in a fruit salad or as a garnish. After puzzling about what I wanted to do with it, I landed on a quick sorbet that I served with a crepe filled with chocolate ganache. To make the the sorbet I just pureed the flesh with quite a bit of honey and a few grains of sea salt, and pushed it through a fine meshed sieve. You could put it in an ice cream maker, but I was in a hurry, so I poured it out on a baking sheet, set it level in the freezer, and agitated it with a fork every few minutes while I prepared the crepes, until it firmed up nicely. The sorbet developed a slightly gelatinous texture, which I liked but some (Snacky Pants, are you with me?) might find unappealing. That must be due to some chemical property of the fruit, but I don't know the technical explanation. I think it would also make a great ice cream, though of course the color would become pastel. If I made it again I think I would use agave nectar instead of honey for the milder flavor and the nice symmetry of using two cactus-based ingredients. Shot of tequila anyone?

Where to Eat in Israel (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv) and Italy (Rome, Florence, near Sienna)

The long anticipated sixth month sabbatical is now upon your loyal author! Starting Sept. 1 we'll be traveling to Israel (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv) and Italy (Rome, Florence, and an agroturismo named Montesigliano near Sienna) for a month, and I plan to post lots of food pics from the road. I thought I'd interrupt our regularly scheduled blog to ask everyone out there for suggestions of food experiences we shouldn't miss. We are equally interested in fine dining and the best falafel or gelato stands, as well as markets, bakeries, wineries, and artisanal producers. And of course bonus points for places that you've had good vegetarian experiences at, or that will be nice to Mini-Me and tolerate the occasional screech of joy. If you have any suggestions, please add them as comments below, and thanks a million!

Salt Crazy (My Favorite Sea Salts)

It seems as if I have some sort of salt problem. I was thinking of writing about salt, and just raiding my cabinets I found the eleven varieties pictured above. This doesn't actually put me in to the outer realm of salt craziness. I don't carry my own in a little box to restaurants (though I have to admit it doesn't sound like a terrible idea). 

Properly seasoning food with salt is absolutely one of the keys to making it delicious, and as Jeffrey Steingarten points out so clearly in The Man Who Ate Everything, the health media and government are conspiring to deny us that simple pleasure. Well, really what they are trying to do is protect people's hearts, but it turns out that only a small percentage of folks actually have salt-sensitive hypertension and the rest of us could enjoy it pretty liberally. And actually even if you are salt-sensitive, the wonderful finishing salts available now can be a real boon. You can use less sodium mixed in to a dish, and sprinkle a few grains of something great on top and get much of the enjoyment. I've actually taken lately to going a bit easier on the salt in the food so that I can use more at the last moment to get maximum flavor.

Here's a little experiment that you might find interesting. Measure one cup of pure tasting water into a cup. Add one pinch of salt, stir, and taste. Add another pinch, and repeat until it tastes like soup. How many pinches did it take before your water went from refreshing to tasty to oversalted? Remember those flavors and it will make it easier to properly salt while you cook.

Most of the salts above (with exceptions noted below) are finishing salts, which means that they aren't generally meant to be cooked into the food. They are for sprinkling on, either just before serving or at the table. And to be honest, to me most of them taste about the same. There may be subtle variations in degree of saltiness, but what makes them really different is the texture and color. And it isn't just the size of each grain. Many of them have unique and fascinating shapes which are interesting on the palate.

Here are my notes on each of the salts I have in my own kitchen, starting at the top left of the picture:

• Pacific Salt Sea Salt (coarse) - from New Zealand. Very large crystals, much too big to sprinkle directly on food, but perfect in a salt grinder. It would also be beautiful as a bed for presenting food.
• Esprit Du Sel - from the Ile De Re in France, also large but much more irregular, and with a beautiful gray color.
  
• Big Tree Farms Handcrafted Balinese Sea Salt - this is one of the most interesting salts I've run across. Each grain is a little hollow pyramid! A really fascinating texture. The same company also sells Balinese Long Pepper, which was prized by the Romans before the black pepper we use today was well known. It has a terrific floral aroma along with the mild heat.
• Hawaiian Black Sea Salt - super shiny hard black crystals, with the color coming from carbon. This would be great on a flatbread.
• Hawaiian Red Alaea Salt - actually more of an orangey-pink translucent color. This would look awesome on a margarita glass.
• Maldon Sea Salt - regular readers will probably be sick of hearing me carry on about this. If I were stuck on a dessert island, this is the salt I would bring. The texture is thin and flaky, so you get these perfect hits of salty crunch.
  
• Alder Smoked Sea Salt - I picked this up at a slightly odd shop in a small town, and frankly I'm not a big fan. Sounded good, but the smoke flavor just isn't clear, just kind of tastes funky. Maybe I just didn't get a great brand.
• Fleur De Sel de Ile De Re - unlike the Esprit Du Sel, this particular fleur de sel from M. Banaletti is much finer grained. My friend Steve brought it back for me from a trip to France. I particularly like it on salad and grilled vegetables. I don't see that exact salt available on the web, but I've linked a similar one.
• Truffle Salt - I got this at Dean and Deluca in NYC. I normally wouldn't buy such a thing, but it actually delivers a heck of a lot of truffle aroma. For those of us that rarely get the real thing, it is worth having just to occasionally open the jar and take a deep whiff. Good on scrambled eggs. It claims to be 5% black summer truffles but also lists "truffle flavor".
• Kosher Salt - Diamond Crystal or Morton's brands are good. This is the go-to salt for seasoning food as you cook. It tastes better than iodized salt, and the coarse grains make it much easier to grab and distribute a pinch at a time. You should have a bowl of this by your stove at all times.
• Hain's Iodized Sea Salt - just like the normal iodized salt you grew up with, but without the trace minerals removed.  I've had the same box for probably 5 years. I sometimes use it for baking because I figure that is how most recipes are tested, and you know it will dissolve well. I don't know if it is just because of the fine texture, but it has a noticeably unpleasant sharpness to it when tasted by itself.

So that's my salty story. And there are hundreds more that look great and I hope to try someday. What other ones do you love (or hate)?

Review: Il Terrazzo Carmine, Seattle, WA

Things that will not happen to you at Il Terrazzo Carmine:

1. Your waiter will not try to upsell you to a more expensive wine or entree
2. Your waiter will not be either inappropriately familiar, nor will he or she be distant or hard to find when you need them
3. Your food will not involve foam, xanthan gum or anything requiring "air quotes" on the menu
4. You will not feel as if they can't wait to get you out the door so they can turn one more table this evening

I could go on, but I think you get my point. Il Terrazzo, hidden in an office building in Seattle's Pioneer Square, is a textbook of classic high-end Italian dining.  While the beautiful people are out chasing some hot table where someone just won a James Beard award, the folks that are really in the know are dining beautifully without the hype.

Snacky Pants and I ate there Saturday night with my brother and his lovely girlfriend to celebrate her birthday. We started with a round of cocktails and an antipasto platter (which was customized to be vegetarian with no hesitation) and a wild mushroom ragout over polenta. The antipasto included slices of tomato, beets, fresh mozarella, grilled eggplant, and herby white beans, which we wiped up with the terrifically crusty house bread.  The waiter also caught on right away that we wanted vegetarian appetizers and alerted us that the polenta was normally served with a demiglace but that they would leave it off.

For a second course, the womenfolk shared a Caesar (with anchovies in the dressing, not for me), while brother and I had grilled romaine with walnuts and a gorgonzola dressing. While good, the romaine was a bit too bitter though it balanced nicely with the sharp and creamy cheese.

My entree was the Gnocchi Sorrentino, which was a good bit tastier than yesterday's playdough version. Just beautifully made pillows of potatoey pasta goodness with a flavorful tomato sauce full of parmesan. I was surprised at the large portion, I actually could have ordered the small plate and been satisfied. Brother ordered a steak which came with astounding shoestring fries, maybe 1/16" thick and crispy and salty and perfect. SP had wild salmon with a superb fried ball of mashed potatoes with a cheese center, like arancini riso but potato instead of rice. (Does anyone know what these are called? I've never had one before, but I'm thinking of trading several thousand dollars worth of Nigerian oil futures for another one). And girlfriend had risotto which I couldn't taste but I heard good things. With the entrees we polished off a bottle of 2005 Lange Reserve Pinot Noir. For desserts we stuck to the classics, a flourless chocolate cake and a well made creme brulee in a shallow baking dish for maximum caramelized surface area.

There is something so utterly comforting about Il Terrazzo Carmine. It isn't one of those rooms where you are sequestered in a quiet booth to have your feet gently massaged while your eggplant is harvested. It is a fairly loud, fairly large space. But after your first visit you simply know that you can put yourself in their hands. You don't have to be on the defensive looking for them to put you at a crappy table or bring one person's entree ten minutes after everyone else is served. Everything is going to be done with class, the food will be cooked with confidence and care, and you will have as leisurely a meal as suits your mood. I'm particularly firm on that last point. If I'm spending serious ducats for dinner, I don't want to be rushed in and out. This is my entertainment and event for the evening, and I want to savor it with my family and friends. Il Terrazzo understands that like very few restaurants in America.

The total for 4 drinks, one $55 dollar bottle of wine, 2 appetizers, 2 salads, 4 entrees, 2 desserts, 4 coffees and including tax and tip came to $336, or just about $84 per person. Expensive, but to my way of thinking absolutely worth every penny.

Details:
Il Terrazzo Carmine
411 First Ave. S. (near Pioneer Square)
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 467-7797
http://ilterrazzocarmine.com

Free validated valet parking in the garage in back

Foodbeam Sables Au Chocolat with Fleur De Sel

I've been thoroughly enjoying Fanny's Foodbeam blog lately, and when I needed a straightforward chocolate dessert for dinner with Mini-me's cousins tonight, I thought I'd check her archives. Sure enough, there were these great looking Chocolate Sable Cookies with Fleur De Sel. Fanny warns that they might induce some form of rage but it was a chance I was willing to take. Boy am I glad I did, they are superbly chocolatey and the salt provides a subtle counterpoint. I used my favorite Maldon sea salt, and Guittard bittersweet chocolate. And as a bonus, this solved a little mystery for me. 20+ years ago when I lived at the Green Gulch Zen Center and Farm in Marin County, we used to make a little mocha cookie that I loved. I tried to figure out the recipe years later and never quite hit on it. Now I realize that it was a sable technique, with the sandy texture from the sugar and no egg or liquid to dissolve it.  (Sable is from the French word Sablee which means sandy). I'll have to make these again with an espresso flavor and see if it is close. Another nice bonus about the eggless recipe: you know you can safely eat the dough and let your kids lick the spoon! Be sure and follow her advice to take them out before they actually look done, they firm up a lot as they cool and this is a case where the flavor is coming from the chocolate, you aren't trying to caramelize the sugars.

And by the way props to Fanny for providing the recipe by weight, that makes it go so quickly and  accurately. If you don't have a kitchen scale, here's a digital one that we own and I get much use out of. It is small enough to live on your counter, but big enough to weigh up to 2 Kg / 4.4 pounds, and accurate to the gram. If you do have one, I want to make sure you know the trick for working quickly with it. Let's say you need 100g of flour, 40g of sugar, and 50g of cocoa powder mixed together. Turn on the scale with its bowl and pour in flour until you hit 100g. Leaving the flour in the bowl, "tare" the scale (reset it to read 0). On the scale I mentioned above that is a simple click of a button. Pour in sugar until it reads 40g. Tare again and add the cocoa until you reach 50g. Fast, spot-on, and no dirty meassuring cups!

Totally unrelated note. How great is the Pacific Northwest? In Seattle I can play golf, and kind of hope I fade my ball a bit to the right along the fenceline, so I get to eat handfuls of perfectly ripe blackberries while I wait for my partners to take their second shots!

Sables Au Chocolat with Fleur De Sel (Chocolate Sable Cookies with Sea Salt)

Playdough Gnocchi (Recipe)

Here's our entry for Hay Hay Its Donna Day's Gnocchi Contest. Mini-me and I have been working on these every morning since before we knew there was a contest, so of course we had to enter them. Does anyone have a sauce suggestion? The texture is ultra-smooth and they are oh so salty.

Playdough Gnocchi
Serves 2 (1 grownup and 1 munchkin)

1. Take 1 large container of playdough (homemade or store bought), and roll out into 3/4" wide ropes. We like to use all the colors kneaded to a nice neutral, but if you prefer primaries I'll understand.
2. Cut into 1" lengths.
3. Hold a kitchen fork tines down on a table, with the back towards you. Take each gnocchi, and using your thumb, roll it down the fork to create the ridges, and press in to create an indentation on the opposite side.
4. Place on a non-breakable plate and serve immediately!

Edamame in an Edible Tofu Bowl

I've been cogitating about this idea for awhile. Don't ask me why, but I've really had the urge to use circle cutters to make things out of tofu lately. And then I had this idea that I could make an edible bowl, and it seemed only fitting that I should fill it either with edamame or miso soup. Sort of an Ode To Soy. This one was pretty big, maybe 4 1/2 inches across, but I think it would work well to do much smaller ones and serve them individually as an appetizer. And it is ridiculously easy. Just start with good quality firm or extra firm tofu. Use one large circle cutter to create the outside shape. Brush with oil, set on a heatproof surface, and hit the outside with a blowtorch all the way around. Then use a smaller circle cutter but don't go all the way to the bottom, and hollow out with a spoon. Toss edamame with toasted sesame seeds, sesame oil and sea salt. I used black Hawaiian salt. I plated it with nanami togarashi spice mix, both for color and to provide some heat. The photograph shows way too much of it though, that is pretty spicy stuff so just a light dusting would be more appropriate. (Nanami togarashi is a Japanese pepper mixture that includes chili flakes, orange peel, sesame seeds, ginger, and seaweed. You can find it at Uwajimaya markets or online).

Persian Sweets, Allergy Cards, and Virtual Carnivals

There are three unrelated things I want to talk about today. My challenge as an utterly unprofessional writer: segue between them so that you as innocent reader feel as if they are intimately connected.

Have you ever had Persian (aka Iranian) bakery treats? The Seattle area is home to the delightful Minoo Bakery at 12518 Lake City Way NE. I neglected to bring my camera, but there is a nice picture of some of the sweets at Nerd's Eye View. Owners Rashid Ramzani and Ezzat Ghaderi clearly put a lot of love into their pastries. Everything in the case looks neat and precise, and the baking area in back is very clean and well organized, both of which I've found are strong indications of delicious baked goods to come. I had a couple of shortbread-like cookies made from chickpea flour, and a wonderful rolled phyllo and nut item similar to baklava.

Like many desserts from the Middle East and India, the Persian pastries are on the very sweet side, which makes them perfect for enjoying with coffee or tea. And also like many foods from that part of the world, they contain a lot of nuts. Which I dearly love, but Snacky Pants is severely allergic to. Now I don't mean it gives her a tummyache allergic. I mean hit her with the Epipen and off we go to the ER allergic. So we were delighted to learn about Select Wisely. They make laminated, wallet sized cards that describe your specific allergy or other dietary needs in many languages. Need to tell the Finns that you are a vegetarian? Headed to Croatia and lactose intolerant? They've got you covered. And if they don't have one in stock for your particular issue, they'll have it custom made.

And you know, when I'm traveling, I like to get in on local events and celebrations. When I'm hiking the blogosphere, I'm always on the lookout for a good carnival. Hey look! Is that our name in lights?

Recipe: Eggplant Parmesan aka Eggplant Parmigiana (Vegetarian)

Mini-Me's best friend and his entourage came over tonight. We all usually have at least one weekend meal together.  His Dad MG is an outstanding cook and made urban-foraged berry cobbler with a cornmeal top, vanilla-honey frozen yogurt, the salad, and the sauce for the cappellini, and took all the pictures for today's post. I made the eggplant parmesan you see above. (Best-Friend's Mom is the Jen you see in the comments many days. Don't worry about the sumac from a couple posts ago, she's just giving me a hard time). We forgot to snap the final dish til after we'd begun disassembling for alimentary delivery, but you get the general idea.

I basically followed the method from Marcella Hazan's seminal Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, with a couple of differences. She doesn't bread the eggplant, only dredge it in flour, where I really wanted a panko crust, and I like to serve it with a dice of fresh heirloom tomatoes and basil on top. I couldn't get her method of salting eggplant stacked vertically to work right, so I just went ahead and layed them down and weighted them like I always do. The consensus seemed to be that that the dish turned out well, with a lot of tender bite from the eggplant, delicious melty cheese, tang from the tomatoes and the high note of the basil. It was also damn fine cold for breakfast this morning.

In the picture to the right you can see the dredging stations - flour, egg, and panko, and my trusty cast iron skillet, where probably 70% of my meals take a turn. Kindly forgive the dorky grin. Here's the approximate recipe. I didn't measure anything, but this should get you in the ballpark where you can use your own kitchen common sense.

Eggplant Parmesan (or Eggplant Parmigiana)
Serves 6 as a main course

3 large or 5 smaller globe eggplant, about 4 pounds total
kosher salt
2 c. canned crushed Italian tomatoes (San Marzano preferred)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. olive oil
1 c. flour
4 eggs, beaten
3 c. panko or other good breadcrumbs
3/4 lb. fresh mozzarella sliced thin
handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped
1 c. fresh grated parmesan cheese
1.5 c. diced heirloom tomatoes

1. Peel eggplant and slice lengthwise in 3/8" thick planks. Layer in a colander with a heavy sprinkling of kosher salt in each layer, top with a plate and weight with some cans, and let drain for at least 30 minutes. Wipe off excess salt with a paper towel. I don't salt eggplant for every use but in this case it is worth the extra effort to get that liquid out so it doesn't weep in the oven.
2. Make a quick tomato sauce by sauteing the garlic in the olive oil and adding the diced tomatoes, and reducing a bit while you make the rest of the recipe. Don't add salt because the eggplant will still have residual salt from the draining process.
3. Set up for dredging, with plates for the flour and panko, and a shallow bowl for the egg. Also, get a rack or sheet pan covered with paper towel to receive the booty. Get out and butter a large baking dish and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
4. Put a good 1/4" of vegetable oil (not olive oil, it will smoke too much) in your biggest skillet and and heat on high. Working with two slices of eggplant at a time, pat them in the flour until they have a dry coating, then drag through the egg, and finally press both sides in the panko, covering thoroughly. Place them in the skillet, where they should start sizzling immediately. Fill the skillet loosely, leaving yourself some room to work. Flip when brown, maybe 2 minutes, then remove to the paper towels when brown on the other side. They should be tender to a fork at this point, because the oven baking is just to melt the cheese, not cook the eggplant.
5. To assemble, lay down your first layer of eggplant, and top each slice with a couple tablespoons of tomato sauce, a piece of mozarella, a bit of parmesan, and a bit of basil . Build up three layers using all of the ingredients and finishing with cheese.
6. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the cheese it thoroughly melted.
7. To serve, put a healthy stack on each plate, and top with about 1/4 cup of the diced heirloom tomatoes, any remaining basil, and a grind of fresh pepper.
   
   
   
   
   
    

Review: Dinette Restaurant, Seattle, Washington

Sarina and I had dinner tonight at Dinette, on Seattle's Capitol Hill in the space formerly occupied by the departed and lamented Green Cat Cafe. Dinette was much noticed when it first opened for chef Melissa Nyffeler's collection of antique serving platters that grace the walls, the mismatched place settings, and her penchant for serving delicious bites of food on toast, which occupies its own whole section of the menu before the salads. In some restaurants this might come across as a gimmick, but at Dinette it simply feels warm and personal, not at all pretentious.

The toast items are made from crusty Columbia City Bakery sourdough, and are all priced at $5 per piece. We started with two slices topped with creamy, buttery Bellwether Farms' Crescenza and eggplant caponata. The caponata was agrodolce style, mildly sweet and sour and a very nice way to wake up our palates and begin the meal.

Our second course was a simple butter lettuce salad with radishes and cucumbers, and a preserved lemon vinaigrette. The vegetables were impeccable, fresh, clean, and neatly mandolined, and the dressing tasted delicious, albeit more of fresh lemon juice than preserved lemon. I'd like to see them take this flavor up just a notch.

For entrees we tried both of the vegetarian pastas. SP had the ricotta gnocchi with leeks and cherry tomatoes in a white wine and garlic broth, and I had the trofie with kale, and radicchio minus the prosciutto, and also served in a broth. Both were solid, competent and tasty dishes that didn't quite knock our socks off, although the fresh ricotta on top of the trofie was delicious. For my 2 cents, the gnocchi could be a bit more tender and it probably would be better not to have both dishes in very similar sauces.

Service was wonderful. Our waiter was charming and when I told him that I would love a second glass of Sangiovese but that I couldn't since we had to make an early night of it, he instantly offered a half a glass. There was something so impromptu and warm about that gesture that really showed the personal character of Dinette. Seattle is experiencing a renaissance of small restaurants where the owner and/or chef's individuality can be expressed. As much as I love some of the 100+ seat venues in town, I find these idiosyncratic holes in the wall to be much more interesting. You feel as if you ate somewhere, not just anywhere.

Our total for 2 people including tax and tip came to $82, a reasonable price for a very pleasurable meal.

Biscuits, Big Johns and Broccoli in Black Bean Sauce (A Very Fine Morning)

Fridays I often have some time alone with Mini-Me. Today we seem to have had an all food morning. This is good, we're getting her up to speed young! First thing after she woke up, we made our favorite biscuits. Properly nourished and ready for adventure we headed off to Big John's (aka Pacific Food Importers). If you are anywhere near Seattle and you don't know about PFI, you should run, don't walk. They have a tremendous selection of food from  Europe and the Middle East, in bulk, frozen, and jarred, and a phenomenal cheese selection, knowledgeable staff, and great prices. They supply many of the best restaurants in the city. Above is a picture of today's ill-gotten gain: Preserved lemons, Adjvar, Beemster XO Aged Gouda, the house brand Marca Croce olive oil, unbelievably fragagrant sumac powder, Guittard chocolate,  and more. Kiddo had a fun time talking to everyone and sampling the chocolate. And here's a cell phone pic inside the store, to give you the general warehouse flavor. Needless to say, after all that hard work shopping it was time for a lunch, so we went to....

Shanghai Garden! There may be some debate but most folks I've talked to put Shanghai in their top couple of Chinese restaurants in the city. We ordered their signature hand-shave barleygreen noodles and crispy tofu with broccoli in black bean sauce, and Mini-Me ate everything and went back for seconds. I thought it was interesting that there was Thai basil in the tofu dish. Shanghai is a straight ahead Chinese place, so I'm curious how that influence is present. If anyone can clue me in, please do. Here's one more cel-phone snap, full, happy, and a great morning.

Leftovers, Recomposed (Couscous with Zucchini, a Fried Egg, and Truffle Oil)

This is one of those 10 minutes from refrigerator to table, not really sure what is going to end up in the bowl til you sit down, supper for one and pleased and thank you very much kinds of meals. Let's see we've got a bunch of leftover couscous and half a cup of chickpeas. Ok, start frying some onion on high heat, add the chickpeas. Let's see, oh there are these nice baby zucchinis left from the farmer's market, cube those and in they go. Get a little brown on them. Add the couscous. Let's go look in the garden. Mmm, a sprig of rosemary, some fresh oregano, and oh look, there are five ripe cherry tomatoes, nice! Hmm, but now I kind of want something rich in there too. Back when I first started cooking as a teenager I used to make a sort of fried rice for my mom with cubes of swiss cheese in it. Weird but good. I always remember that but I never do it. Hmm, I have some ripe camembert. Sure, cut some cubes of that and set aside. Now I'm on the rich thing, I know what we need! A sunnyside egg on top, so I can stir in the yolk. Ok, let's plate that all up in my favorite old bachelor bowls that my buddy Eric gave me. A squeeze of Meyer lemon, Maldon sea salt, whoops too much pepper, no biggie. And then the egg makes me want a little truffle oil, even though we all learned recently that it is a scam. Oh well, I've got some to use up, I don't think I'll buy any more. (There is a better article in the NYT archives but you have to be a subscriber). Sit out on the deck, mix in the egg. Happy! Definitely not something I'd serve to company, but it is good fun to make something just to please your own taste of the moment once in awhile.

Block Party Empanadas

Tonight was National Night Out and I hope many of you had rockin' block parties. Ours was fun as always, with lots of munchkins on bikes, scooters, toy cars, rollerblades and strollers. Zeb the kooky dog barked at everyone and ate liverwurst training paste, and our neighborhood police sergeant put up with the usual grilling and good-naturedly took home two enormous slices of cake. My contribution was these appetizer sized, cheese filled empanadas with a quick chimichurri sauce. I wanted to do a baked, not fried version because I made them last night way too late and I couldn't really deal with a big frying mess. I guess they must have been pretty well received, the stack disappeared rapidly. You could use any cheese you want as long as it melts well. Latin American cheeses would certainly be a good choice, but you can also do a fusion version with anything that suits your fancy, and you could also add a bit of chutney or fig jam to take the flavor up a notch. I included about 20% romano to give a depth of flavor, borrowing from what I see Snacky Pants' grandmother do with her outstanding Sephardic baked goodies. Oh, and if any cheese should leak out during baking and make a crispy brown puddle on your sheet pan, that is known as a Cook's Treat.

Appetizer Cheese Empanadas with Chimichurri Sauce
Makes 3 dozen two-bite appetizers

For the dough:
5 cups flour
5 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. salt
5 tbsp cold butter
3 eggs
1 1/4 c. whole milk

For the filling:
6 c. grated cheese (see above)
1/2 sweet white or red onion, minced
1 t. cayenne or chili powder

For the sauce:
2 bunches flat-leaf parsley
1/2 sweet white or red onion, rough chopped
4 cloves garlic, rough chopped or pressed
1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
juice of 2 lemons
1 t. dried (or 2 t. fresh) oregano

1. Preheat the oven to 425.
2. In a food processor or by hand, cut the butter into the dry ingredients.  Beat the milk with the eggs and add them to the dry ingredients. Working as quickly as possible, form a ball of dough. Divide the dough into 3 balls and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes, covered.
3. Working with one ball at a time on a lightly floured surface, either divide into twelve equal pieces and roll out into 5" circles, or roll into a large thin sheet (just short of transparent) and use a 5" pastry cutter to make a dozen circles, gathering the scraps to finish the job. You may have to let the dough relax a bit if it has gotten too elastic.
4. With a pastry brush, wet the edge around the back half of each circle. Fill each empanada with a heaping tablespoon of the cheese mixture. Fold over and press firmly to seal. You really want a good seal to minimize cheese leakage. Optionally use your thumb and forefinger to create a decorative "rope edge". To do this, hold the empanada in one hand, and starting at the end neareast you, pull out a 1/2" "tab", and fold it back over and toward you, then work your way towards the other end. Put each completed empanada on a non-stick baking sheet (or use a silpat or parchment paper).
5. Brush the empanadas with a little whole milk to help the brown up with little shine, and bake for about 20 minutes, until deep golden brown. You can do this all well-ahead and refrigerate or freeze, and reheat on baking sheets for a few minutes.
6. For the chimichurri (and this is really a quickie version, but it tastes great), just whir all the ingredients in the food processor until you have a medium-coarse sauce, and then adjust salt, pepper and lemon juice as needed. It will taste best if it gets to marry flavors for half an hour or so.

Rename this Blog (Your Help Needed!)

I've only been doing this blog for a month or so, and I'm not very happy with the name ("The Vegetarian Foodie"). I guess I just don't like the word "foodie". So I'd like to take the opportunity to rename it while it is still young. I want the new name to reflect my passion for vegetarian food that is prepared with love and attention to detail, whether it is home-style or upscale. My belief is that vegetarian cuisine can be of the same caliber, breadth and depth of flavor, and beauty of presentation as omnivore food. So will you help me pick a new name? Please add a comment below with your suggestions.

Top Ten Ways to Get Yourself Baking More at Home

Everyone loves home-baked sweets and savories, but most of us don't take the time to make them very often. Here are some suggestions to help make it happen:

1. Have all your ingredients as accessible as possible. Store all-purpose flour in a large bin with 1 c. and 1/2 c. measuring cups right in it, so you don't have to find them and wash them. Do the same for other bulk items that you use frequently such as white and brown sugar. Whole grain flours should go in the freezer if you don't go through them quickly, but you can still have them in quick-access containers.
2. Also, have a tray in your cabinet with the baking soda, baking powder, salt, honey, molasses and other accessory items all gathered in one place. When you have everything ready like this, you are always only 15 minutes from putting cookies, muffins, scones, quick breads etc. in the oven!
3. Have at least two sets of measuring cups and spoons, so that if you need the same size twice for one recipe and it is already goopy with syrup, you don't have to stop and wash it.
4. Bake with kids! Whether it is your own little ones, nieces and nephews, or whoever, they all love to help out in the kitchen. Baking is one of the easiest ways, because it doesn't usually involve knives or hot saute pans, and you can set all of the ingredients out on the floor. They will be proud of what you made together, and you'll be proud to give them something wholesome for a meal or a treat.
5. Buy the tools that will inspire you. I'm not saying you need every gadget out there, but having good cake, pie and tart pans, muffin tins, cookie and jelly roll sheets, ceramic pans, ramekins, silpats, rolling pins, etc. makes life a lot easier, and the results look better too.
6. Treat yourself to books that will inspire you as well. My current favorite is Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid's Home Baking.
7. Don't be a perfectionist. Not everything that comes out of your oven is going to look like something from a 3-star pastry chef. So what? It is delicious and you put love into it. In a world where so many things are mass produced, making something for your friends and family to enjoy is all that matters.
8. Bake (most) things until they are really brown! The best flavors in baked food comes from the Maillard reactions and caramelization that take place in the last few minutes of cooking. Don't burn everything, but do let it go that last couple minutes to deep brown. You'll be amazed at how good it tastes.
9. Let seasonal fruit and vegetables inspire you. Summer of course is the time for berry pies, tarts, crumbles and slumps. Fall might find you with a surfeit of apples, and in winter, savory cheese and vegetables appeal. Like all cooking, starting with the best ingredients is the key.
10. Make extra dough and freeze it. If you are making a pie crust, a crumble top, or cookies, why not double the batch and put half in the freezer? Label that zip-loc bag so you'll remember what you've got and how old it is.

Disaster Recovery Fruit Pie

Well, it all started yesterday, when Snacky Pants couldn't take th