wintertime clam chowder

I think we’ve just created a new christmas tradition.

Who needs a crowded movie theatre full of bickering family members and sugared up kids when you can stay home with your fiance and make something delicious that you wouldn’t normally have the time or chutzpah to try…

When it’s cold and grey, nothing hits the spot like a creamy soup so we decided to batten down the hatches and make Thomas Keller’s Clam Chowder (from his Ad Hoc at Home cookbook, which is huge and gorgeous yet approachable, and everything we’ve made out of it has turned out fabulous). Once you’ve had the real thing – fresh clams and their accompanying juices (no clamato here!) -  I seriously doubt any otha chowda will come close.

Ev bought these lovely bivalves at berkeley bowl – the little guys are littleneck clams and the big ones are Manila – and they hung out in our fridge over night (covered with a damp cloth…this took some research as we’ve never worked with these critters before and you know how particular mr. food safety is, especially when it comes to seafood).

So, this whole thing is a bit of a production and I will spare you most of the details, but suffice to say that doing all of the prep in advance is crucial so that you can do the actual cooking parts without interruption.

Here’s the short Lauren-ated version of the recipe (sorry mr. keller):

• Bacon – cut into lardons and saute on low heat for about 20 minutes. Set aside.
• Leeks, onion, garlic – rough chop, saute in bacon juices, cover, cook on low for about 30 minutes.

  

• Potatoes – dice and put in pot of water with some herbs (thyme, peppercorns, bay leaf, whatever) and cook until just tender (about 10 minutes)

  

• Now comes the first clammy part – Soak and rinse those bad boys in some cold salty water. The point of this is to try and get them to “purge” their sandy bits.
• Meanwhile, make a little roux in the pot with the leeks and company. Then add an incredible amount of cream and milk. Don’t even bother to try and count calories on this one. Bring dairy and leeks and co. to a simmer.
• 2nd clammy part -  add some butter, thyme and shallots to a big pot…saute, then add some good white wine (we used Quivira sauv blanc), cook it down letting some of the booze burn off. Now for those clams! Add them to this winey mixture and give them a stir.After just a few minutes, those little guys start to open up – it is really fun to watch, don’t miss this part!

  

• Once they’ve all opened, you’ll be left with an interesting “broth” – ours was a bit green in color (which was a little..um..unexpected) and a bit sandy, so you’ll need to run it through a sieve a few times (because you’ll be adding it to the milky situation in the other pot).
• You’ll also need to get them out of their shells.

  

• Add the potatoes, clams and “broth” to the milky situation and season to taste. We added salt and quite a bit of black pepper. Let this come together over very low heat for a few minutes.
• Crisp up that bacon and slice some chives….cut some sourdough and you are all set!

Relish in your victory – You conquered the clam!

Now, go out and get some mussels! More on that later…

back in action

Long story short:

Bad news followed by really good news (see below), away for a week, back for a couple days, away again for almost 3 weeks…Finally back home. Whew.

 

7 little piggies

A wine pickup at Quivira last weekend turned into a regular old day at the farm. Look at that sweet little nose.

There were seven of these little oinkers…funny story – Their mother was purchased to be fattened at the winery over the summer and then served up at a pig roast event this fall. Well, she was growing and growing and the folks who were taking care of her at Quivira were worried that she was getting too big to roast!

Surprise! She was “in a family way” and soon, they had 7 little piglets!

These are some lucky pigs, let me tell you. They’ve got a nice big fenced in area in the middle of an apple grove, just a short walk away from the winery. On the day we were there, they were having a blast rooting around in the muck, bothering their momma (she never did make it onto the spit, and gooooood luck because she’s got to be at least 300 pounds now) and playing with each other.

This little guy stole the show.

The mayhem really started when Evan found a long stick to poke the apples off the tree so they would fall in reach of the oinkers…those little piggies were going crazy trying to get the apples. Have you ever seen a little pig run? It is hilarious, trust me. I haven’t laughed that hard in weeks.

After the pig show, we walked over to check out another new addition to the “farm” -2 gorgeous Jersey calves…Daisy and Bella. Not sure which one this is, but it was the prettiest (and friendliest) cow I’ve ever seen.

They came right over to us and let us pet their curly cow toupees. Just darling.

These guys were very interested in our picnic lunch…

Great wine, great friends and plenty of farm fresh action – it was a perfect day in one of our very favorite places, Healdsburg, CA.

 

yeeow

So, I bought a groupon for 3 classes at this pilates studio in my neighborhood and finally went to my first class last week. This was my first time inside a real pilates studio and I have to say, it much more closely resembles a sadomasochistic torture chamber than exercise room. I spent an hour being led through exercises on the “reformer” and left class feeling weak in the knees, but satisfied, with the kind of exhaustion that only a new kick in the pants workout can provide.

After dinner and a little couch time that night, I shuffled back to bed, knowing I was in for a real treat in the morning. And what a treat it was.

I have never been so sore in my entire life.

Every single movement hurt. My ribs felt like they were in a vice. Deep breaths and laughing hurt. Sitting up straight hurt. Getting up out of a sitting position REALLY hurt. Engaging my abs (hello hello wherever you are) in any way was just horrific.

Here’s why: many of the exercises are performed while you are on your back – shoulders up against the pads, feet on the black bar thingie. You can’t tell from this photo, but there are about 5-6 springs underneath the back board (which is on rollers) and the instructor adjusts the springs to give you different resistance while you are pushing with your legs or pulling on the straps on the back of the machine with your arms. The whole time you are doing all of these movements, you are supposed to “engage your core” – tightening your abs while allowing for a little space between the small of your back and the board, and keeping your upper back flat. This sounds easy, but requires an astounding amount of concentration.

And then, just when you think you are getting the hang of things on your back- the instructor tells you to flip over onto your belly and balance on top a box placed on top of the back board (which is on rollers)…Your feet are stationary on the back of the equipment, but your trunk rolls forward into plank as your hold yourself up on the box with your arms. And then roll yourself back up. 10 times. Whew.

At any rate, I can see why pilates devotees love it and get so cut. It is really tough, but great if you like a challenge (and you’ve got some $$ to drop on classes, they aren’t cheap). I’ve got one more class to go in my series – and strangely enough – I’m actually really looking forward to another go in that padded maple-and-metal  chambre de torture.

 

kabocha, corn and coconut soup

It was 60 degrees and rainy this weekend and I couldn’t have been happier. I’d been looking forward to a good old rainy weekend for months.

Finally, the weather seems to have caught up with the calendar and we are finally free from the tyranny of sunny and 75 (don’t even think of staying indoors today! get out there and don’t come home til dark!). Ok, yes. Complaining about sunny and 75 is pretty ridiculous, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing (or really, the same good thing).

Anywho. This is perfect soup making weather and I’ve had my eye on this recipe all week. I knew this would be the perfect weekend afternoon-in-the-kitchen sort of project.

I had kabocha squash for the first time last year at a thai place in a curry and was really impressed with the flavor and texture. The skin on this guy is so thin that you can leave it on (as was the case with the curry I had). This bad boy came from Berkeley Bowl and he’s been patiently waiting for his turn under my knife turn all week. One word of caution – cutting the stem out first will make halving this guy MUCH easier.

I used the recipe as framework but (per usual) did venture off a bit…I roasted the squash and corn in advance (for about an hour on 375). I took advantage of the hot oven to roast the squash seeds (fair warning – they will pop around in the hot oven) and added them to the corn relish, plus some bacon and sweet baby peppers.

I pureed the soup with an immersion blender (a really great gadget to have, especially if you don’t have room or $$ for a big food processor) and left it a bit on the chunky side. The other key piece of kitchen hardware that really makes your life easier (and tastier) when it comes to soups and stews is a large (at least 4 qts) cast iron (enameled) dutch oven. And it doesn’t have to be a le expensive (although they are lovely) – we have a Martha Stewart one that works just fine. These really do the trick when it comes to holding heat…they are also great for frying and roasting.

Evan baked some fantastic bread from his favorite bread book…

And we had a scrumptious dinner and lunch the next day! I think soup is almost always better the next day – and we made grilled cheese with the leftover bread. Perfect coming-in-after-a-wet-walk-with-winston food!

an attack, a staple and a busted leash

It’s been an eventful week and a half for my winston. Last week while I was out of town for work, he was attacked by a dog at an off-leash dog park and required an after-hours visit to the emergency vet, a staple, and 2 prescriptions.

Today, on the way to the vet for a checkup and staple removal, he charged at a nut-burying squirrel and his leash (apparently threadbare) split in half!

We were just walking along and in an instant, he was barreling down the sidewalk with a short length of leash flying behind him…And me, standing there (yelling at evan to run and grab him) holding the other half. It was hilarious. But also kind of sad. We’ve been using this leash every day for over 4 years. We figure it’s been with us for something along the lines of 4,500 miles of walks.

Evan tried to tie to two ends together, but it didn’t work too well (and split again in a couple minutes) and looked too ghetto for a vet visit, so we went back home to grab another leash (appropriately enough, a leash with squirrels embroidered all over it).

We bought this leash in navy with the matching collar in red (don’t judge – that was the first and only time that i’ve ever done that) when we first moved here at this great little doggie boutique, George. And since the original leash + collar purchase, we’ve been back to purchase a new stick collar at least once a year (because the cotton would wear down and eventually the ring that you attach the leash to would come loose), but that leash has lasted. Until today.

Oh, winston is fine, by the way – just one more page in his medical record.

All of that action yesterday really pooped him out.

the mean streets of oakland

Just got a little meaner.

Oh yes. That’s me there. On a brand spanking new bike.

So, bikes are a big deal here and although it’s taken 4 years of living here to get with the program, I have finally arrived. WE have finally arrived, actually. Evan got one too.

I’ve been bike-less for years, partly by choice. The last time I had one was in austin – I rode it to school sometimes, but it was a BMX cruiser (no gears and little bitty, ever see big guys on little bikes? that’s what those are) – a good choice for riding up ramps and looking cool, but not practical for a big girl like me. Also, trying to keep up with winston’s energy expenditure needs for the past 7 years meant that every time I was outside, he was with me. I tried biking with him on a leash next to me once. Once. Nuff said.

Now that winston is nearing the ripe old age of 8, 3 miles of walking per day just about does the trick (most days anyways) and I no longer feel guilty enjoying outside activity without him. This:  +plus the fact that the spots that we frequent in the east bay are within a few miles of home (easily bike-able) and parking is horrific everywhere +the weather is bike-perfect practically year round +everyone we know here bikes everywhere =some major bike envy.

Being the bargain shopper that I am, I did some shopping around at a few of our local bike shops (and at the evil, yet economical, big box store). As you would expect here in hipsterland, I found plenty of custom-built ($$$) fancy schmancy (really gorgeous actually) fixed-gear (no brakes) euro-commuter bikes in the $800+ range.  Although lovely to look at and even lovelier to ride (I did take a few test drives, but only on ones with brakes!), I just couldn’t put down that much cash on something I wouldn’t be riding every day.

And also, I just have to say – bike shop dudes are notoriously snobby and while I did certainly experience this, the folks at Manifesto were super nice and friendly. If I ever do decide to spend that kind of $$ on a bike, I will head straight over there and let them fix me up. We did buy our awesome Bern helmets there.

Fancy helmets in hand, we drove over to Target and left on a different set of 4 wheels – 2 under me and 2 under Ev. We ended up with two good old Schwinns (and no, we didn’t get the boy/girl version of the same bike…why is everyone asking me that question?). We rode them home (about 7 miles) and it took us an hour, but it was great. We saw so many things that we’ve missed a million times on the same streets.

We ended up with perfectly good, solid, comfy bikes that will get us from point A to B and won’t give me a worry ulcer if we leave them locked up somewhere for a while. Although, full disclosure, they are less than 5 feet away from me as I type. In our dining room. We have yet to find them a more permanent outdoor home. But we’re working on it. And meanwhile, I get to enjoy the brand new bike smell.

One raviolo at a time

Our good friends and neighbors, Cal and Theresa, often have us over to their house for sunday supper. The menu changes with the seasons, but one of our favorite standards is one of Theresa’s specialties – fresh pasta from scratch. Yes, the process takes a while, but the end result is so far and away better than the dried stuff that comes out of a box – and you really do cherish each and every noodle.

You would think that I would have been born with a little ravioli stamp in my hand, being Italian and all -  but this skill seemed to have stalled out with my nonni’s generation. I can just imagine my grandmother, her twin and my Auntie Emma standing hip to hip in the kitchen together rolling dough while my mom and her brothers, sister and cousins ran in and out of Emma’s kitchen, being shooed out with kitchen towels. I think kids are left out of a lot of the really important details for one reason or another, and by the time you grow up enough to become interested in what is going on in the kitchen, you don’t have the luxury of endless time at home in the kitchen with your favorite relatives.

So, I owed it to my heritage to pay special attention last Sunday when Theresa suggested we make ravioli…And here’s our version (Theresa’s version actually).You’ll need a little bit of special equipment for this – most importantly, a pasta roller and some ravioli stamps. A food processor helps too, but you can do this part by hand. I recommend Jamie Oliver’s instructions for this (he is really too good to be true on so many levels….Anywho, I digress…

Start with a couple eggs and some semolina flour.

Give it a whir in the food processor and pulse until it balls itself up. No exact measurements for this (per my usual), but the nice thing is, if it’s too gummy, add more flour – too tight, put a little water in there, or add another egg.

Once it’s rolled itself into one cohesive ball, pull it out and pat it out a bit on a floured board.

See that lovely shiny contraption there behind the board? That’s the pasta maker. It’s c-clamped to the kitchen counter for leverage. If you do decide to buy one for yourself, don’t skimp on this guy.
Go ahead and get a nice, heavy Italian one at Surlatotaldreamworldforkitchengadgetlovers. You’ll have it forever.

So, you pat out the dough so that it will fit through the fattest gauge on the pasta roller and roll that baby on through! (please excuse my out-of-focus photos – i blame my point and shoot camera, not the 2 glasses of wine on an empty stomach)

Keep rolling your piece through multiple goes on each gauge. It will get longer and skinnier as you go. Once you’ve made it through all of the gauges (I think Theresa’s machine has 5 or 6), you are ready to make your pasta! If you wanted to do spaghetti, this is when you would switch the roller contraption for the one with teeth – one more pass through will give you your lovely pasta strands.

For ravioli making, you just lay out your pasta sheet and place a little dollop of your filling onto the sheet in a row like this:

Be sure to space the filling dollops out according to the size of your stamp – and don’t have a heavy hand with the dolloping. A little goes a long way! Pull the other side of the pasta sheet over the filling to cover, and Violá! **en italiano per favore** Presto!
You are ready to stamp those little babies out.

Don’t worry if your stamping isn’t perfect – you just want to make sure those edges are closed, otherwise you’ll have a bit of a filling mess once you drop them into their boiling water bath.

A note on fillings – use whatever you like! It can be meaty, cheesy or anything really. Consistency does matter – it needs to hold its own in the dollop, not run all over the place. There are lots of great recipes out there – actually, this month’s (October) Food and Wine has a nice little article and some filling suggestions (and measurements for the pasta making if you need more specifics than my “just throw it in there” recipe style).

Finally, let those little ravs dry out on a wire rack for a bit.

And then they are ready for a little dip in a big old pot of boiling water. They will float to the top when they are ready – and it really only takes a couple minutes. Drain in a colander and top with your favorite sauce. No need to drown them in sauce (unless that’s what you like, of course) -  these will be fabulous with even just a little olive oil or butter. And after you’ve spent all of that time rolling the pasta and cutting each and every rav yourself, you deserve a big glass of wine with your dinner! Buon appetito!

Lemme at those legumes!

Beans have been one of my favorite foods since I was a youngster. My mom used to make the best pinto beans – starting with dried beans and slow cooking them in her crockpot. I switched over to black beans sometime in college and pretty much lived off of some combination of black beans, rice/tortilla, corn, red onion, garlic, tomatoes and avocado…And somehow, I managed to surround myself with an amazing group of girls who were black bean and rice aficionados as well!

Perhaps it had something to do with living in Austin, or perhaps because most of us were vegetarian and (mostly) good eaters, but in any case – I can’t tell you how many times I’ve shared this perfect meal with wonderful company during my 20′s. My good friend Steph wrote a great blog post about this very topic and shared her recipe.

My bean repertoire has since expanded to include all of the yummy beans that you can find still in their shells – like these lovely cranberry beans below.

Shell beans are in season during late summer/early fall and here in the bay area, you can find them at farmer’s markets and good groceries like Evan’s favorite, the insanely crowded yet incredibly zen, Berkeley Bowl. When buying these puppies, choose pods that are squeezing their beans tightly. The beans inside the drier pods (less green on the outside) are riper and will perform better for you.

They will be ok for a few days in your fridge before you shell them – just try to keep them away from moisture. If the pods get wet, the beans inside will get yucky. When you are ready to shell, grab a bowl and a colander to collect the empty pods (for your compost, of course) and start ‘a’shellin!

I always feel like I should be sitting out on a sunny porch chatting with a friend when I’m doing this. It’s a great meditative task to do when you’ve got a little time to enjoy the process.

Once those little babies are free from their pods, smash a few (or if you’re like me, about 6) garlic cloves and throw them in the bowl with the beans. Grab your favorite heavy-bottom pot with a lid and fill it with enough water to cover the beans + a few inches.You want to crank the heat up high and bring everything to a boil, reduce to simmer and let it go for a while.

Now, the water-to-bean ratio is important because raw beans take a while to cook and after most of the liquid simmers out/plumps up the beans, you are left with a very yummy “bean sauce”. This is where most of the flavor comes from, so you need enough water to sustain them through an hour+ of simmering, but not so much that the beans finish cooking underwater.

How long on the stove? Well, until the beans have plumped up and the “water” has turned to a bean-y slurry. With a big batch of beans (produce bag full of pods), it takes about an hour.  Taste after about 45 minutes and see how they’re doing…

Once the chalky-undercooked taste turns creamier, they are getting close. Throw in a little knob of butter and season them – they will need a lot of salt, and some pepper. That’s it!

They’ll be done once the top layer of them are no longer covered in water and they’ve all plumped up about double the size they were raw. They should taste creamy and delicious! I eat them straight out of the pot, but if you are more civilized, just spoon them in a bowl and they are ready to go.

Let me warn you about one thing – cranberry beans will lose their lovely color and turn brown while they are cooking (this is why there is no photo of the finished product – while very delicious, they won’t win the beauty award). There are lots of other varieties of shell beans to be found and enjoyed. Get them soon though, the season is short!

Walking with giants

No trip up to Humboldt would be complete without a visit to the Redwoods. This photo (above) was taken 5 years ago back when we lived there – this (Sequoia Park in Eureka) was one of our regular hiking spots with Winston. My photos from our recent trip didn’t turn out great, so I’m reaching back into my archive to give you a little peek into the redwood curtain.

See that splintered tree trunk that Evan is standing on? This photo was taken with my (then brand-spanking-new *thank you Binnie*) digital camera in January of 2006 just after a horrendous winter wind/rainstorm. I turned 26 during that terrible storm…

So on our recent visit, we found this sign. It was cool to see because even though we were only there for one year, we still managed to be a part a major “event”.

Even though there had been so much damage, the park didn’t close and evan and I were there as soon as we could to check out the scene. It was really something else to see all of those huge trees down – stacked on top of each other like pick-up-stix.

There were certain parts of the park that could only be accessed by walking along the downed trees like balance beams.

And here is Evan (over 6′ tall) inside one of the tipped over root systems. In a manner of a just few hours, hundreds of years of history and growth became firewood. Just incredible.

It was pretty amazing to come back and see how well the park has done since the storm 5 years ago- (other than the sign and a large clearing that didn’t used to be there), you would never guess that something so violent had taken place there.