running with tweezers

off to market

I don't sleep in - even on Saturdays. I've been on early morning photo shoot call time for enough of my life that being in bed at 9 am would be quite the luxury. So while the rest of the house is still tucked in - the new kitty included if we're lucky - I've started taking off to a local farm-stand market or two on Saturday mornings to see what I can see. It's great to see the natural progression of what's for sale - to see what's in season that week and watch what we eat change. Not to get too soapbox-y...but it also makes me feel really good to buy more of our food supplies locally.

When I came across a local farm that had these gorgeous ronde de nice zucchinis, I immediately thought back to one of Helen's posts that made my mouth just water. Stuffed squashes have always been in my repertoire but I hadn't seen these unusual beauties until Helen posted her recipe. They've magically appeared at our market several times since then...and that's as often as I've prepared them.

I've made several incarnations of this dish but this one is my favorite: saffron infused pearl couscous, fresh home-grown herbs, a smattering of local pink-eye peas and a rough chop of perfectly ripe tomato. While I encourage you to make this recipe - it is delicious - this is hopefully something to inspire you to make your own variation. Include whatever looks incredible at your local market. Cut back those herbs growing wild in your garden and use them. Head off to market, get inspired, and be creative.

Farm-stand Stuffed Zucchini Squash - serves 2 as a vegetarian entree 

• 1 1/3 cups pearl couscous
• a pinch of saffron threads
• 2 1/2 cups water or vegetable stock (i use a half - and - half mixture of stock and water)
• a pinch of dried red chili flakes
• 1 medium just-ripe tomato, chopped
• 1/4 cup freshly shelled & blanched pink-eye or zipper peas (I quickly boil mine in enough water to cover them for about 15 minutes or until tender)
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped herbs - I've used basil, thyme, oregano and rosemary
• 1/4 cup fresh wild arugula, sunflower sprouts or other greens you have on-hand
• 2 ronde de nice zucchini squash
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

For the couscous: In a small skillet, dry toast your couscous over medium heat until it's just lightly golden toasted. Bring your water/vegetable stock to a low boil in a medium saucepan with a lid. Add the saffron threads, dried red chili flakes and toasted pearl couscous to the boiling mixture. Cover and simmer until the liquid has been absorbed - this was about 12 minutes for me. Once cooked, stir in chopped tomato & pink-eye peas. Taste and add salt & pepper accordingly. Add your fresh herbs and sprouts, reserving a tablespoon or so for garnish at the end.

For the zucchini: Preheat oven to 375 F. Cut the top off of the zucchini at the stem end so you make a little lid. Scoop out the inner flesh of the zucchini - you can discard or save it for another occasion (or you could add it in with the couscous but I did not for styling purposes). Drizzle the inside cavity of each squash with 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Place the hollowed out squashes - and their lids - in an oven-safe baking dish. Cook for about 20 minutes.

To assemble: Being careful not to burn yourself with the warm squash, spoon the couscous mixture into the cavities of the squash until full. Place back in the baking dish in the oven for another 8-10 minutes - you're looking for the squash to be fork tender but not falling apart. When cooked, place on plate and sprinkle the top with some of the remaining sprouts and herbs. Top with the baked lid or prop it up alongside. Serve immediately.This recipe does make a little more couscous that you'd need to fill the squash, which means there's plenty of seconds and leftovers.

my love for yellow

Second to orange (all shades of it - including that obnoxious safety cone version), yellow is my favorite color. It's completely unflattering but I just adore it. Summer squash, lemons - it's the color of some of my favorite foods. An unsung yellow food that I love but never know how to cook are yellow wax beans. I've really only had them in salads mixed with green beans - it's as if folks think these beauties can't stand on their own.

A super splurge bender at Super H Mart (how DO you spend $80 there!? if you want to know, ask me) has our cupboards and fridge fully stocked with all things Asian. Yellow wax beans have great texture and a neutral enough taste that allows them to hang out with some pretty bold flavors. Quickly blanched, they retain their crunch even once dressed in this great miso vinaigrette. Feel free to add other herbs, chopped green onions, some crunchy sprouts, a touch of chopped red chili for heat. I need not say that if you have peanut allergies, please omit them or substitute for a type of nut you can eat.

Miso Wax Bean Salad - serves 4 as a side dish

• 1/2 pound (about 5-6 handfuls) fresh yellow wax beans - ends snipped
• 1 tablespoon dashi miso paste (this kind already has the dashi in it for soup - use whatever kind you have access to)
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
• 1/3 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts
• a handful chopped fresh cilantro
• fresh ground black pepper and salt, to taste

- Start a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Have a large bowl full of ice water on hand at the ready to stop the beans from cooking once blanched.

- While the water is coming to a boil, add your miso paste to a small mixing bowl. Drizzle in the rice wine vinegar and sesame oil and whisk it until the miso paste has incorporated into the other ingredients and the dressing is smooth. Taste dressing for salt level and adjust to your liking.

- When your water has come to a boil, drop the trimmed wax beans into the water. Blanch for 1-2 minutes. With a slotted spoon or tongs, pull them out and drop them into the ice bath - this will stop them from cooking further and getting soggy. Leave them in the ice bath for a minute or so then drain the beans thoroughly. 

- On a serving platter, arrange the wax beans in an even layer. Drizzle the dressing over the beans. Top with a sprinkle of chopped cilantro and chopped peanuts. Grind a touch of fresh black pepper over the plate. Serve immediately - the beans will get too soggy if you wait to serve them once they're dressed.

a summer sunday

I went to the farmer's market with Sunday on the brain. Father's Day for our family was never as big a deal as a birthday or Mother's Day. My dad usually wanted to downplay it - a card and a meal at home was just fine for him. Sitting down together, that meal was usually a steak & potato with some sliced tomatoes and blue cheese. Something simple. Dessert was no different - a bakery bought pound cake or angel food cake with my dad's favorite fruit on it - peaches.

This weekend was the second Father's Day without either of my parents. When they're gone, those holidays don't mean any less - they just mean something different. While I found myself wavering between needing to just be quiet and the occasional welling-up, I also found myself craving something slightly sweet. Maybe something with fresh fruit in it. I had the desire to bake...and bake something I would have happily served at a dinner with my folks. A simple cake that travels well & is great warm with a little ice cream or whipped cream. This is that cake.

It's really quite a simple recipe. The most difficult thing you'll have to do is grind the almonds in a food processor or mini-chop (or clean spice grinder if you have one for such things). Other than that, this is really a celebration of summer fruit. Mix up the ingredients however you'd like. It's also a celebration of traditions and simplicity and making food to share with people. Do that however you'd like, too - just make sure you do it.

Peach, Raspberry & Almond Cake - makes 9 large rectangular servings or 12 small squares - adapted from a recipe here on BBC Good Food

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup self rising flour
• 1/4 cup ground almonds (you can use pre-ground almonds or do your own in a processor)
• 2 ripe peaches, skin on, pitted and each peach cut into 8-10 slices
• 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
• 1/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds (left whole for topping)
• powdered sugar, for garnish
  

- Prepare (butter or spray & flour) an 8" square baking pan. Preheat your oven to 350.

- In a large saucepan, melt the butter and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. While the butter is cooling,  combine the two sugars, vanilla and eggs in a large mixing bowl or bowl of your electric mixer. Stir or mix until smooth. Drizzle in the butter while stirring and make sure the mixture is smooth again - make sure you do this slowly so that if your butter is still warm, it doesn't curdle the eggs. Stir in the flour, almonds and a ¼ tsp salt. Stir or mix one more time just until the flour & dry ingredients are incorporated.

- Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan. Place peach slices across top of the cake so that it is uniformly covered. Scatter the raspberries and almonds over the top of the cake. Bake for 1 hour - as usual, this will depend on how your oven is calibrated. The cake is done when a skewer or toothpick poked in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan on a rack for about 20 minutes. Serve immediately so it'll be warm or you can cover this cake and serve it later - it would travel and is delicious at room temperature as a breakfast cake or snack.

It's about time - The Atlanta Food & Wine Festival!

Last week, a group of Atlanta food fans gathered in the top floor loft of one of the city's newest (and most talked about) developments, White Provision. Initially, our purpose here was unclear - the invites were very hush-hush. However, with one of Holeman & Finch mixologist Greg Best's incredible cocktails in our hand and a spectacular view of downtown,  we knew it had to be good. One good look at the signs around the room gave it away - our fine city was finally going to get it's culinary credit: The Atlanta Food & Wine Festival.

The brainchild of Dominique Love and Elizabeth Feichter, they've modeled the festival after those happening in Aspen and South Beach. Atlanta is a town with incredible chefs...and they've assembled them into the Founder's Council, whose food we were lucky enough to sample throughout the evening. Chefs such as Anne Quatrano (Bacchanalia), Linton Hopkins (Restaurant Eugene), Hugh Acheson (Five & Ten), Kevin Rathbun (Rathbun's), and Shaun Doty (Shaun's) will be helping steer the direction of the festival. The event's focus on Old and New Traditions - as well as warm welcome to those things from across the region - should prove to be spectacular.

Spectacular only begins to describe the food we tasted that night: a slightly curry flavored pulled duck slider with dried fig relish from One Flew South (an Atlanta airport culinary destination without question), Alabama white BBQ sauce on the burgers from Yeah! Burger, Miller Union's sublime smoked trout salad, and Anne Quatrano's blueberry & Meyer lemon semifreddo were only just a few of the many highlights.

The Atlanta Food and Wine Festival takes place in Atlanta, Georgia on May 19-22, 2011. There will be tastings, demos, and seminars that span those 4 days. Go ahead - mark your calendars. For more information, you can visit the event's website at http://atlfoodandwinefestival.com/.

like riding a bike

On Sunday, I received an early birthday gift from Mike. Not just any gift...but one that he knew would mean a whole lot to me. I got a new bicycle. A really nice bicycle. As much as it's meaningful in that we'll be able to spend time together outside and I'll be able to commute to the local market without hopping in the car, it's meaningful in an entirely different way: I've never ridden a bicycle before.

I grew up inside drawing, painting and studying. My folks (my dad in particular) never had the patience to teach me how...so it fell to the wayside. I don't blame them for it - I got to be good at lots of other things because of how I was raised. Still, I'm now faced with learning how to ride a bicycle as an-almost thirty-_______ year old person...and I'm going to be perfectly honest: it scares the be-jeezus out of me. The bruises on my legs from our quick feet-on-the-ground "walk but pretend you're riding" session on Sunday are a reminder of how it made me feel more than a bit humiliated, uncoordinated, and - well - old. That having been said, I'm determined to learn how and love it...without killing myself, my relationship or anyone else in the process.

One thing I do know how to do is cook potatoes. I put this together the other night of stuff lying around the loft. You can pop the potatoes in the oven for 30 or so minutes and work on something else in the meantime. Tossing the potatoes in the vinaigrette just as they're out of the oven means that they'll soak up all the delicious dressing - that's why the dish looks naked in the photo. Trust me, it's not. While I added some arugula and capers, feel free to improvise this. Toasted pine nuts, parsley, rough chopped herbs - it's really a blank canvas.

Warm Roasted Fingerling Potato Salad - serves 4 as a side

• 1 pound fingerling potatoes - white or purple or both - washed, dried and halved
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil - set aside 1 tbsp. for dressing & 2 tbsp. for roasting
• 3 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1 cup wild baby arugula
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper, to taste

- Preheat oven to 375. Place halved potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tbsp. olive oil. Toss to coat evenly. This should take between 30-40 minutes depending on your oven - it's about 35 in mine. You want the potatoes crisp but not brown/hard outside.

- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, and 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil. Set aside until potatoes are done roasting.

- When they potatoes are done, quickly toss them in the vinaigrette you've made. Toss gently to coat thoroughly. Allow to sit for 3-4 minutes to absorb all the flavors. Throw in capers and then salt & pepper to taste. Right before serving, add your handful (about 1 cup) of arugula and mix thoroughly. This is delicious warm but could also be served at room temperature - just add the arugula before you serve so it doesn't get mushy or wilted.

a hot streak

This post has been a long time coming - almost embarrassingly so. A few years ago at a sushi restaurant, I tasted Shishito peppers. We were steered in their direction by our server - I'm sure the bewildered look we gave him was common. "You want me to eat a pepper WHOLE?!". He said trust me...and we did. A snacky bite with more sweet than heat, it was an addictive snack.

Ever since then, I've been asking folks where to get Shishito peppers. I've bugged folks going to Asian markets and told them to look for me. I've harassed people on Twitter. Heck, I've even considered growing my own since I couldn't find them. Until this past weekend. As I wandered the produce aisles at Super H Mart, I saw a package of "Japanese sweet peppers" that looked strangely familiar. They're so inexpensive, I bought them in hopes I'd found those long-lost peppers. I had...and they were just as good as I remember.

This is a great starter for an Asian inspired meal. Make handfuls and handfuls of them because they'll quickly disappear. Allegedly, one in 100 is spicy. Otherwise, they're sweet with only a tiny burn of heat. They also cook in minutes and have so much punch in such a small package. I seasoned mine with a light sprinkle of sesame seeds alongside some citrus and smoked paprika sea salt. Eat them whole but make sure you discard the stem - they make a great "handle" to dip into the salt.

Flash Fried Shishito Peppers 

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 4 cups shishito peppers - washed & dried - leave the stem
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tsp smoked paprika

- Mix kosher salt and smoked paprika in small bowl & set aside. Heat sesame oil in a wok or deep saute pan until glimmering. Throw in your peppers and move them around in the pan until they start to blister. BE CAREFUL - the skins may pop and you may get oil sputters. They should blister in 2-3 minutes. Transfer from the pan onto paper towels to drain briefly. Place in serving bowl. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve slightly warm with lemon wedges and seasoned salt.

heaven in a bowl

So a long time ago...in what seems like a part of Atlanta far, far away....my dear friend Susy invited me to have lunch with her at a sushi place near her office. The building she works in...it feels like it might as well be in Tennessee, folks. It's a true testament to our friendship that I drove out to meet Susy that first time - I felt like I needed to pack a lunch. I digress.

We end up at this inauspicious shopping center restaurant called Wasabi House. I first ate "spicy tuna chirashi" there and, well, I've never eaten anything else there. Ever. It's the most amazing combination of tastes and textures: the toothsome rice with a splash of vinegar, fresh tuna, creamy avocado and Japanese mayo...all tied together with the hot streak of Sriracha sauce. You take your chopsticks and sort of...smoosh it all together and eat it. At first bite, lots of eye-rolls and audible "mmmm"s start.

Her lunchtime trips are jealousy-inducing. These days, I don't have time to get back to Wasabi House as much as I would like...so I've made a go at making this dish at home. The key is the freshest sushi grade tuna and ripe avocado. You can riff the rest of the dish as long as those two things are solid. Add more mayo and less heat. Amp up the Sriracha and minimize the mayo. Adding some crunch - I added radish sprouts but things like wasabi peas - might be fun and add a little dimension. The joy of this dish is that it comes together in the time it takes to cook rice - do your cutting and dicing while the rice is cooling and then assemble. 

Spicy Tuna & Avocado Chirashi - makes 2 entree sized rice bowls 

• 6 ounces very fresh sushi grade tuna, cut into small dice
• 1 large ripe avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup short grain sushi rice (truthfully, you can use whatever white rice you have on hand)
• 1 tsp. sushi vinegar - here is a recipe for an easy substitute
• 4 tablespoons Japanese or good quality basic mayonnaise (I use Kewpie mayo)
• 2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce 
• small handful crisp radish sprouts - to garnish

- For the rice: Cook the rice according to the appropriate directions for the type of rice you're using. As usual, Alton Brown has a great standard procedure for cooking sushi rice, including the addition of the sushi vinegar or substitute. Allow your rice to cool to room temperature before proceeding with the assembly of the chirashi bowls.

-While your rice is cooling, dice your sushi tuna and avocado. You need not worry about each size being perfectly cut - it's all getting mixed up anyway. Place half of your cooked, room temperature rice into two serving bowls. Top each bowl with half of your diced tuna and avocado. Drizzle each bowl with the Japanese mayo and a dose of Sriracha sauce. Sprinkle with radish sprouts or whichever extra garnish you choose. Serve immediately.

a recipe from an italian summer - and a giveaway!

I've been obsessing about this recipe ever since I stopped pining away for Recipes from an Italian Summer and bought a copy. The book is so stunning and beautiful - it's a photo album of my dream summer. One spent cooking simple, rustic lovely food. Throw in snapshots of outdoor picnics, tomatoes on the vine, produce close-ups - I'm in love. You'll see me cooking from this book for many months ahead.

This recipe caught my eye about 20 pages in. I've always been a fan of Pan Catalan so this Italian version was definitely for me. While the frisedda bread might be hard for you to find (as it was for me), a rustic loaf bread or Ciabatta does just fine once toasted. I shot the photo of my version while it was a little light on the tomato goodness - I didn't want it to come out looking like a wet washcloth. When you make yours, go crazy with the tomato rub. Really break it down into the crusty bread. Don't skimp on the heat, either - you can do this red jalapenos or red chilies, whichever you have. For this version, I just rubbed the bread with the chilies rather than topping with the diced version. This would be perfect picnic food - just toast the bread and take the other toppings alongside. Serve with an herby salad, some prosciutto, a slice of cheese. It's my dream al fresco food.

I'm so enamored with this cookbook that I'm giving a copy away. I'm doing this giveaway a little differently this time. To enter, all you have to do is "like" Running With Tweezers on Facebook. One random person who "likes" RWT on FB will win a copy of the book. The winner will be chosen at noon on Monday, June 7th, 2010. Since it's being shipped directly to the winner, this contest is open to US Residents only. To join the fun on Facebook, go here.

Frisedda- original recipe found in Recipes from an Italian Summer - serves 4

• 2 ring shaped loaves of bread or one long rustic Italian loaf, bone bread or Ciabatta
• 1 large red tomato, halved
• 1/3 cup rinsed and drained small capers
• 1 fresh red jalapeno or chili, seeded and finely chopped
• olive oil

- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cut the loaves in half horizontally and toast in the oven for 10 minutes until lightly browned.

- Remove from the oven and rub the cut surfaces vigorously with the tomato halves until they become red. Sprinkle with capers and chilies and drizzle generously with oil.

Note: For a picnic, toast the bread in advance, prepare the rest of the ingredients, and take them separately. Rub with tomato and sprinkle with capers, chili and oil just before serving.

please blog responsibly

Stepping on my soapbox here on RWT isn't something I often do. I've had my tongue in cheek rants in the past but they've still had a little levity. However, an exchange I had at the recent Taste of The Highlands event planted a seed in my brain that I just haven't been able to ignore. The owner of a fairly well regarded local restaurant approached our group - comprised of mostly non-restaurant review bloggers - and asked who we were. Once it was clear to him that we weren't part of the offending party, he revealed his disdain for the local food bloggers and the impact that their opinions - often based on quick glimpses at one time experiences - have on their business.

At the time, we all sort of gave each other the side-eye and went on about our business. The following week, as I read negative after negative review of Atlanta establishments (both new and longstanding), I have to admit there might be some truth to his argument. These days, the restaurant review bloggers can be considered an expert with no background in the etiquette or ethics of their field. Some folks are blogging irresponsibly. There. I said it.

Don't get me wrong...I'm all about the Internet being an open forum to express ideas and pass along information. I did it myself with this here blog. However, from day one, I've made the conscious choice to post about cooking, life stories, and unique experiences I can share with readers. When products are pitched to me, I immediately pass along the caveat that while I will try most anything a company wants to share with me, I will only present positive reviews and uses for their product on my blog. Why? Because being negative and controversial is too easy. Let's face it - there is a lot of mediocre out there, whether it's a product or restaurant or service. Spicy words and scathing reviews drive a lot more traffic to a blog than the warm-and-fuzzy stuff. It's much tougher to seek out the good stuff (and do real research) and highlight the positive - something bloggers like The Blissful Glutton have grown to do and earned a great deal of credibility & respect in the process.

The bloggers aren't the only ones to blame here. The excitement by companies and the faces of their PR machines caused them to jump on the food blog bandwagon as a way to get free publicity and peddle their wares. They've often not quantified who is qualified to speak on the topic of their business, their restaurant's style of cooking or the service they provide. Now, the pendulum has swung in favor of the bloggers and the weight they carry, much to the dismay of those representing a business who gets a review based on an off-night or a bad batch.We need to get to a point where those pushing restaurants and products really target those who best fit the image and market their trying to reach.

All I'm saying here, folks, is think before you type. I know this is demodé but cliches are around for a reason - there might be something to be said for not saying anything if you don't have something nice to say. Silence or lack of information about something often speaks volumes. At the very least, don't let your judgment be swayed by Google Analytics or the lure of free swag. Please continue to go out, stimulate the economy, and let people know how you feel about it...but do so in a way that is educated and well thought out. Visit a place more than once. Give things a second taste. Walk a busy service in their shoes. You'll be rewarded by a better blog, more credibility and the respect of the entire community.

travel & recipe trial-and-error

It's been another minute between posts. I've been on what seems like one long (but really awesome) photo shoot..and the days I haven't been in the studio, we've been traveling. One such trip was a wonderful weekend back and forth to Nashville. While seeing friends there is always a treat, the official occasion for our visit was something special: the spectacular wedding of Austin & Delaney. While I've just recently met them through Mike, their wedding seemed just like them: creative, casual and heart-warmingly sincere.

The bonus of the awesome event was running across this recipe. At their reception dinner, catered by Nashville BBQ joint Bacon & Caviar, I had one spoonful of this stuff and was hooked. I've been talking about it since then. I even asked the folks from the B&C for the recipe - and was shot down instantly. While my version might be a little fussier than theirs, it's darned close. Using fresh summer corn adds so much texture to this recipe. You can adjust the heat to whatever level you want but I urge you not to be afraid of the smokey paprika & chipotle powder - the sweetness of the veggies can handle it.

Chipotle Corn Salad - serves 10-12 as a side dish

• 12 ears of fresh white or yellow corn, shucked and cut off the cob
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, de-seeded and finely diced
• 3 tablespoons sour cream or creme fraiche (low or non-fat would work here, as well)
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. chipotle chili powder
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

- Place cut corn into a large mixing bowl with halved tomatoes, green onions and diced jalapeno. In a small mixing bowl, combine sour cream & vinegar. Add chipotle & smoked paprika and whisk together thoroughly. Taste it at this point - adjust the heat or vinegar level and add your S&P to taste. Drizzle it over veggie mixture and mix thoroughly. Taste one more time and adjust seasonings, if needed. You can serve this immediately or cover & store in the fridge - this salad will last for several days and only get better.