the salty goat

                                                                         

over the next few weeks i am going to feature pictures, recipes, and the stories behind the recipes from my latest cookbook lovesandwich: 32 simple recipes for picnics.

a few years ago i had a great job working at, and developing the menu for local 123. one of my first assignments was a new vegetarian sandwich. ease of preparation and simplicity were important. the salty goat has just three components: olive tapenade, goat cheese and greens. 

i based my tapenade recipe from what i observed being made at the phoenix pastificio where i worked over 15 years ago. i'm not sure that i ever actually made the olive tapenade there, but i do remember that part of my job was to squeeze each and every kalamata olive destined to be part of the olive bread to check for pits.

people like whimsically named sandwiches, so the name was supposed to be a reference to what i thought meant something like "wacky guy" in mexican slang, but i've never fully confirmed that-everyone i ask has a different answer. 

 a fruity goat is a good variation. simply substitute super easy apricot chutney for the tapenade.

if you want to forgo bread make a salad with goat cheese, cucumbers and tomatoes and use the tapenade as a rich and delicious salad dressing. 

the salty goat is a simple sandwich that travels well. a nice one to take on a picnic.

olive tapenade

4 oz. mixed green and black olives

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. flat leaf parsley
1 tsp. capers
1 tsp. fresh herbs (thyme, tender rosemary, mint...)
1/4 tsp. orange zest

1. crush olives using the bottom of a juice glass and remove pits

2. hand chop olives, parsley, capers and herbs and mix with olive oil and orange zest.

3. combine with goat cheese and greens to make a sandwich, use as a dressing, or dab onto almost anything.

top food trends 2012

licorice

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coconut

gluten free re-interpretations

nut butters

organics

truffle infused everything

figs

olives

figs & olives in combination

seeded crackers

candy & cheese

portland part three

a lot has changed since my trip to portland. mostly i changed jobs. the right way this time with a respectful letter of resignation, two weeks notice and a plan. i'm at local 123 now on the green belt of san pablo in berkeley, california.

i'll be making soup again. we have a sandwich on the menu that i made up called the salty goat. it has goat cheese, happy boy farms letttuce and my recipe for olive tapanade, with a whisper of orange zest and thyme. i'm a chef again. savory and sweet.

everyone has their own strengths in the kitchen, and every person i work with and job i have leaves me with a little something i learned. a little system or trick, a different way of doing something. even the people and jobs that i didn't like.

when i went to portland i knew i needed to get away and look at my life from a different angle. luckily i fell deeply back in love with food. when i arrived in portland and my sweet chefriend tressa introduced me to everyone as the first chef that she worked under i was in a fog of self doubt.

a few days later in her kitchen at home i teased and reprimanded her about chopping wet parsley. i saw her struggle to slice olives off of their pits. she didn't know that you can pit olives by crushing them under a juice glass. a good chef is a teacher.