recipes for summer

there is a part and place in my creative process where i think i'll never finish. it happens when i'm about 80 to 85% there. it seems impossible. i think i'll never accomplish anything. i think about doing it, but i don't do it. i think about what other people are doing. getting depressed is part of my process.

i want to make another cookbook with recipes for summer. this is my recipe for perfect potato salad.

perfect potato salad

1 1/2 pounds golden fleshed potatoes

1/4 c. olive oil

1 tbsp. whole grain mustard

1 tbsp. dijon

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. seasalt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

3 to 5 ribs of celery

3 scallions

1. put the potatoes in cold, well salted water in a medium sized pot. bring to a boil. lower the heat to a simmer and cook until easily pierced with a small knife.

2. whisk the olive oil, mustards, lemon juice, salt and pepper together. add scallions and celery.

3. slice the potatoes into quarter moons when they are still warm, but cool enough to handle. add potatoes into the dressing.

this is the basic recipe, but it can be expanded upon. some excellent substitutions are using fennel instead of celery. adding italian parsley in addition to scallions is what i do if i have both. just using a lot of basil as the herb can be sexy.

this salad is perfect next to a sausage, but is also really good with dabs of seared sausage stirred into it, especially sausage with fennel seeds if you are using fennel bulb instead of celery. also nice with cold slices of roasted meat if you are lucky enough to live with someone who still makes roasts.

pirate soda bread

pirate soda bread is the invention of a bread genius named eric that i worked for age 21 to 22.

i call it pirate for two reasons: 1. that i recreated the recipe from observation, but was never given the recipe, making the recipe technically stolen, and 2. the whisky, so loved by pirates.

this bread is so irresistible i usually give the second loaf away. it is best eaten toasted with unsalted butter.

pirate soda bread

1 1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. white flour

1 1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. whole wheat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. buttermilk

1/4 c. molasses

2 oz. melted butter

1 egg, lightly beaten

20 turkish apricots or prunes, soaked overnight in 1/4 c. whisky

3/4 c. currants

1. whisk together dry ingredients and make a well in the center.

2. add all wet ingredients and dried fruits and mix quickly until just combined.

3. form into 2 balls and bake at 375 for 10 minutes, and lower to 350 and bake for 20-25 minutes more.

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.

san francisco underground farmers market

the haul:

4 san francisco homegrown avocados

1/4 loaf gluten free rye bread

1 macaroon

homemade mustard

raw oakland honey

2 sea salty chocolate chippers

some of the best beef jerky i ever had

perfect asparagus soup

i'm working on my next recipe book called recipes for spring. i decided to start with soup.

asparagus soup

2 bundles asparagus, 1’ chunks, tough bottoms reserved

1 leek, white and light green into quarter moons, tough dark bottom part 1 “ chunks

1 onion, cut in half

1 ½ tsp. sea salt

½ tsp. white pepper

3 black peppercorns

8 c. water

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 strips orange peel

1 bay leaf

3 small waxy potatoes, peeled and sliced thin

juice of 1 orange

1. in a small stockpot combine asparagus and leek trim, ½ yellow onion, water, ½ tsp. sea salt, ½ tsp. white pepper and black peppercorns. Bring to a simmer and cook 15 to 20 minutes.

2. in another small stockpot combine olive oil, leek, ½ yellow onion, orange peel, bay leaf and 1 tsp. sea salt. Cook medium until tender.

3. add potatoes to onion mixture and strain stock directly into 2^nd pot. Cook until potatoes are tender.

4. add asparagus and cook until just done, about 2 minutes.

5. remove orange peel and bay leaf and puree in a blender in batches with orange juice.

6. garnish with orange-mint gremolata.

orange-mint gremolata

zest of one orange

several branches of mint, leaves removed and cut into a fine ribbon cut (about 1/4 c.)

1 clove of garlic, grated

2 to 3 tbsp. olive oil

big pinch sea salt

portland part two

let's just say that the first day of spring is march 21st. after the gala at salt, fire and time my friends all went to a house party, but i went to bed. still on my early morning bakers schedule i was up at 7:30 walking down alberta.

i seldom go to yoga classes, but today i did. hatha yoga. the focus is on your breathe.

i had a text from shunafresh with answers to the question: i'm in pdx where must i go? this was how i found random order coffehouse and bakery. i introduced myself to the baker, but i didn't say good-bye when i left. it wasn't exactly that the bacon cheddar scallion muffin made me cry, but as i sat eating and looking up at their menu board i couldn't help it.

bob's red mill corn, handmade all butter crust, maybe 13 flavors of pie. one day into my trip and i'd already gotten a lot of the perspective i was looking for. i missed my pepples. i miss working with high integrity food. i was humbled by this muffin, and a day or two later the coconut cream pie.

i went back to my friends house and made everyone breakfast. it was a frittata in honor of spring portland style. here is the recipe:

big yukon gold potatoes from the bargain bin at alberta food co-op sliced and simmered until tender in salted water.

yellow onion and fennel cut saute slice and caramelized in raw butter

5 chicken eggs from chickens we knew personally whisked together with a splash of raw milk, basil, the last green onion in the house and a few lonely tablespoons of goatcheese.

potatoes get added to onion fennel mixture, and then egg mixture to that. all gets baked in a 325 oven until just set in the center.

my friend and i ate outside by the coop.

portland

i'm never sure when the first day of spring is. march 20th or 21st? my parents anniversary. march has always been significant for me. it's my birthday on the 29th and often the time of year when i make moves, change jobs and start projects. it's the beginning of spring, and the end of bundling up.

i've been at my latest job for a year now. there has been a lot of rain and to my dismay i haven't been feeling very grateful for everything in my life that's good. i smartly made a plan to get away to visit my old friend tressafresh in portland.

for some reason i hadn't packed and was chilled out on the other side of town eating a hamburger at mealticket. it was a mad dash to the airport but my boyfriendhero got me there in time.

when i landed i took the lightrail to a central location and was picked up and taken to a gala party at the salt, fire and time kitchen. tressa was there and she was in full goddess mode: strapless gray dress and red high heels. she had a team of what looked like gender queer american apparel models mindfully plating hor douvres and washing dishes in the open industrial kitchen.

the rose cardamom kombucha was flowing, a guy name dj lifepartner was djing with his laptop, and a crowd of amicable food obsessed portlanders gathered.

after the raffle of local products and services including lamb bacon and yoga classes we all helped clean up. my new friends went to a dance party, but i just went to bed.