Life's a Banquet
'...and most poor fools are starvin to death!' ~Mame

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com/events.htm#harvestmea

I did not sleep well Tuesday night at all. We had the first annual Harvest Meal or, as the KCAA was touting it, Peninsula Food & Chef Showoff, and it was a raging success. Of course lots of little things did not go perfectly.. and yet close to 400 people were fed! Not just fed... nourished and filled with foods of the highest caliber that Kitsap has ever seen. Our chefs truly did show off our local foods and every dish was beautiful and delicious. I was exhausted after that last very hectic week and 2 full days of cooking, yet I could not sleep for the adrenaline coursing through me. Because of my past career I am a recovering adrenaline "junky" and my brain 'chatters' after even the smallest adrenaline dump. A little history...

Five years ago this week I was not sleeping well. I had dispatched for King County Sheriff's Office since 1990 and for some reason I reacted to the incident that occurred that night far differently than I had reacted to anything before. It affected me emotionally. Two deputies, who also happened to be brothers, ended up fighting for their lives and shooting the 'bad guy' at the end of the battle. This was certainly not my first shooting, and not even my last, and yet I could not shake the fact that those guys were my friends; I had known the elder brother nearly my entire career and had even been in his wedding several years prior. I met the younger brother at that wedding and soon after he began working with us. I cared about all of 'my' deputies and it was my job to keep them 'safe'. Thankfully everyone went home to their families that night, which makes it a good night, but I had major amounts of adrenaline pumping through my body. It took me longer than usual to work through it, partly because I was unable to go to the department debriefing; I was on vacation in New York City with Mark and my family. (Sidebar: Mark and I got to visit the NYPD Communications Center, which is the largest in the world! It was an amazing experience and I got to speak to some of the dispatchers who were there for 9/11/2001.)

Due to a combination of my reaction to this event and the typical and complete lack of support from our 'management', about a month later I was sitting in the office of one of our department shrinks talking about the incident. I was saying that I had decided that I needed to move out of that career within the next year and I had no idea what that would mean for me. My trip to NYC and the conversations I had with those dispatchers helped me to feel even more confident in my decision. I was an excellent dispatcher and I knew that allowing myself to feel emotions meant that I was not going to be as good at my job. That was not acceptable to me, even if I was still 'good enough' at it, it was not good enough for me. I wanted to feel emotions again and not feel guilty about it. I wanted to feel 'human' and that meant I needed to change my career.

The counselor asked me where I saw myself in five years. I had no idea! I knew I would not be there and the thought of not being surrounded by my police family was so foreign and scary that I could not see past it. If she had said to me: "Monica, five years from now you will own a restaurant with your husband and you will be organizing the menu and chefs for a harvest meal for 400 people", I would have thought she was CRAZY! No one could have seen that scenario coming, especially not me. And yet, here I am! I did not get here by thinking of all the reasons why I could not, should not, or would not be able to do such a thing. I got here because every time I had an idea that felt really good, I said WHY CAN'T WE?? And really, it was a rhetorical question. I LOVED putting that meal together and I am so proud of all that we did! No wonder I couldn't sleep!

Three weeks before the big dinner event I was asked by Jim Freeman of the KCAA to organize the menu and chefs. Yes, I had a fleeting thought of "What the heck?? In three weeks?? YIKES!" I let that thought go and again thought "Why Not!" I mainly asked chefs and professional cooks that I knew I could count on to be reliable AND cook amazing food. They did not let me down! Instead of a recipe this week I am going to list every chef, their restaurants with links to their web sites and the dishes that they prepared for the dinner. I hope that you go visit them all as soon as you can. These are places that I love to eat at, and since you have to wait a year for the next harvest meal, you can tickle your palate with the great food they have in their restaurants. Tell them I sent you, I want the to know how much I appreciate them! And then come in and tell me what you had, you know I love to hear about great food. You can click on the harvest meal link above to see what farmers/growers provided us with our fabulous ingredients for the meal. I hope you got to have some of the food and if you missed it, you really missed something special. Make sure to get there next year!

By the way I am able to see a bit further into the future than I used to. I don't know exactly what it will look like in five years, but I have a pretty good idea, and while I don't want to spoil the future for you, I can tell you that it is going to taste really good!

Thank you to our friends:

*Kay Lee Jung, (no restaurant yet) Port Orchard: Korean Vegetable Soup
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*Theresa Chiddick, Island Jamz, Keyport: Trinidadian Curried Goat
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*Thad Lyman, Brix 25, Gig Harbor: French Cassoulet
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*Jeff McLelland, Harbour Pub & Pegasus Coffee House, BI: Fabulous Roasted Chicken and a Zucchini Gratin
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*Marty Bracken & Stacy Grega, Agate Pass Cafe, Suquamish: Roasted Pork; Pickled Red Onions; & Creamy Polenta w/Rosemary & Fresh Corn
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*Shelly Lewis, Cosmo's Deli, Port Orchard: Italian Baked Pasta with Pork Loin & Fromage Blanc
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*Chris Plemmons and assistants from Olympic College and Two Snooty Chefs, Bremerton: Spanish Hams in Hay; NW style Fresh Veggie Salad & Dressing
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*Richard Kost & Cynthia Jeffries-Cyr, CJ's Evergreen General Store, Bremerton: Amuses Bouche of Grilled Clams & Oysters; Harvest Deviled Eggs; Moroccan Goat Tajine; Goan Curry Vegetable Samosas w/Peach Chutney (vegan); NW Roasted Beets & Vegetable Salad; German Style Potato Salad
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*Lowell Yoxsimer, Hi-Lo's 15th Street Cafe, Bremerton: Desserts featuring Washington Apples & Peaches
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And of course!
*Monica Downen, Mark Downen & Leslie Chamberlain, Monica's Waterfront Bakery & Cafe, Silverdale: Mexican style Pork Chili Verde; Italian style Farro Salad; Dinner Rolls

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

Mark and I were in Heaven over Labor Day Weekend, and Jesus was our waiter. Akumal, Mexico is a small village about an hour and a half south of Cancun, and we went there for 4 fabulous nights. Jesus works at a restaurant called Lol Ha, and within an hour of the van dropping us off at the hotel, he was serving us a mixed seafood ceviche that had shrimp, conch, white fish, octopus, and had a lovely lime tang. It was served with the thick chips that they make down there and some pico de gallo that was super fresh. We also enjoyed a nice pozole (I love that soup!) and some of the best shrimp tacos ever. (The tamarind sauce was oh so amazing!) Jesus also brought us the best margaritas of the entire weekend and all this on a patio, just a few sandy steps away from the Caribbean ocean! It is near the web cam that I told you about and you can see that it is working now! Of course at night all you can see are the palm trees that have lights on them, so check it during the day. They are 2 hours ahead of us.

We snorkeled at least 2 hours a day and we got to see baby sea turtles be born and run to the sea! It was a full moon and a glorious night on the beach. We also swam with adult sea turtles and so many other fish! Mark will post pics on our Facebook page if you want to check them out. We sat under the palapas contemplating the fact that this is where they film many of the Corona beer commercials, and there we were listening to the waves and being very grateful for the breeze. We connected with friends whom we had not met in person; only online through the loco gringo web site. I read 2 books! Not two pages, like I normally get in a day. Two whole books! And I loved them!!! If you enjoyed seeing Julie & Julia, you may enjoy "The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry" By Kathleen Flynn. It is her experience as a journalist/food writer at the Le Cordon Bleu culinary program and I enjoyed every word. She is an excellent writer and comes off as very real. The other book I read is one that Mark got me for my birthday, and boy was he right when he said he knows my taste! "The Alchemist", by Paulo Coelho was originally written in Portuguese and has been translated into a lovely work of art. I read this one mostly on the plane ride from Dallas and my eyes caressed each word, like they were seeing a long lost love who had finally come home. Every word was necessary and well put. Read it if you enjoy spiritual growth and believe that we are all really one spirit. You will cherish it!

So we returned refreshed, renewed and energized for the next project. We do have the quarterly Old Town Art Walk this Friday from 6-8 and I hope you can get out and enjoy the art. We always take donations for the food bank, and in return we give out free cookies, or free tastes of our house wines. We also offer complimentary coffee to whomever may want it. Our artist is Anna Hoey and she was hanging her art upstairs just this afternoon. Though we will miss Gerry Mattoon's art, hers is going to look great up there! I think we may have another first place winner! All the shops in Old Town get into the event and it is a really fun way to spend the evening and wind down your week.

My big project though, is the harvest meal coming up next Tuesday at the fairgrounds. I have the honor of coordinating the chefs and professional cooks, and overseeing our menu choices. You can still get tickets, there are lots to be had and believe me you will never get a chance at a meal like this again. The amazing farmers of Kitsap county are providing the produce and meat that we are using for the menu and every one of the main components is locally grown. I am so excited about this! And the price is fabulous too! I feel sorry for anyone who can't make it because this is a meal of a lifetime. I already intend to plan another meal next year, but it will be completely different. There is no way to recreate this menu! Check out that link and get your tickets, you will be very glad you did.

And now I must get back to planning that dinner! I will leave you with a ceviche recipe that you can make and love at home. It makes a great appetizer and is easy because there is no real cooking involved. The acid from the citrus 'cooks', or cures the seafood and it is entirely safe to eat. If I can eat it in Mexico, it is fine to eat here!

You pick the seafood Ceviche

1 lb of seafood (halibut and shrimp are my favorites; you can use snapper, bass, scallops, conch, any other firm white fish, langostinos, etc, peel and devein shrimp; dice everything

Enough lime juice to completely cover the fish... probably 6 or so limes.

Marinate the fish in the lime juice (in the fridge)over night or all day. Stir or shake it up often so it all gets coated as much as possible, and nothing is left sitting in the bottom the whole time. Pour off most of the lime juice, leaving it nice and moist but not soupy. Then add the rest:

an extra lime or two if you want to freshen up the lime flavor
1 cup fresh tomato, diced
1 med sweet onion, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1-2 jalapeño peppers, diced (you can take out the seeds and ribs to remove heat)
Hot sauce, such as Tabasco, to taste

Toss it all together and serve it topped with diced avocado, or on top of a salad, with corn chips, or over rice. It goes great with Napa cabbage and you can tart it up any way you like, it's your dish!

Hasta luego!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

Happy birthday everyone! I know it probably isn't your birthday, but last week was my mom's, a couple of friends', and mine! So it has been birthdays galore for a week! My dad spoiled my mom like crazy and she also treated herself pretty well. We had a 'picnic' on a houseboat while the concert in the park was going on in Gig Harbor on Tuesday. I made chicken skewers with Sound Bites' Lime Chimichurri sauce because I LOVE it! They have many types of hummus and other sauces, and the Chimichurri del Norte is my mostest favoritest of all. I could make it and it would not be as good, so why should I! You can get it at many farmer's markets around here, check out the link I put on for them. I also made cantalope soup (it's chilled!) and tomato/cucumber salad with our farmer Paul George's produce. For dessert we had Olympic Mountain ice cream, which is made in Shelton and is the best ice cream EVER! The creamiest texture, strong, true flavors, and you can only get it in restaurants...many of the finer dining establishments around here sell it. Get it if you can, it is FABULOUS! We were all very happy and the favorite wine of the evening was Ensemble Cellars Release #3. The winemaker Craig Nelson was the original owner of Gig Harbor's Water To Wine shop (now owned by the amazing Steve Lynn) and he went to Walla Walla to make extraordinary Bordeaux style wines. And it is really good! You should see if Steve has any left at the shop and get a bottle, it is so worth it!

On my birthday we had a day long celebration at the cafe and it was festive and fun all around. The free coffee was a big hit, and the winner of the $42 gift certificate was Lindsey Burchak! He was very excited about that! We also gave away bottles of wine to 3 people and fair/extreme bulls tickets to one gal. I think everyone had a fun time that day and I know I did!

On Sunday my mom and dad took me on a secret trip and was I surprised when we got there! All the way to Woodinville we went and stopped at Soft Tail Spirits for a grappa tasting! I have been looking for grappa since I got back from Italy 3 years ago and finally it's here!! We got a tour of the facility and tasted the 3 grappas they make out of Columbia Valley grapes. I loved them and we are taking one bottle to Italy as a host gift to Roberto who owns the agriturismo we are staying at. I think he will really think it is neat to have a Washington grappa.

Mark and I are going to Akumal, Mexico for the weekend (I know it sounds crazy but we had air miles to pay for it, it's our 18th wedding anniversary, and it has been 4 years since we went on a 'vacation'! So we ARE crazy!) and wouldn't you know it there is a new "Taste of..." event in Playa del Carmen, which is about 45 minutes north of where we are staying. We may get there, and we may not... no matter what I will let you know what wonderful seafood we ate while there. 3 full days of snorkeling the Caribbean and I will be very happy!!!!

The big news of the week is that the Harvest Meal that I am planning with other local chefs and professional cooks is only 2 weeks away! We have tickets for sale at the cafe, and you can buy them online at the link I provided. Local farmers are providing produce and the KCAA folks got us a hog and a goat at the 4H/FFA auction on Saturday, so we will have locally raised meats. They are also trying to get us oysters, salmon, cheese and other local products to work with. Central Market is donating other cooking staples that we cannot get locally and it is all coming together rapidly! I tested a recipe yesterday and it is FABULOUS! I will share it with you and after each ingredient I will list who I got it from. It is super local! This chile verde is gluten free and has lots of nutritional value due to the fact that everything in it is organic and locally produced! It is so good, and you should freeze some for the winter when it is cold out and you want a hearty stew. You know I made twice as much as the recipe I am giving you so pay attention to balance here... I may be off a bit in the reduction but I think I am pretty close for you. I adapted this recipe slightly from Slim's Last Chance Chili Shack & Watering Hole and I think Slim would have sung a great song about this dish!

Chile Verde

canola oil (not local. sigh.)
4-5 lbs pork butt roast, cubed 1/2 inch or so (it's the shoulder really) *from Lopez Island Farm
5 cups onion, diced *from our farmer Paul Gregory
1/2 cup garlic, chopped *from Hand Sown Homegrown/Sara & Jared Hankins
1/3 cup serrano peppers, chopped *Pheasant Field Farms/Nikki Johansson
1/3 cup jalapenos, chopped and seeded (unless you like it hotter!)*Nikki again
a beer *I used Deschutes Brewery, though I will use Silver City for the harvest meal
1 quart chicken broth *made from Red Rooster Farms chickens for the meal
3 TBS garlic powder
1 TBS ground black pepper
1+ TBS cumin
1+ TBS mexican oregano
2+ tsp ground coriander
salt
18-ish anaheim chilis (I used some cubanelles from eastern wa, will use Pheasant Fields anaheims for the meal)
15-ish fresh tomatilloes, paper skins removed *Sara & Jared's
1/2 cup masa harina (corn flour)

Cook this in a big dutch oven if you have one. Preheat the oven to 350

Coat the pan w/oil and brown the pork on all sides. Do this in batches, don't crowd the pan. As you pull each batch out, wipe out the pan and start with fresh oil. Once it is all pulled out, set the meat aside.

Add in more oil and saute the onion, garlic, serrano, jalapeno and all spices until soft; add the pork back in and deglaze with the beer. Add in the chicken broth, turn to low, cover and simmer 10-ish minutes.

MEANWHILE roast the tomatillos until soft. Puree in food processor. Roast the anaheims until charred. toss them into a bowl and cover with saran wrap, or put them in a sealed paper bag to steam for at least 10 minutes. When cooled peel and steam the peppers and puree in food processor.

Stir the purees into the pork mixture and simmer on low heat for about an hour.

In a small saute pan mix 1/2 cup canola oil with the masa harina, stirring over low heat for 2 minutes to make a roux. Stir it into the pot and simmer at least 10 more minutes.

You can keep cooking it or not; up to you. The pork should be lovely and tender, the flavors meld together and the freshness of the ingredients really shines through. Taste for seasoning and eat it up! You can garnish with things like lime, cilantro, onion, cheese, corn chips, cabbage, or hominy; you can eat it with tortillas, fry an egg on top, or whatever else you like. Want some but don't want to cook? Come to the harvest meal!!!