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

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

I have a wonderful life and in case anyone out there thought maybe I didn't appreciate it: I DO! Every night as I go to sleep and each morning when I wake up I gaze out my window and give thanks for this beautiful place we live (not to mention all the times in between!)I have been 'high' since our Italian wine makers came out for a visit last Wednesday and totally made my day. It started about 2 weeks ago when I found out that several of our favorite Italian wine makers were going to be in Seattle and Tacoma at different events. Our friend and coordinator for our Italy food & wine trip, Doumina Whyman made sure that they got to stop by the cafe for a visit. It was a mad scramble, as I had 5 days (2 of them the weekend!) to make sure I got their wines into the store, had some great food to go with them, and most importantly got the word out so folks could come meet them and taste their wines with them! These men are so gracious and welcoming when we bring our groups to visit them in Italy, it was very important to me to show them as much hospitality as possible while they were visiting here. Meeting us for the first time was the endearing Nini Palama and his wife Isa, with wines from their estate in the Puglia region, the boot-heel of Italy. Then tall and handsome Federico Stella with his adorable father Giorgio, with wines from the Peimonte region, the upper thigh of Italy. We will visit his vineyards in October for the first time. Last and not least was our dear friend from Tuscany (the kneecap of Italy) Alessandro Bocci, from Perazzeta winery, which we can show you pictures of from our trip last year. Around 30 wine-loving people showed up to welcome our friends from Italy, some of whom had a bit less English than others, and we had a wonderful time hearing them talk and sipping their wines. Because of the late notice I did not have much of anything so we had to take orders for most wines, but I think it worked out well anyway, as our customers are the best in the universe and they understood about time constraints. It was wonderful to see the men and I feel like we showed them a great time, and then they got to take the Bremerton-Seattle ferry back on the most beautiful of nights, which I know they thoroughly enjoyed.

The next day Mark and I trekked to Tacoma to see "our Italians" and several other wine-makers from Italy at a trade event. We saw Lorenzo from Podere Ciona (we stayed there last year and it is a place I could live, to be sure! I love his mother and her friends, my Italian mamas!) We also reminisced with Antonio Sanguineti, who has visited the cafe before, and Enzo from Rigoloccio winery in the Maremma. We met Luca from La Quercia, where we wanted to go last year but did not due to the big earthquake, & Elena de Tarczal from the far northern area of Trentino. We missed a few friends and we made a couple of new ones, and I would have to be tortured to decide which of these geniuses makes the best wine. They are all the best of their regions and at the top of their different classes to be sure, and I really do love them all. It was fun to share pictures of last year's trip with them, some of whom were in those pictures, some who will be next year, and the rest just enjoy seeing photos of friends' wineries and familiar places within their homeland. Mark and I both had a fantastic time, it felt like a reunion, and we did not want to say 'ciao' when it was over. We did get one last farewell from Alessandro on Saturday, as he had a public event at Tacoma Boys so we popped in to get a favorite bottle signed and to wish him well. We will see him and some of the others in October-you can join us still, we have 3 spots left on the trip! I promise it will be so much fun you will barely be able to stand it!

Last weekend was my BFF Linda's 1/2 birthday (I thought it sucked that her late December birthday gets overshadowed by Christmas so I started celebrating her 1/2 birthday many years ago..) so I surprised her with a chocolate tour! We went through Savor Seattle and did the 'Chocolate Indulgence' tour, which is a walking tour and therefore puts you into massive calorie deficit and makes it all worth while. We went on Sunday, which happened to be the Gay Pride Parade and that made it all the more colorful of a tour! We parked in Tukwila and took the lightrail down so traffic and parking were just fine, thank you very much. We went to places and experienced flavors that neither of us had been or tried before and it was so much fun! A tasty learning experience, to be sure. If anyone out there wants to take me on the Gourmet Seattle tour, or even the Pike Place Market tour, I am totally game! Yes, it is sort of a touristy thing to do and yet we learned things about our own area and that was fun. Plus we could even fill in the blanks on a few things, like when we sampled Matt Carter's chocolates at The Chocolate Box, I was sure to let everyone know that Carter's Chocolates is in Port Orchard and absolutely worth a visit. By the time 2 hours of chocolate had passed we were done! We lightrailed it back and I had spicy pho for dinner...the chicken soup was light and very spicy to cut all that richness from earlier in the day. When I got home Mark had done most of the laundry...now THAT is a good day!

Have you been watching the FIFA World Cup? I bet you have since it is the most watched sporting event in the world (more than 715 million people watched the final match in 2006!) I am amazed by how in to this I am. Months ago I watched the draw for the lineup and I finally understand it! I am waking up every morning and tuning into the games as soon as they come on, either on tv or on my computer...Mark, Betuel and I huddled around the laptop to see USA score against England and we watched Mexico win early on as well! It is all very exciting and I find myself enthralled with the amazing footwork in the games. Now the USA and Mexico are both out, and I am still watching and loving every minute of it, and MLS is back playing again too, which is difficult to watch this year and yet I am there for those Sounders!

Soccer players are serious athletes, far more generally fit than baseball, basketball or American football players, and dare I say even more fit than Hockey, rugby and lacrosse players. They are running for more than 90 minutes at a time with only a 15 minute break in the middle! They must be eating mountains of protein and carbs before they play and yet the food sponsors seem to be predominantly those of fast food giants. There is simply no way these guys are eating that food and qualifying for World Cup play. There is, of course, controversy over that issue and FIFA (Federation International Football Association) is under fire from various health organizations from all over the world. FIFA isn't saying anything and I suspect that they will not. Money talks and I would bet that this World Cup is going to be more watched than the last one, so FIFA will take the money from whoever wants to sponsor it. I guess it is up to the rest of us to explain to our kids that just because McDonalds advertises at the World Cup, it is not cool to actually eat there. Sigh.

I am partnering with the Library Foundation to have a great food event here in Kitsap that I am super excited about. It is called "Food For Thought: Edible Conversations with internationally renowned food bloggers/authors". It will be at Rodstol Lane Farm and there will be NY Times best selling authors there! We are surrounding the panel with informational booths all having to do with our local food chain, such as our Food & Farm Policy Council and many more. Chef Chris Plemmons from Olympic College is going to roast a pig with me and we will do lots of other dishes that will be great, plus local wine and beer folks will be there selling additions to the meal. I want everyone to go and eat and learn and have a great time, though I have an event the following week that I think you will love, too.

This is one of our local Day Trips to Finnriver Farm & Cidery, in Chimacum Valley. We will create a great meal out of local foods, do a farm tour, have live music, taste their amazingly great hard cider (which tastes more like sparkling wine to me, so I love it) and have another fabulous time. We are still working out the details on both events, but get them on your calendars now so you will be sure to not miss them!

I was recently having lunch with Katie & Renee, both former Monica's team members, who were saying they missed the black bean chipotle soup that we make, since they are no longer working there and therefore not available every time we make it. I decided to put a version of our soup here for you and you can make it at home!

Black Bean Chipotle Soup
Beans (You could use canned beans, make sure you rinse them really well if you do)
1 pound dried black beans (2 cups), rinsed and picked over and soaked over night with a couple of bay leaves and some pepper. Drain the beans and add the following:

4 ounces ham steak , trimmed of rind (leave this out if you are vegetarian
2 bay leaves
5 cups water
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon table salt

Soup
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions , chopped fine (about 3 cups)
1 large carrot , chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
3 ribs celery , chopped fine (about 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
5 - 6 medium cloves garlic , minced-about 1 1/2 tablespoon
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chiles in adobo (or more if you like it spicier)
2 teaspoons adobo sauce
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons lime juice , from 1 to 2 limes

maybe some cornstarch and water...

1. FOR THE BEANS: Place beans, ham, bay, water, and baking soda in large saucepan with tight-fitting lid. Bring to boil over medium-high heat; using large spoon, skim scum as it rises to surface. Stir in salt, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer briskly until beans are tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours (if necessary, add another 1 cup water and continue to simmer until beans are tender); do not drain beans. Discard bay. Remove ham steak (ham steak darkens to color of beans), cut into 1/4-inch cubes, and set aside.

2. FOR THE SOUP: Heat oil in 8-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking; add onions, carrot, celery, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add garlic and cumin; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in beans, bean cooking liquid, chipotle chiles, adobo sauce, and chicken broth. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, to blend flavors, about 30 minutes.

3. TO FINISH THE SOUP: Ladle 1-2 cups beans and 2 cups liquid into food processor or blender, process until smooth, and return to pot. If soup is still thinner than desired once boiling, stir 2 TBS cornstarch into 2 TBS water, then drizzle in/gradually stir mixture into soup; return to boil to fully thicken.

Off heat, stir in lime juice and reserved ham; ladle soup into bowls and serve immediately, passing garnishes separately. For garnishes you can use:
lime wedges
minced fresh cilantro leaves
red onion, finely diced
avocado, diced medium
sour cream

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

It's another beautiful morning in Olalla with sun-dappled trees and frolicking animals. I swear we live in a utopia out here! This morning I looked out to the bird sanctuary to see what the commotion was and apparently the Douglas Squirrel (aka Kamikaze, or Kaze for short) woke up feeling quite territorial. He was rather ineffectively trying to chase away a crow and a bunny! (We don't have rabbits, we have bunnies.) The squirrel would charge the crow, who would do a graceful hop/fly, lifting up just long enough to avoid Kaze, and then continue eating. Then the squirrel would charge the bunny, who would step aside and let the charging pest run by. It was pretty funny, and the whole time another squirrel was up in one of the trees chirping out his annoyance at the charging interloper. See? Utopia.

Last Saturday Mark and I finished at the cafe a bit too early to hit our beloved Bay Street Ale House, so we headed on up to Gig Harbor North to try a new place we spied while exiting Costco a couple of weeks ago. It is called Blue Cannon Pizza Co. and I love their tagline: "Eat it and weep. It's that good." We were pleasantly surprised by the nice atmosphere and their beer taps had great choices. They offer thin-crust pizzas, hot and cold sandwiches that are served on a french roll and come with potato wedges, salads and a few apps or sides. We enjoyed our pizzas, they make their own dough and sauce, and the toppings were fresh. The peppperoni was a different twist as it was in chunks rather than slices. This puzzled me until I took a bite: while there was not an over abundance of pepperoni (nor a deficit, it was just the right amount), I could taste it in every bite because the thicker chunks rendered more oil than slices. That delicious pepperoni flavor permeated the slices and I am a fan of the chunk! You also get a bit more chew out of them than you do the slices, which is a good thing. This place is really new and I was delighted to get to talk with the owner, Shawn. He was really nice and full of exuberance over his new place. We talked shop a bit and it will be fun to watch them blossom in that space. As far as I can tell they are the only independent operator in the entire strip mall, so I now have a reason to go over there other than Costco (which is a necessity for the cafe) and we love having a great place that close to Olalla.

On Sunday I had a fantastic experience with some wonderful women. Erin and I went to the Chef's Collaborative 'Farmer Jane' Brunch at la Spiga in Seattle, along with Charlotte and Jill. Temra Costa is the 'activist-turned writer' who authored 'Farmer Jane' and you can learn more about here on her web site. She loves talking about the powerful women within the farming/food world and since she was to be in Seattle for a few weekend speaking engagements she called Chef Tinsley and asked her to get together with Chef's Collaborative and they would do a brunch. Calls were made and CC's own Meg Chadsey got it all together. The other speakers were Kären Jurgensen of the Quilisascut Farm and the Seattle Culinary Academy, Kia Anderson (nee Kozen) from Nash's Organic Produce in Sequim, and Brooke Lucy from Bluebird Grain Farms in the Methow Valley. They were wonderful speakers and it was great to hear all they have done not only for themselves and their businesses, but for their communities, farming and food in general. I was very familiar with each of them from Chef's Collaborative, and it was wonderful to be able to share a little bit of that passion with my three companions, as well as the rest of the great folks in the room.

The ferry rides both to and fro were full of lively discussion, as my 3 companions did not know one another. They made the ride go very quickly and I would have enjoyed more time with each of them. Up on Capital Hill, La Spiga is a really large, urban space, and I would love to go to dinner there some time. The four of us chose a table that sat six, so another pair of women joined us for brunch and as crazy as it sounds, they were the other two women in the room from our side of the water! I didn't ask their permission to name them so I will just say that they have ties to the Bremerton and Key Peninsula Farmer's Markets and they were very nice to talk with. Brunch itself was fabulous and it all started with fresh juices and coffee (Caffe Umbria-gotta love it!) and 'bombolone', or homemade pastry cream-filled doughnuts. Oh. My. Once the talk was over we headed to the buffet for fruit from Tiny's in Eastern Wa; delicious cheeses from Quillisascut Farms and Estrella Family Cheese; spinach salad with balsamic and toasted sunflower seeds from Nash's; roasted asparagus with poached eggs, prosciutto and truffle oil; plain roasted asparagus; house made breads and fruit spreads and they also offered brunch cocktails. Everything was full of flavor and perfectly presented. We all received signed copies of Temra's book, which topped it off very nicely. It was a wonderful way to spend a Sunday.

On Tuesday I hopped over to the Silverdale Farmer's Market and was surprised to see some old friends who have started a new adventure. John and David, formerly of Henry's Deli in The Norm Dicks building in Bremerton, have opened Viaggio Pizza. It is a traveling wood-fired pizzeria and they were offering 3 or 4 different flavors from the caravan. David has a platform that he stands on as he rolls out the crusts and tops them to order, while John peels them into the oven and serves them up hot. The oven was super hot, which is perfect for Neapolitan style pizza, and they were cooking up in seconds. They offered a 'piece', which is a quarter of the pie, and the whole pie. The pizzas are about 12 inches and the crust had some char, which I love. The oven was so hot that it was curling the pepperoni, and the pie they had on display looked like it had little flowers all over the top. They can be found at different markets and festivals, and they are for hire for private events and parties. It is a great idea and it looks like they are having fun!

Yesterday at the cafe I got a call from Doumina. She was packing up to return from Italy and had to tell me that we have 2 wine-makers coming on June 23 and we must have a big event for them! So we shall... I am working out the details and will have them on the web site soon, as well as sending out another email newsletter to announce it. So exciting! We love our Italian wine makers! We are catering for the WSU Alumni in Bremerton tomorrow, then have a private graduation celebration dinner to cook for on Friday. Saturday should be busy with wonderfully warm weather, and then we will be busy all week preparing for the art walk on the 18th, and a big party and a wedding next weekend. Then the wine-makers come, plus we have a wine tasting on Friday the 25th, and bam! We are into July. Time flies when you are having fun for sure!

The recipe today is one that I learned in Italy and everyone loves this salad. It is great to take to parties, picnics and bbq's because it can safely sit out longer than mayonnaise based salads. You can personalize it in that if you do not like a particular ingredient, take it out, or add in your own. You can really make this one your own depending on what veggies and herbs you use. Follow the Bluebird Grain Farms link above to buy your farro online. It's the brand we use in the cafe and at home! You can add nuts, different veggies, change the herbs, whatever you like! Play with it, it's good to eat!

4 cups water
10 oz farro (emmer berries) and yes, you should weigh it out
2 tsp salt plus more for later
1/4+ cup excellent quality olive oil
2 tomatoes (about a pound), seeded and chopped
5 or so green onions, whites and greens, chopped
1-2 cucumbers, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup Italian Parsley, chopped
3 TBS Fresh Thyme (or any herb), chopped
black pepper, to taste
pecorino romano (or asiago, parmesan, or a combo of any aged cheeses), shredded
1-2 cups chopped dark, leafy greens, such as kale or chard. Romaine lettuce if you must.
2+ TBS good balsamic

Combine the water and farro in a medium saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the farro is tender, about 30 minutes. They should have some bite to them, not be mushy, not be crispy.
Drain well, and then transfer to a large bowl to cool.

Meanwhile prep your veggies. When the emmer is still warm but not steamy hot, pour the olive oil over and mix well.

Add in all the other ingredients and toss very well to combine. Adjust the salt and pepper, and add in any extra olive oil or balsamic if you want to. Keep tasting and adjusting until it is just how you like it.

Serve this salad at room temperature for the best flavor. If you make it a day ahead go ahead and refrigerate over night, and bring it up to temp for serving.

YUM!

Link: http://www.waterfrontbakery.com

Mark and I had a real night out with his parents on Sunday and it was truly fabulous! What is the most fun you have had out lately? I am talking about seeing some sort of show, enjoying some music, having a fabulous dinner and just generally being entertained? The best way I know how to do all that is at Teatro Zinzanni. Do you know about this magical evening? This is a thing that exists only in Seattle and in San Francisco, and it is the best entertainment your money can buy. The setting is a lavish 'big top' made elegant by candle light and white linens. The music is a live band, there is a story line and they choreograph dinner service within the story. Dinner is a 5 course meal by a Tom Douglas kitchen so you know it is going to be good! The menu changes seasonally and it is very well done. When you are first seated at your table you begin to see the entertainers as they walk around in their old time circus style outfits, and you have a show to watch even before it really begins. Your first course is on the table and you can order drinks to enjoy as well. The lights go way down, the music starts, and out comes Miz Francine Reed!! You know her, she is the blues queen who sang on the Lyle Lovett albums. Her smoky voice makes me shiver with delight. The entertainment includes everything from juggling (and believe me, you haven't seen juggling of this caliber!) and the magic of illusion, to trapeze arts, and feats of strength & flexibility, beautiful singing, and so much more. We even danced!

I have been to this a few times over the years and in fact I have a beaded head dress that I wear when I am lucky enough to go. I also wear my best rhinestone jewels and I have a feather boa to add if I am feeling it. Mark has been with me one other time, and it was the first time for Sandy & Don. They were both grinning the whole time and I know they loved it as much as I did! We sat in a booth on the perimeter, where I think we can see so much more than if we were down on the floor. This was the first time in several years that I have been and they have streamlined some of it and it is more user friendly than it was at first. The menu always changes and this time I chose to have the wine flight that the TZ sommeliers selected for pairing with each course and it was delicious. Our dinner menu was as follows:

Appetizer: French Country Pork Pate dusted with pistachio salt(heavenly), served with course mustard, Castlevetrano olives (bright green and not briny at all, SO good), cornichons (tiny pickles) and crispy toasts. The wine was Punkt Genau Rose, a pink sparkler from Austria.

Soup: Dreamy creamy asparagus and leek soup dressed with red pepper cream. (Mild and fresh tasting, Mark wanted to lick the bowl!) The wine: 2008 Delille Cellars Chaleur Estate Blanc, a Washington blend.

Salad: Baby spinach, frisee and pickled red onions tossed in lively mustard vinaigrette, topped with a disc of creamy chevre encrusted the pecans. (I did not get a pickled vibe off of the onions and I wish I had, though the goat cheese was great!) Wine: 2008 O'Reilly Pinot Noir from Oregon.

Main Course: I had the Fresh wild halibut with cucumber coriander yogurt sprinkled with fresh mint, sumac roasted sweet potatoes and sassy snap peas al dente. I took the option of adding a small portion of filet mignon and syrah jam to the plate as well, which Mark happily finished for me. (The other options included just filet mignon, or mushroom strata, which I did not have because the waiter said it was more like a bread pudding and that is not really a strata.) Wine: 2007 Corvidae Lenore Syrah from Columbia Valley.

Dessert: A scrumptious Vanilla Custard Tart with fresh berries and kiwi. Wine: 2007 Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, Domauine Des Bernardins. (Much like a moscato d'Asti)

There was coffee service between the main course and dessert and they serve Caffe Umbria coffee, which made me very happy!

The show was to have started at 5:30 and it was a bit late, and we did not get out of there until 9 pm. It is a long, leisurely meal of smallish portions (though certainly not tiny) so you anticipate each course with glee without getting stuffed. All the while being delighted and entertained. You must go see this! It is a very expensive evening if you take it apart to look at it, though if you take it as the sum of its parts it is worth every penny. I wish we could afford to go more often, though perhaps my genuine awe and delight occurs more intensely because I only get to go every 2-3 years. If anyone wants to take me I am not opposed to going more often!

The other fun thing I did last week was to run 2 different types of private wine tastings to see how they would go. They were both so fun that we will definitely offer these on our catering services menu from now on. The first was at a senior living apartment complex in Bremerton and they had asked me to give a little talk about wine (I used the talk I did for the library in February for those of you who attended those) and I tasted the folks on 2 whites, 2 reds and a dessert wine. They seemed to have a great time and it was a most enjoyable evening for me. It was a pared-down tasting with more of a community service purpose, and I will be happy to offer that in the future.

On Friday Mark and I served/hosted a more 'formal' private wine tasting in a beautiful home. The hosts of the party are a couple of great customers who are quickly becoming lovely friends as well. She did most of the food and had us bring some focaccia and our wildly popular Caramelized Onion Tart. She asked me to choose the wines and I feel like I was wonderfully successful in doing so, because I chose 6 wines and, while she enjoyed them all, she absolutely loved 2 of them! I handed out wine notes and guided the 18 or so guests in a casual discussion of each wine. On the way home Mark and I outlined how we can offer this service in the future and I am quite pleased with the plans we came up with! I am not a trained sommelier and certainly not even a wine professional, though I still have a lot to offer because I am intimately familiar with the wines that we choose to serve. This will be a fun new offering and I hope that we get to do more parties like these.

I had a humbling talk with my staff last week, or rather, they had a talk with me. Leslie approached me and asked me to hear her out on some points that she felt very strongly about, and then she rallied the rest of 'my girls' behind her in solidarity. I was informed that I had not updated my value in 4 years and I was deeply undervaluing my service and time. She was right, and while it was difficult to hear and can be very difficult to do, I gave the subject much thought. It is a little scary to set pricing that did not exist before, or to raise prices when it is necessary, because the nasty little voices tell you that no one will want to pay you that money and you will fail. I had promised to honor their concerns and on Sunday I set some pricing guidelines for our catering services. As of Tuesday I have already been hired for 2 separate parties and they did not balk at the pricing at all. This support from the universe is especially interesting because we were closed Sunday and Monday, so these things just came in today. I am very proud of 'my girls' and deeply touched by their love for me, and I thank them for helping me take excellent care of our business and my self.

Today was one of those really busy administrative days where no matter how much I got done there was more to do. For every thing I ticked off of my to-do list at least 2 more things popped up in it's place! I will be able to catch up a bit tomorrow and then it will be time to get ready for the weekend catering. I love cooking for other people's parties! So what shall we cook this week? I am very hungry and haven't been to the store lately so my dinner is not looking promising. Maybe I will raid the freezer for this:

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Whole Chicken, cut into pieces, or 6-8 pieces of all one cut, such as breast or thigh
Salt
Cayenne
A few TBS and 1/4 cup Canola
1/4 C flour
1 Large onion, chopped
2 stalks or the heart of the celery, chopped
1-2 chopped green peppers
4-ish Cups chicken broth, warmed
thyme (fresh or dried)
1 lb andouille or other smoked sausage, cut up
fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp file (fee-lay) powder (you can skip it if you don't have it, or try Chinese 5-spice

cooked rice
green onions, chopped

Season the chicken w/the salt and cayenne to taste. Brown the chicken and set aside.

Get the roux going in a separate pan: Barely warm the oil and then whisk in the flour for the roux. Stirring constantly get that roux dark as the bayou. Take your time with it and go past your comfort zone

In the chicken pan ditch the old oil and heat some new oil and stir in the onions, celery and green peppers, cook and stir until veggies are soft. Don’t get splattered! Add the roux to the veggies.

Stir in warmed chicken broth, mix well.

Add the chicken pieces, thyme, parsley and file powder and bring to a boil. Simmer, partially uncovered, about a half an hour or more, skimming as needed.

Add the sausage and cook for another 1/2 to 1 hour, or so.

Put a big spoonful of rice in a bowl and ladle the gumbo over. The ratio of soup to rice is a personal choice. Garnish w/green onions. Have hot sauce on the table for those of us who like more spice.