First Day of Summer!

06/22/2014 by Laura Leave a Comment

Yesterday was the first day of summer; the longest and most wonderful day of the year. The solstice begins a series of long days! Since we are so far north it can remain light up to 10:30pm. We were charmed by perfect weather, not always the case on June 21st in Seattle! We worked in the yard most of the day; weeding, trimming, mowing, sweeping. Feeling inspired and motivated, we tore into our garden shed. The shed was in total disarray and begging for reorganization. By disarray, I mean knowing you have string for the weed whacker, a washer for the sprinkler, twine for the tomatoes; but cannot find any of it! With hooks replaced, tools rehung, gloves, hand tools, washers, sprinklers and clippers all sorted and placed in bins the shed has returned to a state of organized usefulness! We pinky swore we would keep it that way! Rewarding ourselves, we relaxed on the patio for a couple of hours; listening to music and drinking in the beauty of the day.

It was (all too) soon time for dinner. Armed with my bounty from the farmers market and a piece of Copper River Salmon, dinner was quick and easy. I knew I wanted to use my peas, fava beans, and garlic scapes, somehow. Catching up on my favorite blogs in the afternoon, I came across a dish posted by Aran Goyoaga at Canelle et Vanille: Fava and Peas with Prosciutto and Fried Egg. Not really a salad and not really a vegetable, it was more of a first course. The dish was exactly what I was looking for. I modified the recipe to include tiny, new potatoes. The dish would be a wonderful meal on its own, and was also perfect with the grilled salmon.

I prepped the peas and the fava beans the day before. If you have never worked with fava beans, there are a couple of steps. First, remove the beans from their velvety outer jacket.

Next, blanch the beans for about 30 seconds in a pot of boiling water, and immediately place in ice water. This makes it easier to remove the white, outer shell from the bean. Remove the outer layer and set aside.

Shell the peas and set aside. Can you tell Dave shelled and photographed the peas?

For the Fava and Peas with Potato, Prosciutto and Fried Egg

Adapted from the original recipe Canelle et Vanille: Fava and Peas with Prosciutto and Fried Egg.

About 1 pound of Fava Beans, shelled, blanched and peeled

About 1 pound of English peas, shelled

4-6 tiny, new potatoes (not in original recipe)

3 tablespoons of olive oil, plus additional for frying the eggs

1 small leek, cleaned and sliced, white parts only

5-6 garlic scapes, or 2 finely sliced garlic cloves if you do not have scapes

4 slices prosciutto or Serrrano

2 eggs

1 cup watercress, – I had arugula which I used instead

Chopped mixed herbs, I used parsley and tarragon

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the fava beans and peas about 2 minutes. Remove and drain in a colander.

Add the potatoes to the boiling water and cook until a sharp knife can easily be inserted, about 10 minutes. Drain and slice in half.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan. Sauté the leeks and scapes (or garlic) until soft, but not brown. Add the fava, peas and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté to warm through and to ensure all vegetables are coated with the oil. Set aside and prepare two fried eggs.

When ready to plate, place the vegetables on a plate of arugula (or watercress). Top with the prosciutto and fried eggs. Garnish with the chopped herbs. I also added some sliced radishes at this stage.

A perfect summer meal and a perfect summer day. Cheers to many more!

Dave’s Diner – Summertime Macaroni Salad

06/11/2014 by Laura 2 Comments

We posted this recipe last summer with some pretty bad photos. You may remember, Dave has taken over macaroni salad responsibilities. It is one of his favorites and I used to make it for him. Last summer, due to my heavy travel schedule for work, Dave decided to learn to make it on his own. After a couple of phone calls; one to me and one to his Mom, he had his recipe down! This post is especially fun as I was away when Dave made this. He set up the shots and took all the photos himself! He also made bbq chicken to go with this salad, but did not get any shots. Maybe next time!

Dave’s Summertime Macaroni Salad

1 1lb package elbow or salad macaroni, cooked according to directions (be sure not to overcook), rinsed, drained and cooled

6 hard-boiled eggs, cooled, peeled and chopped

1.25 cups chopped dill pickle (I used to use sweet pickle – Dave changed it up)

1.25 cups diced celery

1.25 cups chopped, purple onion

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes

1 to 1.5 cups mayonnaise, depending on how you prefer the salad

2 T. yellow mustard

2 T. pickle juice

2 t. celery seed

1 t. celery salt

salt and pepper to taste

paprika for garnish

Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Stir together gently. Place in serving bowl, garnish with paprika and chill at least 4 hours. This salad is actually best chilled overnight.

As with all kitchen endeavors, Dave had a lot of help with this recipe. (Photo from first post.)

Summer is Here…Potato Salad!

05/06/2013 by Laura Leave a Comment

Wow…80′ here in Seattle today. What do we do when we get a glimpse of summer? We barbecue chicken and make potato salad. With the visit of my parents and the great weather, I knew it was potato salad time! I have been making this recipe for years, and it is my favorite. I think potato salad preferences are very personal and are likely based on what you grew up with. My best friend makes her salad about the same way, only she adds pickles and pickle juice. You can easily add any ingredients that make the salad your own!

Ingredients

This makes a “party size” batch of salad. You can cut the recipe in half if needed.

5 pounds small red potatoes

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar

10 eggs, hard-boiled

1 medium purple onion, diced

1 medium sweet onion, diced (Maui or Walla Walla)

1 bunch green onions, sliced, including tops

2 cups chopped celery

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

2 Tablespoons celery seed

1 Tablespoon celery salt

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 tablespoon black pepper

2 cups mayonnaise, whatever kind you prefer

2 Tablespoons prepared yellow mustard

paprika for garnish

Scrub the potatoes and remove any blemishes. I do not remove the peels. Put them in a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until fork tender. Drain the potatoes in a colander for about 15 minutes. Place the potatoes in a non-reactive bowl. Pour the apple cider vinegar over the potatoes, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Cook the eggs at the same time. Bring them to a boil, turn off heat, cover and let set for 10 minutes. Rinse in cold water and refrigerate overnight.

I always make the salad early, the morning I intend to serve it. Chop the potatoes into bite size pieces. There will be vinegar left on the bottom of the bowl. Pour that over the chopped potatoes.

Add the rest of the ingredients. Gently mix all together. Adjust for seasoning to your taste. Pile into a serving bowl, sprinkle with paprika and chill at least 6 hours.

Tender, Juicy Barbecued Chicken

After burning many pieces of chicken over the years, we finally got it right. We turned down the heat and turned the chicken more frequently. We also learned that it is easiest if all the pieces are the same size, like the chicken quarters below.

Heat grill to 350′. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Cook the chicken a total of 40 minutes, or until temperature registers 165′ on a thermometer. Turn the chicken every 10 minutes. Baste with Chef Hak’s Chipotle Bourbon BBQ sauce the last 10 minutes of cooking time!

Be sure to try Chef Sharone Hackman’s Award winning BBQ Sauces. Not heard of them? Check it out here!

http://www.haksbbq.com/