Posts Tagged ‘quinoa’
- In: Eating | Queen Anne | Seattle | USA | Washington
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Disclosure: I attended this event as a guest of GreenRubino. This is not a sponsored post.
I had had lunch at Pop Kitchen + Bar prior to going home to Australia in November. I returned yesterday to sample their happy hour fare courtesy of GreenRubino. An afternoon downpour was looming and I was glad to be indoors. Located in the Experienced Music Project Museum, Pop Kitchen + Bar has changed management since it opened and it is now operated by Wolfgang Puck.
A signature textured metallic crumble, the café has a spectacular view of the Frank Gehry designed EMP.
The interior is modern with white benches and lemon chairs.
Screens looped music videos above the bar. A generous glass of Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon was smooth and fruity.
Vases of daisies in vibrant hues decorated the buffet table.
Layered into a plastic container, the Chinese chicken salad was spiked with a pair of chopsticks. Mixed greens were tossed with shredded chicken, pickled ginger, coriander and shards of crispy wonton skins.
My favourite item on the happy hour menu was the spring salad of mixed greens, sliced strawberries, shaved Manchego and candied walnuts. A piquant vinaigrette was tempered by the sweetness of the fruit and nut.
A fluffy flatbread was topped with mandolined potatoes, cubes of pancetta and dotted with ricotta and Pecorino. I also nibbled on a wedge of cheese pizza of molten mozzarella, Gouda, chèvre and Parmesan.
A healthy vegan option, the cute slider was skewered by a cherry tomato and stacked with a white bean and quinoa patty.
Dessert was ginger molasses and chocolate chip cookies. The ginger molasses cookie had a rich caramelised flavour and the chocolate chip cookie was delightfully chewy.
I left with a gift box which I had guessed were cookies but was surprised by half a dozen macarons.
I had one of each flavour for supper!
- In: Learning
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I attended my first Foodportunity yesterday evening at the Palace Ballroom, a networking event founded by the inimitable Keren Brown.
A screen projected the live Foodportunity Twitter feed.
The lovely Keren spoke briefly to thank Foodportunity’s sponsors and supporters, and drew the winners of the business card raffle.
My first taste was at Metropolitan Market, the main sponsor of Foodportunity. Imported wheels of Zola Gouda were stacked on the table.
A generous portion of creamy macaroni and cheese was sprinkled with bread crumbs and Parmesan.
I interspersed savoury dishes with desserts. Next was Fat Cat Fudge, a smooth chocolate fudge that was moderately sweet.
I spotted The Coterie Room in the corner and happily crunched on a decadent snack of ham crackling dipped in black truffle fondue.
In the same area was Inn at Langley. On a wooden paddle was a disc of smouldered spruce panna cotta with truffle honey foam and pine nut sugar.
The Chef in the Hat was momentarily absent but the silver forks of coffee cured salmon with celeriac by Rover’s were scrumptious.
One of the few restaurants with signs of their food, Local 360 had a rustic chalkboard written in cursive script and illuminated by tea light candles.
Except I didn’t notice the sign until after I ate the bacon wrapped rabbit saddle with cheesy grits and maple truffle jus. I don’t eat rabbit. But the meaty cylinder topped with a jelly cube was an appetising pairing.
Mike Easton was resplendent in a customised apron and demonstrated artisan pasta making.
Cooked on an induction stovetop at the stall, the malloreddi alla Siciliana was exceptional.
Fumie’s Gold had silver platters of sweet treats. I sampled the green tea cookie and it had a balanced matcha flavour.
The profiteroles and tiramisu were tempting!
My first loop concluded at the entrance where Mt Townsend Creamery was. Cirrus is a favourite and there were nibbles of Seastack.
Light and citrusy fromage blanc was spread on apple crisps.
I meandered back to the restaurants I had skipped due to crowds. At Blackfish from Tulalip was house smoked sockeye salmon with chèvre cucumber purse on a bamboo square. The salmon was surprisingly dense, tempered by the mandolined cucumber and goat cheese.
On a wooden board at Volunteer Park Café was crimped puff pastry with caramelised onion, a smear of chèvre and black trumpet mushrooms. I have fond memories of their grilled figs at Keren’s book launch party and these morsels were a highlight too!
The last dessert was by Main Street Cookie Company. Made with quality ingredients, the chocolate chunk and dark chocolate cookies were perfectly baked.
I hovered at Lucky Palate, curious about the contents of the paper cups. A vegetarian meal delivery company, the quinoa and farro were both textured and healthy.
A scarlet tablecloth greeted us at Tipu’s Chai. Steeped in herbs and spices, chai is a traditional Indian beverage.
A stainless steel and glass dispenser poured the Tipu’s Chai Now, a vegan instant chai. It was soothing and aromatic.
The penultimate was Tabby Cat Pickling Co.
Jars of pickles were scooped into bowls and the curried cauliflower floret was piquant.
And just before I exited, a friend‘s mother recommended the sizzling sausage by Tom Douglas.
Fluffy buns encased a spicy pork belly and octopus chorizo with fennel. It was a warming conclusion to a fun first Foodportunity.
Sincere thanks to Keren for connecting the Seattle food community!
Cooking with Soul: salmon and Northwest wines – Dahlia Workshop, Seattle
Posted on: Wednesday 29 June 2011
- In: Learning
- 2 Comments
When I read about the salmon cooking class at Dahlia Workshop, I bought a ticket immediately. Not only is it a step towards overcoming my reluctance to cook fish at home, I was also interested in the wine pairing component of Cooking with Soul.
The Westlake and Harrison building has special meaning to me – we dined out for the first in Seattle at Serious Pie, our initiation to the Tom Douglas restaurants. I love the dark, moody space and the communal tables overlooking the Dahlia Workshop kitchen and staring at the wood fire oven.
Dahlia Workshop shares the ground level with Soul Wines which is not officially affiliated with Tom Douglas. Floor to ceiling windows brighten the room and cases of wine with tasting notes are stacked on the floor.
As usually I was there early and the owner kindly poured samples at the tasting bar for me and a couple. We marvelled at a crisp and refreshing French white by Domaine des Cassagnoles.
Michael Teer selected the wines for the salmon dishes for the evening. In his introduction, he noted that matching wine to food is a challenge in Seattle as the Pacific Northwest is influenced by many cuisines. He emphasised that wine matching is not science, there are only guidelines and not definitive answers.
Pamela Hinckley, Tom Douglas Restaurants (TDR) CEO, welcomed the class and Eric Tanaka, TDR Executive Chef, explained that the focus of the two hours would be on ingredients and techniques, and not detailed recipes.
A beheaded salmon was on the chopping board and two salmon skins were on another. Chef Tanaka asked if we had seen the Tom Douglas Iron Chef episode as he will be cooking one the dishes that beat Iron Chef Morimoto.
Chef Tanaka demonstrated how to skin a salmon by adjusting the angle of the knife and applying pressure to scrape off the excess flesh and fat. A long and narrow knife is preferred.
I haven’t been in a commercial kitchen before and was curious about the equipment and layout. There were shelves full of trays and containers but the benches remained clear. There was an area in the middle for washing and drying. It was clean and tidy, just how I like it!
Next Chef Tanaka cut the salmon in half along the bone. He recommended using a sharp knife for this and a smooth gliding action, no sawing! He removed the tail, collars and various other offcuts to be used for other dishes.
The collars were marinated in soy, mirin, orange juice, star anise, ginger and garlic. Brines are a very personal taste to balance sweet and salty, and the flavour of soy develops as it age. Chef Tanaka mentioned that chefs who smoke tend to make saltier brines.
Sliced thinly, the salmon belly was cured for about forty minutes. The curing process removes moisture and changes the texture and flavour of the salmon. Chef Tanaka used a one to one ratio of brown sugar and salt, and a sprinkling of Aleppo pepper. The cured salmon is ready when it ‘sweats’ and the flesh is firm, carefully rinse off the seasoning before plating.
The carcass and other pieces were poached, chilled and flaked for the salmon cakes. Lemon zest, mayonnaise, salt and pepper were added, then coated in panko crumbs and seared.
We paused for the first course of salmon cakes. Resting on a smear of puréed avocado and topped with a light tomato salsa, the salmon cake was moist and tangy while retaining a distinct salmon flavour. Michael spoke about the versatility of Grüner Veltliner, a light and fruity wine from Syncline Winery that paired well with the salmon cake.
I was standing next to this Rollmatic machine and was daydreaming about cranking out the pastry for an industrial size triple coconut cream pie!
The loin fillets were coated with the Tom Douglas salmon rub, grilled and served with shitake mushrooms sautéed in thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper. In the restaurants, these would be prepared a day ahead and cold smoked at 100°F with a tray of ice in the oven to moderate the temperature. Chef Tanaka said that cold smoking is a gentler cooking method than curing.
Chef Tanaka eased the delicate salmon skins onto the trays and liberally scattered furikake, a Japanese dry seasoning mix available in many combinations. He covered the tray with parchment and placed another tray over it to completely the flatten the salmon skins. These are grilled at 225°F for 45 minutes.
Presented on transparent plates, the cured salmon was garnished with a scoop of salmon roe and a shard of salmon skin. It was a beautiful colour and the curing highlighted the richness of the salmon.
Spatula for you, spatula for me! A multitude of spatulas of varying sizes dangled from a wire rack and the window ledge was lined with spices including Murray River flake salt and the delightfully named apple pie spice.
A few of the group were tasked with assisting. A woman on my left finely chopped dried apricots and another on my right cut green onions.
These salmon fillets were poached quickly in a dashi broth and steeped in green tea. This was simple and delicious - each bite fragrant with the earthiness of green tea, a contrast to the saltiness of the red shiso seasoning on the plain rice.
The last course was the marinated and grilled salmon collars with Ottolenghi‘s red rice and quinoa salad. I love the oily slipperiness of salmon collars and these were grilled at 500°F for ten minutes.
Bold and nutty, the red rice and quinoa salad was a crowd favourite. Although vegetarian, it was tasty and filling. Pamela was whisking vigorously and adjusting the vinaigrette as needed. It was exceptional with a glass of Pinot noir from Cameron Winery in Oregon.
It was a fun evening learning Chef Tanaka’s approaches to cooking each part of the salmon. He was an easygoing guy and patiently answered all our questions while cooking five salmon dishes for twenty-five people!
Here’s the blurb from the website. Unfortunately the next two in the series, chicken and wines of France and vegetarian and Italian wines, are sold out.
Join us for cooking classes that offer techniques on how to make delicious, healthy everyday food and how to choose modestly priced wines to go with the menu!
The beautiful Dahlia Workshop kitchen, where Tom Douglas’ bread and pastry production happens is hosting a night time series where we’ll be cooking up a storm! The class will blend demonstrations from our chefs and hands on participation. Each class will include a butchering technique, fresh takes on vegetables and innovative grain dishes. Our neighbors at Soul Wine will pick the perfect wine accompaniments.
In a relaxed and convivial environment, we will cook together and eat what we make! Participants take home recipe cards and an opportunity to buy the wines at a promotional price.
- In: Cooking | Savoury recipes
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I’m a recent convert to quinoa. I’ve noticed it on restaurant menus in the last couple of years but never ordered it. What piqued my interest was a cous cous salad at Christmas lunch – I generally don’t like salads but it was surprisingly palatable. We sometimes have cous cous with lamb cutlets but I haven’t considered making it a meal. I had read about the nutritional value of quinoa and decided to experiment with that instead of cous cous, and so a box was delivered by AmazonFresh with our groceries.
Quinoa makes an easy weeknight dinner and mixes well with leftovers. This is a vegetarian version but I’ve made it with roast chicken and roast beef before. I like to think of the quinoa as my canvas and my fridge as the paints! Wilted vegetables can be revived and curled up herbs not wasted. sun-dried tomatoes near its use by date? Toss it in! To make it more robust, stir in a can of tuna or add a poached chicken breast. It is light and healthy, yet satisfying and bursting with flavour. It is a versatile ingredient and requires minimal preparation time.
Recipe – quinoa with vegetables and herbs
Ingredients
1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable stock, low sodium
1 eschalot, diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed or minced
3 cups vegetables, diced (I used 1 cup each of bell pepper, carrot and peas)
1 cup herbs, finely chopped or sliced (I used basil and cilantro)
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 lemons, zest and juice
Cracked pepper
Feta, crumbled to serve (optional)
Pine nuts, toasted to serve (optional)
Method
1. Place quinoa and stock in a medium size pot and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer covered until all the liquid is absorbed, 10-15 minutes. The quinoa is soft and translucent when cooked.
2. While the quinoa is simmering, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Lightly brown garlic and eschalot. Add vegetables, cook until softened.
3. When quinoa is cooked, lightly fluff with a fork. Gently fold in vegetables, herbs, pine nuts, cracked pepper and lemon zest and juice. Crumble feta on top to serve.
