We recently went to Bottega in Napa Valley (Michael Chiarello’s restaurant in Yountville).    The polenta with balsamic-wild game sauce, the rabbit sugo, the gnocchi and the burrata were all outstanding.  (It is truly wonderful to experience Michael Chiarello’s cooking again in Napa Valley!)

We decided to order the Chiarello Family 2006 Bambino Cabernet Sauvignon to accompany our meal.  This wine was a true find.   It was earthy, with hints of vanilla, blackberry jam and ripe black cherries.  Although it is a young wine, it was very drinkable.  I looked up the wine when I got back home and found out that Spectator gave it a 91 rating.  This wine sells for $40 per bottle at Napa Style and on the Chiarello Vineyards website.

My friends and I were thrilled to discover Ned Ludd in Portland.  We went there on a chilly, rainy Sunday evening after a day of exploring Portland’s cheese, chocolate and wine shops.  What a delight to walk into this light-filled, welcoming space that was warmed by the fire from a large brick wood-fired oven.  The staff was ultra-friendly, suggesting several dishes and wines for us to try.  The chef, Jason, came over multiple times during the evening to chat and make suggestions, as well. 

The menu there is laid out into Forebits, Kaltbits, Warmbits and Plats.  There were three of us, and we were so thrilled by the menu choices that we ordered 9 dishes to share, along with a bottle of Love & Squalor’s 2007 Riesling from Willamette Valley.  

We started with Endive, Smoked Trout, Lemon Cream and Chives.  The trout was smoked in-house and was light and delicate with a smoky, earthy flavor.  The Roasted Radicchio, Roasted Butternut Squash, Brown Butter and Balsamic presented a perfect balance between the bitterness of the radicchio and the sweetness of the butternut squash.  One of our favorite dishes was the Turnips in Horseradish Cream.  The turnips were sweet and tender and paired well with the creamy, mildly-spicy sauce.  Of course, we had to try the Mornay and Elbows (macaroni and cheese) – this dish did not disappoint.  One of the favorite dishes of the night was the Acorn Squash, Bacon and Molasses.  It was created with Ben’s in-house-cured bacon, which was thick and smoky.  (Would like to have taken home a few pounds of that bacon!) We loved the Mustard-Braised Brussels Sprouts, as well as the Spicy Pork Cabbage Roll.   One of our favorite choices was the Plate of Roasted Winter Vegetables with Herb Sauce.  Our final dish was the Slow-cooked Shoulder and Spicy Sausage of Pork, Sweet Onions and Kale.  This dish was good, but had a little too much garlic for my taste.  However, the meat was very tender and flavorful. 

At the end of the night, we got the bill and could not believe it came to only $110!  It was an incredible meal with a good bottle of wine at an excellent price in a warm, friendly environment.  I can hardly wait to go back!

Ned Ludd Restaurant
3925 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Portland, OR 97212
503-288-6900 
www.nedluddpdx.com

Perhaps the BEST chocolate in the world is being made by Shawn Askinosie in Springfield, Missouri.  Seriously.  It has become my absolute favorite, and I taste a LOT of chocolate.  

When starting up Askinosie Chocolate, Shawn decided to cut out the middle man and work directly with cacao growers.  This meant getting very hands-on in the bean-selection process – measuring the moisture level of the dried beans, monitoring the temperature of the fermenting beans and tasting and smelling the beans before importing them.  Working directly with the farmers allows Askinosie to pay higher than fair trade wages to the growers.  In addition, Askinosie shares 10% of his profits with the farmers. 

My favorite Askinosie chocolate is the San Jose Del Tambo with cacao nibs.  This chocolate is made with the Arriba National bean from Ecuador.  It has 70% cacao level.  This chocolate is smooth on the tongue and has a wonderful fruitiness on the palette.  I eat three squares each day and use it for taste comparisons.   I use the San Jose Del Tambo without cacao nibs for baking and have never been disappointed.  It is moist and rich and perfect for recipes that call for 70% (bittersweet) chocolate.  In addition to the smaller bars, you can buy it by the kilo – it is less expensive that way. 

Askinosie also makes chocolate from cacao beans grown in Mexico.  They have just added a new product from beans that were grown in The Philippines.  This chocolate is smooth and delicious, as well, but my preference for taste is still the San Jose Del Tambo bar.

You can find Askinosie chocolate in the Bay Area at Bittersweet in San Francisco.  I typically order mine online from the Askinosie website.  It is packaged to remain cool and arrives within a few days.

Askinosie Chocolate
514 E. Commercial Street
Springfield, Missouri  65803
417-862-9900
www.askinosie.com/

Starting on May 23rd, the SF Ferry Building Farmers Market has banned the use of plastic bags by the vendors at the market.  This is a trend that may be picked up by other farmers markets in the area.  There will be some single-use biodegradable bags available for purchase at the market.  However, the greenest and most economical solution is to take your own bags and continue to reuse them each week.

Melissa and Sean McArdle recently opened a new online shop, Reverie-Daydream Boutique .  They feature unique and beautiful artisan products from around the world.  Their goal is to bring to their customers creatively-designed, earth-friendly goods that are made with love.  They believe that every piece they carry has a story – that it was the hand-crafter’s dream. 

I am especially fond of their tea towels and of their hand-crafted cards with natural themes.  Every package I have received from them was handled with loving care.  The pieces were individually wrapped and a nice thank-you card was enclosed. 

They will be constantly adding to their inventory so be sure to check back often.  And be sure to check out their blogsite at:  http://www.reverie-daydream.blogspot.com. 

Reverie-Daydream Boutique
www.reverie-daydream.com/

Ingredients
14-15 medium stalks asparagus, washed
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 strips bacon (such as Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked Bacon), optional
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped scallions
6 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Cracked pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

You will also need:
roasting pan
large spoon or oven-safe spatula
small skillet (for bacon)
oven-safe skillet (I use stainless steel or cast iron.)
mixing bowl
whisk

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. 

Break the bottoms off the asparagus stalks (they will break at their natural breaking point).  Trim the asparagus into 1″ long pieces.  Coat the asparagus with olive oil and spread the pieces out on the roasting pan.  Roast for 10 minutes.  Stir and continue to roast for another 5-10 minutes until the asparagus is tender, lightly browned and fragrant.  Remove from the oven.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a small skillet over medium-low heat until it is crisp.  Remove it from the pan and drain onto paper towels.  When cool, crush the bacon with your hands into small pieces and set aside. 

Heat the butter in the oven-safe skillet and add the scallions.  Cook over medium heat until the scallions are translucent.  Add the bacon bits and the asparagus and stir together. 

Whisk together the eggs, milk, cheese, salt and pepper.  Pour into the skillet with the asparagus.  Stir together and cook for about 4 minutes until the eggs are slightly scrambled and the bottom starts to get a little crusty.  Sprinkle nutmeg over the top.  Remove from the stove and place into the oven.  Cook for about 15 minutes until the eggs are set.  Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. 

Serve with a side salad and some crusty bread.

In making homemade cocktails, I start with great ingredients.  That typically means a trip to my garden or else to the farmers market for seasonal fruits.  In this recipe, I use strawberries but you can substitute other fresh fruit, as well.  Don’t be afraid to experiment.  As long as you have a fruit (such as strawberries), an acid (such as fresh lemon or lime juice), simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar) and a high-quality alcohol (good Tequila), you are good to go! 

I make my own simple syrup and have it available in the refrigerator.  To make a batch of simple syrup, I combine two cups of water and two cups of sugar.  I heat them slightly and stir to melt the sugar.  Then I refrigerate in an air-tight container until I am ready to use it. 

Ingredients
1/2 Meyer lemon (for wetting glass rims)
Sea salt (fleur de sel) for the rim (optional)
4 parts fresh pureed strawberries
1 part simple syrup
1.5 parts Meyer lemon juice
2 parts Tequila
Ice
Fresh lemon verbena for garnish

You will also need:
2 margarita glasses
Shot glass
Cocktail shaker

Instructions
Rub the rims of the glasses with the Meyer lemon half.  Place rim-side down onto a bed of sea salt.  Twist slightly to make sure you have salt on the rims.   Set aside. 

Using the shot glass, measure the strawberry puree, simple syrup, Meyer lemon juice and Tequila and pour them into the cocktail shaker.  Add ice and shake vigorously for 15 seconds. 

Pour into the prepared margarita glasses.  Garnish with the lemon verbena sprigs. 

Sip S-L-O-W-L-Y.    Serves 2.

My restaurant pick this time is Fish in Sausalito. Fish is located on Harbor Drive and is dedicated to serving sustainable seafood. The chef/owner, Kenny Belov, works with near-by farmers to serve fresh, sustainable produce in his restaurant, as well. The menu features local favorites such as fish tacos, grilled fish (served on either greens or pasta) and Portuguese red stew, along with seasonal specials and delicious side dishes. Last week, I ordered the special, grilled halibut with braised swiss chard and a ragu of garbanzo beans and bacon. The halibut was cooked to perfection – crisp on the outside and moist on the inside. The smoky flavor of the beans and the slight bitterness of the chard provided nice contrasts to the fish. For dessert, we had steamed caramel pudding with currants.

There are some things to note before you go to Fish. They don’t take credit cards (but they do have an ATM machine inside). Also, this is a no-frills restaurant. You will need to stand in line to order and then find your own seating. However, I figure that these are minor inconveniences and that the money that they save by doing this goes toward ensuring that I get fresh, sustainable seafood and fresh, local produce on each visit.

Fish is open seven days a week from 11:30am-4:30pm for lunch and from 5:30pm-8:30pm for dinner.

Fish
350 Harbor Drive
Sausalito, CA 94965
(415) 331-FISH

http://www.331fish.com/

My favorite sun-dried tomatoes (hands-down!) come from Everything Under the Sun in Winters, California.  They are intensely-flavored and packed with Vitamin A, minerals and fiber.   I love to have them onhand to toss into soups and sauces.  The folks at Everything Under the Sun dry their own tomatoes and I typically buy them from their booth at the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. 

The farm’s owner, William Crepps, recently gave me a great tip on how to keep a supply of these gems ready for snacking or for immediate use in recipes.  He advised me to soak the tomatoes in a fruity white wine, such as a gewurztraminer or a riesling, for about 30 minutes.  Then pour off the wine and add enough olive oil to just coat the tomatoes. Store the tomatoes in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.  They are ready for snacking or for serving to your friends.  In fact, I recently tossed a handful of these into an arugula pesto that I was making.  I garnished the top with a sun-dried tomato half.  The person who ate the garnish liked it so much that I brought out an entire dish of tomatoes for the rest of the guests.  This was a big hit! 

Everything Under the Sun also sun-dries other products, such as strawberries, kiwi and mandarin oranges.  Their strawberries are intensely-flavored, as well, and are fantastic when soaked in a little bit of liqueur (another tip from the owner). 

You can find Everything Under the Sun’s display of fresh and dried products on the back side of the San Francisco Ferry Plaza every Saturday morning and on the front side of the ferry building on Tuesday mornings.  You can also contact them directly at: 530-681-1374 .

Fresh green garbanzo beans were onhand this morning at the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market!  I have eaten dried garbanzo beans and even canned ones, but never fresh ones.  The fresh garbanzos were available from Catalan Family Farm, located in Hollister, California.  The are a certified organic producer and are located on the front side of the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market on Saturday mornings. 

I was thrilled to find these and, of couse, had to buy a few to try.  The fresh garbanzo beans were in their hulls, and they were a little tough to shell.  Each hull contained only one bean.  I tried a few raw, and they were delightful – crisp and peanut-like in flavor.  I wasn’t quite sure how to best cook them.  I could, of course, have boiled or steamed them.  However,  I opted to saute them in a little olive oil and sprinkle them with sea salt before serving.   Hmmm….delicious! The beans tasted a little stronger than they do when dried, with a much fresher, greener flavor.  These fresh garbanzo beans would pair well with fresh corn (also at the market today – first of the season!) in a salad or in a saute.  

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My fresh Oregon hazelnuts just arrived!  Since discovering the fresh hazelnuts that are grown in Oregon, I have really come to appreciate the flavor and versatility of these aromatic nuts.   I like to use the whole kernels for tarts and for snacking.  I choose minced toasted hazelnuts for salads and for my oatmeal in the morning.  I also use these in my arugula pesto recipe. 

Hazelnuts are high in protein, iron, calcium, vitamin B6, vitamin E and fiber.  Each hazelnut has about 8 calories.  However, you don’t need to use a large amount of hazelnuts in your recipes, as their intense flavors go a long way.   

I order my hazelnuts from Freddy Guys (www.freddyguys.com/), a family run operation in Monmouth, Orgeon.  The folks at Freddy Guys are so friendly and knowledgeable, and the quality of their hazelnuts is first-rate.  The prices are very reasonable, too.  Believe me, you will not be disappointed with the products you receive from them.  Try some of these amazing nuts soon in your favorite recipes.