want a slice of fig, bacon & blue cheese tart with balsamic reduction drizzle?

what if i told you the tart is easy to make, comes together quickly and is delicious? so...with fresh fig season rapidly coming to a close...i suggest you make it as soon as you can...how about this weekend?

i have written many times of my love of fresh figs....my beloved fig tree produces two crops per year and i constantly experiment with new and different recipes in a effort to vary the way i serve this amazing fruit. i first asked the question do you like fresh figs? in a story written in june 2008 and listed my favorite fig recipes. i still am surprised at how often that story is accessed. i receive numbers of hits from search engines every day with people asking the question..."what do i do with figs?"

well....for me...the best thing to do is eat them fresh off the tree...particulary on a hot day when the figs are warm...pure bliss....after that, my only advice is to keep it simple....whatever the recipe...let the "figginess" shine through.

i have made fig jam for years...but last year my twitter friend lelonopo suggested i add orange liqueur to the jam...oh my! this stuff is so good i started making it in large batches and added it to my website. our fig & orange liqueur jam quickly became a best seller. but...let me tell you....after spending numerous hours the past few weeks in the commercial kitchen making the jam...i am ready for a few easy peasy recipes to end the season. one day last week...after eight hours in the commercial kitchen...i had a small basket of figs left...and no idea what to make for dinner. i inventoried the fridge and came up with some bacon, blue cheese and a frozen pie shell i had made a few weeks ago...i thought..."fig, bacon & blue cheese tart with salad? how great does that sound?" and...best of all...if you have a tart shell on hand..this comes together in minutes.

so...a bit about the pie shell. this is one area where i do not even try to experiment any more. i am not a classically trained pastry chef and do not always understand the science of baking. one time i tried to substitute olive oil for the butter in a pie crust...it turned out like a cracker....so i leave this area to the experts. and....once i find a recipe that works for me...i stick with it...making it over and over until it becomes foolproof for me. alice water's recipe for tart and pie dough is an example. i tried it years ago because it was made with all butter instead of the usual butter/shortening or all shortening recipes of the past...personal preference....but i do not care for shortening. i loved the results and pretty much use this version exclusively in all my pies. and...since the recipe yields 2 11 inch tart shells....i almost always have one in the freezer....a bonus when i am pressed for time.

to prepare for the recipe...make the tart shell (or, even easier, buy an excellent quality prepared frozen pie shell. i have seen ones made with high quality ingredients at whole foods and other specialty markets). cook the bacon using the oven method i discussed a few posts ago in BLT pasta?. once you have a tart shell and cooked bacon...the rest of the recipe is a total breeze! and the tart should be very handcrafted and rustic looking...so no need for perfection when arranging the figs.... :)

fig, bacon & blue cheese tart with balsamic reduction drizzle

12-18 fresh figs cut in half

6 slices thick cut bacon, cooked until very crispy and then chopped into small pieces

4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled

grey salt

freshly cracked black pepper

1 tbsp fresh rosemary or lavender, minced

1 cooked pie crust (recipe follows)

balsamic reduction (recipe follows)

preheat oven to 375 degrees. fill bottom of cooked tart shell with fig halves, arranging in a circle and slightly overlapping. completely fill the shell with figs. season the figs lightly with salt and pepper. sprinkle the crumbled blue cheese and bacon over the figs. top with minced rosemary or lavender. bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted and figs are hot and bubbly. remove from oven, allow to cool slightly and cut into wedges. drizzle with balsamic reduction and serve.

Alice Waters Tart and Pie Dough RecipeMakes two 10-ounce balls of dough: enough for two 11-inch tarts or one double-crust 9-inch pie
Have measured:
1/2 cup ice-cold water
Mix together:
2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
Add:
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold butter, cut into small (1/4-inch cubes)

Cut or work the butter into the flour with a pastry blender or your fingertips, leaving some of the butter in fairly large, irregular pieces. This will take 1 or 2 minutes. (or mix for no more than a minute, at medium-low speed in a standard mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.)

Pour in three-quarters the water, stirring all the while with a fork until the dough begins to form clumps. (In the mixer, turn the speed to low and pour the water down the sides of the bowl, mixing for 30 seconds or less.) Keep adding water if needed. Divide the dough in two, bring each part together in a ball, then flatten them into disks. Let rest, refrigerated, for 1 hour or longer.

Line a 9-inch tart or pie pan with the dough, folding the edges in to make double-thick sides. Press the sides in to make double-thick sides. Press the sides in well and prick the bottom all over with a fork. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. To keep the dough from shrinking while it bakes, line the shell with a piece of foil or parchment paper, then fill the tart with a layer of dried beans (or other pie weights). Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown around the edge. Take the tart out of the oven and remove the foil and the weights. Return to the oven and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes, until the pastry is an even light golden brown.

balsamic reduction

2 cups balsamic vinegar
1 tsp organic honey
1 tsp organic agave nectar

add ingredients to saucepan and cook over medium heat until liquid has reduced by half. allow to cool. i always keep this on hand, stored in a mason jar in my refrigerator....drizzle on cheese, fruit (esp strawberries), steak, roasted or poached chicken, steamed vegetables, pound cake....i use this on almost everything...

welcome to fall everyone!

best,
diane
napa farmhouse 1885™
"live a green live of style"

follow me on twitter

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what is Studio-Store?

oct 2009 update....

yeah! we have a store! o.k....it is a temporary "pop-up" shop called Studio-Store in downtown napa. my friend, the artist valerie raven, and i have moved into a vacant storefront @ 1144 main street, napa ca 94559. we are here until the landlord leases as a long term deal...so we could be here a month? a year? who knows?...but you gotta be creative in this economy.

the entire napa farmhouse 1885™ collection, along with cool art from valerie , is available for purchase...so please come and visit....we are open wednesday through saturday from noon to six. and sign up for our mailing list for notices of all the special events we have planned....

i will post updates and photos soon....oh, and for those of you who have emailed me asking why it has been so long since i posted...this is the reason....we spent the past few weeks moving in and setting up...but i am working on a new blog post to be published this weekend...how does a fresh fig, bacon, blue cheese tart with balsamic drizzle sound?

best,
diane
napa farmhouse 1885™
"live a green live of style"™

follow me on twitter

to learn about our company...and receive special offers only available to our preferred customers...please sign up for our email list....on the right hand sidebar of this post....thanks!

tea sandwiches? how about egg salad?

When was the last time you had tea sandwiches? Did it actually involve tea? I just realized that I have been making and serving tea sandwiches frequently this summer. What a perfect solution for a quick, easy and fairly light lunch....plus, they are just cute. I know that the only difference in tea sandwiches and a regular sandwich is the way they are cut...but, to me, the cut makes all the difference.

It all started late last spring when my book club read three cups of tea, one man's mission to fight terrorism and build nations...one school at a time by Greg Martinson and David Oliver reline. Have you read this amazing book? If not, go out as soon as you can and get it...buy it, borrow from a friend, Check it out from the library...whatever...just find it. It is beautiful, inspiring and...whatever your politics... so, so important in today's unsettled world. My favorite quote from the book is this passage from Hajji ali...a leader of Baltistan... to Greg Martinson, the book's author:

"The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family, and for our family, we are prepared to do anything, even die."

Now back to tea sandwiches (a very odd transition)....while the book places an emphasis on the importance on drinking and serving tea as a way of building and maintaining relationships it has absolutely nothing to do with eating sandwiches!! But my book club has evolved into a "foodie" club. Whatever book we read...whether or not it is about food...leads to a dinner at one of our homes. We rotate monthly with a theme menu involving the book's title. So, for Three Cups of Tea, we came up with tea sandwiches. I made mine with egg salad...and that night...sitting around a table in Napa with eight terrific girlfriends...eating, drinking (o.k..wine not tea) talking, laughing...the book's emphasis on slowing down and taking the time to nurture relationships seemed amazingly appropriate.

Fast forward a few weeks...a non-profit group I belong to works to make life a bit easier for people in need...they visit people in hospitals, visit home bound elderly folks, help families out at funeral receptions, etc...tons of stuff. One thing we do is put on a luncheon every other month for 120-150 primarily senior citizens. We work really hard to decorate, have entertainment (bingo, anyone?) and provide a nice lunch. Somehow, I have become in charge of planning the meal, shopping and overseeing the many, many volunteers who help cook, serve and clean up. I am not able to help in the other areas...but these luncheons are pure joy for me. I am constantly told that they are the highlight of our guests' month...sometimes the only social activity they have. they eat, talk, laugh, catch up with old friends...(sounds a bit like my book club, right?)

So, for our last luncheon, I suggested a menu of tea sandwiches, salad, cupcakes, tea, and lemonade. For our sandwiches, we had: tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad, and deviled ham salad. (I confess that I had never heard of deviled ham...but the senior citizens loved them and told me stories about making them when they were children).... I made the egg salad..and 200 chocolate mini cupcakes!!!! Again, tea sandwiches were a hit...

Last week my good friend Karen came for lunch. She always comes with her bull mastiff, Phoebe...and Mosey and Phoebe are fast friends....so the visits are always a blast. I decided to make tea sandwiches because, as you can tell, they have become the theme of summer lunches. Again, an afternoon of talking, eating, laughing and catching up.

A frequent occurrence this summer was the number of people asking my how to hard boil eggs..and how to make egg salad. Surprised me at first...but I have come to realize that sometimes easy, basic techniques are just not taught Many people told me they had never hard boiled an egg in their life...so I thought I would share how I do it...and my egg salad recipe. For those of you that are experts, please weigh in as there are so many points of view. I would love to share best practices....for everyone else...please give it a try...and tell me how you do.

So, for hard boiled eggs...there are many opposing tips...add vinegar, don't add vinegar, etc. A few people have told me that it is better to use eggs that are a few days old...too fresh and the shells will stick. I have no idea if that is true..or, if it is, why...but here is what works for me.

hard boiled eggs

Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add 1/4 cup white or apple cider vinegar. Gently add desired number of room temperature eggs to pot using a slotted spoon. Reduce heat to a simmer. (keep an eye on the water to ensure it stays at a simmer...you do not want the water to come back to a boil.) Cook the eggs for 10-12 minutes depending on the size of eggs. ***note, you should plan to experiment a bit with the timing...most recipes I read advise a shorter cooking time than what works for me...the eggs are never cooked through...try it a few times until you get it the way you like*** 
When the eggs are ready, remove from pot, again using the slotted spoon, and immediately place in an ice water bath. When cool enough to handle, they are ready to peel.

egg salad tea sandwiches

8 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped red onions

1 tbsp finely chopped chives

2 tbsp finely chopped sweet gherkin pickle

1/2 cup mayonnaise

sea salt

freshly cracked black pepper

1/8 tsp paprika

french or sourdough bread, sandwich sliced

Add eggs to mixing bowl. Add onions, chives, gherkins, and 1/2 the mayo to the eggs and gently combine. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and the paprika and stir again. Use as much of the remaining mayo as you like...some people like their salad a bit dry..some creamier...so whatever works for you. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

Assemble sandwiches by first cutting off the crusts if you want a traditional tea sandwich. I love the crust...so sometimes I keep them on...these sandwiches are flexible depending on your preferences. Make 6 full-size sandwiches giving each a thin layer of egg salad (about 2 tbsp per sandwich) cut each sandwich in half on the diagonal...and then cut again to make 4 triangles. Plate either by piling them on a big platter, or serving individually with 4 tea sandwiches per person. I sprinkle additional paprika over the plate for a bit of color...

***note, you will have left over egg salad***

Enjoy your tea sandwiches...more importantly...enjoy the people you share them with.

have a good week.

diane

napa farmhouse 1885

"live a green life of style."

follow me on twitter

BLT pasta?

o.k....everyone loves blt sandwiches, right? the combination of tastes....bacon, lettuce and tomatoes....on perfectly toasted bread...a classic. i thought....if it works on toast...why not linguine? (but then again...what doesn't work with pasta?)...so last night i made something new...BLT pasta....

i had thick cut bacon on hand....and i bought some organic cherry tomatoes and organic spinach at the farmer's market this week without knowing what i was going to do with these ingredients. friday night is usually pasta night at our house...and i felt like something different...so i did some experimenting and....guess what?....BLT pasta really, really works....

regular readers know that my family eats pasta quite a lot...i long ago gave up my "carb phobia".....but i do try to ensure the ratio of vegetables to pasta is at least 50/50. the dish tastes better...and is better for you. so i added a lot of the tomatoes and spinach (yes...i know a true blt has lettuce not spinach....but i took a little bit of creative license here...the BLT was the inspiration...)...enough bacon to make it taste amazing...and some seasonings...and...viola....a delicious dish with only 5 main ingredients...easy, quick, simple...how perfect for a friday night?....

one technique that makes this easy-breezy...i oven bake the bacon. have you noticed that bacon has become the "it" ingredient lately? i see bacon in everything...savory dishes, desserts...covered in chocolate....paired with caramel....on ice cream...you name it...and everyone is recommending the oven method vs top of stove frying. preparing in the oven is so much easier...and cleaner... this is the method i used for this dish...and i am including the directions...but feel free to fry yours if you prefer....as long as the bacon is really crunchy, prepare it however you wish.

another suggestion is to follow the quantity listed for spinach. if you are not used to sauteing or wilting greens you will be surprised as how much they cook down....a lot yields a small amount. honestly...i may even increase the quantity the next time i prepare this dish....and yes...i will prepare this often.....it is that good...

the 10 oz of spinach in the skillet covering the tomatoes

the spinach after 5 minutes....see the bottom of the pan...and all the tomatoes....illustrates how much volume is lost by wilting....

BLT Pasta

6 oz thick sliced bacon (approx. 5 slices)

12 oz cherry tomatoes*

10 oz baby spinach leaves* thoroughly washed

extra virgin olive oil

1/2 lb long pasta..such as linguine or fettuccine

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

grey salt

freshly cracked black pepper

1 tbsp snipped chives*

*if you can...use local sustainably or organically grown ingredients....there really is a difference in taste....

prepare bacon

preheat oven to 400 degrees. line rimmed baking sheet with foil. lay bacon strips directly on top of foil...or you can add a rack to the sheet and place the bacon on top of the rack...frankly, i have prepared the bacon both ways and do not see much of a difference).

bake bacon in preheated oven for 10 minutes. remove from oven, flip slices and return to oven for another 5-10 minutes....caution...watch bacon carefully during the last few minutes...it goes from cooked to burnt really fast!

remove from oven and place bacon slices on paper towel lined plate. pat extra fat off bacon and allow to cool....tear into bite sized pieces. reserve bacon drippings from baking sheet.

pasta

bring large pot of water to rapid boil. add handful of salt and pasta and cook according to package directions. meanwhile, add 1 tbsp bacon drippings and 1 tbsp olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. add tomatoes and saute for 2 minutes. with point of a sharp knife, prick each tomato...this allows the hot steam to escape...cook an additional 2 minutes. add all the spinach to the pan and cover for 1 minute. the spinach will just begin to wilt. stir and continue cooking...this time uncovered. cook 3-5 minutes until spinach has wilted but is still very green. (refer to photo). add red pepper flakes and salt & pepper to taste. when pasta is ready, drain and add to skillet. add bacon and another drizzle of olive oil to pan and combine all ingredients until well mixed. taste and adjust seasonings if needed. sprinkle chives on top of pasta. pass freshly shredded parmigiano-reggiano alongside pasta if desired.

so.....how do you prepare bacon? and what is your favorite dish using this ingredient?

happy mid-september eveyone!

best,
diane

napa farmhouse 1885
"live a green life of style"
http://www.napafarmhouse1885.com/

follow me on twitter
to learn about our company...and receive special offers only available to our preferred customers...please sign up for our email list....on the right hand sidebar of this post....thanks!

grilled vegetable pasta? easy, peasy!

sometimes i make dishes that are so incredibly easy i feel silly actually blogging about them...i mean, they don't require much in the way of technique or skill...they just taste delicious. but then i will serve the dish to family and/or friends...and the first thing i hear is... "you have to blog this"... i look at it this way....for the experienced cooks who read this blog...please use the easy/peasy items as an excuse to share your own simple recipes in the comments section. for new cooks...my cooking philosophy can be summed up as..."use the best quality, freshest, local, organic/sustainably grown ingredients you can...and don't muck them up with overly complicated recipes.".... example...grilled vegetable pasta...truly a dish anyone can make...and...best of all.... one of the most versatile recipes imaginable...


it was over 100 degrees a few days last week and we had invited some friends to come over for a mid-week dinner...i did not want to turn on the oven...and had stocked up on tons of beautiful vegetables at the tuesday napa farmer's market....so i turned to my tried and true summer go-to pasta. the beauty of this dish is that it is incredibly flexible...you can make this with whatever vegetables you like...but this time i had lots of yellow squash, zucchini, red onions and tomatoes. the secret to the taste is that the vegetables are grilled....and, when they are prepared outside using a bbq grill, the dish is pure bliss...

i always have dried pasta on hand....and thanks to oxbow....amazing bread from model bakery is just a few minutes away....the farmer's market is held on tuedays and saturdays from may through october...so versions of this menu are made frequently throughout the summer...pasta, a sourdough baguette from oxbow (i grill it and then rub with fresh garlic and drizzle with really good e.v.o.o.!), salad with homemade vinaigrette, and a fresh fruit dessert (think cobblers...loads of cobblers using the olive oil biscuit recipe from my last post)....how good does that dinner sound?

today, i am posting a pasta recipe using 2 kinds of summer squash, onions and tomatoes...but i have made it with all types of squash, eggplants, peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, corn...you name it...anything that sounds like it would taste good grilled works.

grilled vegetable pasta

3 yellow crookneck squash*, sliced lengthwise about 1/2 inch thick

3 zucchini*, sliced lengthwise about 1/2 inch thick

1 large onion*, sliced lengthwise about 1/2 inch thick

3-4 heirloom tomatoes*, sliced lengthwise about 1 inch thick

1 cup mixed fresh herbs* (basil, italian parsley, mint, rosemary, thyme..whatever you like) roughly chopped

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

grey salt

freshly cracked black pepper

1 lb pasta..again, whatever type you like... i used pappardelle in this recipe)

good aged balsamic vinegar for drizzling

additional e.v.o.o. for drizzling

chives*, snipped

freshly shredded parmigiano-reggiano cheese

*locally grown and organic or sustainably grown if you can*

prepare charcoal grill...i prefer using hardwood coals...better for the environment and they do not have that bad "chemical" smell.

meanwhile, place vegetables in a rimmed dish and pour the olive oil over the vegetables. add 1/2 the herbs, a generous pinch of salt and 1 tsp pepper and gently toss the mixture until the vegetable are completely covered with oil. set aside while grill is getting hot.

when grill is hot remove crooknecks, zucchini and onion slices from pan and place on grill...(reserve olive oil from dish)...give squash a minute or two and check for nice grill marks. brush top side and turn allowing to grill until just cooked through. add tomato slices during last minute of cooking....you do not need to turn tomatoes. remove vegetables from grill and add to a large serving bowl.

while waiting for coals to get hot, bring a large pot of well salted water to a rapid boil. just before placing vegetables on grill, add pasta to boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes until al dente'. drain and add to serving bowl containing grilled vegetables. pour reserved olive oil over pasta/vegetables and gently stir. add remaining 1/2 cup fresh herbs and a drizzle (about a tsp.) of the vinegar to bowl and stir again. taste and add additional salt & pepper if needed. drizzle with additional e.v.o.o if desired. garnish with chives and serve. pass the cheese separately.

so...my friends loved the dinner and promptly asked for it to be served again on labor day next week and...since i have 20 people coming to dinner the day before with a much more complicated menu planned...i think grilled vegetable pasta is the perfect solution to entertaining two days in a row.... yeah summer!!

for those of you in the usa...what are you making for the holiday?...actually...for everyone...what are you eating this weekend?

best,

diane

diane padoven

napa farmhouse 1885

"live a green life of style"

http://www.napafarmhouse1885.com/

follow me on twitter

extra virgin olive oil biscuits?

by now my addiction to extra virgin olive oil is well known....i use the stuff in just about everything. for the past few years i have even revised many of my baked goods recipes to substitute e.v.o.o. for vegetable oil and/or butter. now, don't get me wrong. sometimes nothing can replace butter...but... to me... olive oil provides a delicious alternative.

take biscuits for example. i have a couple of recipes for traditional biscuits that call for butter...they are delicious, light, flaky, buttery...and certain dishes just seem to require this version. but last year i developed a recipe for biscuits using extra virgin olive oil instead of butter. even better, they are drop biscuits, eliminating the need to roll out and cut the dough...perfect for last minute requests...lazy sunday mornings....and weeknight dinners. i find they are fast becoming favorites for my family and friends. i make them all the time...have even experimented with optional ingredients like fresh herbs, onions, cheese....they all work.

a couple of regular readers emailed me recently and asked if i am anti-butter? oh no!...i do not mean to start a controversy :) .... as i said..sometimes there really is no substitute for butter...and, since my book club is reading julie and julia ...and i am rereading all the recipes in mastering the art of french cooking...i am inundated with butter. but i really do find that i have transitioned to cooking and baking with e.v.o.o. about 90% of the time. i know it is healthier...and...honestly...i just like the taste better. happily...no one has to choose a permanent solution....mix and match. but i do urge you to experiment with baking using olive oil.

to make those experiments easier...i have posted a butter to olive oil conversion chart. i found this on the internet years ago and find it works perfectly for my recipes....give it a try...and please let me know what you think of the biscuits.

butter to olive oil conversion chart

butter......olive oil

1 tsp ............3/4 tsp

1 tbsp...........2 1/4 tsp

2 tbsp ..........1 1/2 tsp

1/4 cup .......3 tbsp

1/3 cup .......1/4 cup

1/2 cup........1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp

2/3 cup.......1/2 cup

3/4 cup.......1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp

1 cup ..........3/4 cup

i make these biscuits all the time...for breakfast with eggs... served alongside soups, stews, chili for lunch or dinner...my husband adores them with oven fried chicken (made with e.v.o.o. of course) coleslaw and roasted sweet potato fries (again with the olive oil...do you see a pattern?)
he loves the biscuits slathered our persimmon-jalapeno jam.

extra virgin olive oil drop biscuits

3 cups organic unbleached flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp alum free baking powder

2 tsp organic sugar (optional)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup milk...any kind...i use 2%

preheat oven to 400 degrees. you will need a non-stick baking sheet...or use silpat or parchment paper on a regular sheet. using a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. add the olive oil and stir using a fork. large lumps will form and the flour will not be totally mixed into the dough. gradually add the milk a little bit at a time just until all the flour is incorporated into the dough...note you may not need all the milk.

the biscuits are formed by placing forkfuls of dough onto prepared sheets. place in preheated oven and bake for approximately 25 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. i use approximately 2 forkfuls of dough for each biscuit (about 2 tbsp)...but you can make yours as small or large as you like. baking times will vary depending on size. serve immediately

unbaked biscuits

variations...these biscuits are very versatile...depending on what i am serving them with i sometimes add one or more of the following ingredients....fresh chives, italian parsley, basil, rosemary, minced garlic, diced onions, cheese

the recipe as written makes large biscuits...but as an alternative...make them half the size...and fill with ham, smoked salmon or dilled chicken for terrific appetizers....

so...extra virgin olive oil biscuits? what do you think?

best,

diane

diane padoven

napa farmhouse 1885

"live a green life of style"

to learn about our company....and receive special offers only available to our private list...please sign up to receive our emails...on the form located on the sidebar of this blog...thanks

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want some pink lentils with roasted beets?

i love creating recipes. usually, i am inspired by something...a write up in a magazine, a wonderful dish at a restaurant, fresh in-season produce at the farmer's market...you never know when and where inspiration will strike. a few weeks ago i was inspired by color...and it all started with lentils...

o.k...even i realize how odd that sounds. but we spent a day at the coast...stinson beach to be exact and ...on the way home...we stopped at a produce stand located just off the road in sonoma. i stocked up on loads of locally and sustainably grown fruit and vegetables...and nuts....beans...you name it...my basket was packed. then, just as i was heading to the check out, i saw the most beautiful pink color imaginable. when i checked it out i discovered it was pink lentils. i bought a big bag full...had no idea what i was going to do with them...but that color was too cool to pass up.

so...pink lentils...now what? my first thought was some type of salad...but after a bit of research, i realized that "colored" lentils get a bit soft when cooked...no salad. i moved on to the idea of a warm dish prepared with a lot of different vegetables and i couldn't get the concept of beautiful, natural color out of my mind....i stared at all the vegetables i bought...separated everything by color..and...ta dah!!!...decided to create a dish using color as the unifying touch.

i had three bunches of baby beets...each bunch a different color...red, purple and orange. i love roasted beets and thought about the pink lentils with the red, purple and orange beets...sold! then i added white garlic, orange carrots, ruby red cherry tomatoes, light green shallots, deep green chives, green extra virgin olive oil and burgundy colored balsamic vinegar to the ingredients list....how gorgeous is that? even better... it sounded like it would taste delicious...there you go...mother nature at her finest...food that looks good...tastes good...and is incredibly good for you...home run!

i made the dish and...i must say...it turned out as wonderful as i hoped. give it a try and please let me know what you think... i served mine with roast chicken and a green salad....what sounds good to you?

pink lentils with roasted beets

3 bunches organic beets (1 bunch of each color...red, purple orange...beets 1-2 inches in diameter)

extra virgin olive oil

grey salt

2 c pink lentils

4 c water

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small shallot, minced

1 small carrot, diced

1 small package cherry tomatoes

extra virgin olive oil

balsamic vinegar

grey salt

freshly cracked pepper

2 tbsp snipped chives

photo process of preparing beets for roasting

roasted beets

preheat oven to 400 degrees. wash beets and cut off greens only...not the stems (save greens for another use...delicious sauteed in e.v.o.o. and stirred into pasta)

tear off 3 pieces of tin foil twice as large as size of 1 bunch of beets. place the trimmed red beets in the center of one piece of foil. drizzle with 2 turns of the olive oil. sprinkle with a pinch of grey salt. wrap the beets tightly in the foil to ensure no steam escapes. repeat process with the orange and purple beets. place on a rimmed baking sheet. roast in oven approx. 1 hour. test after 45 minutes by carefully opening one packet and piercing one beet with the point of a sharp knife. beets are ready when knife easily slides into beet.

allow beets to cool. cooked beets are really easy to peel. you just pull off the skin. be careful to peel over a bowl as beet juice can stain counter tops, wooden cutting boards and your clothing :)
lentils
place the lentils and water in medium saucepan and bring to a soft boil. reduce heat to simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. add garlic, shallot, carrots and tomatoes and cook an additional 5-10 minutes or until lentils are tender. remove from heat. stir in the prepared beets (cut larger ones in half), 4 tbsp e.v.o.o and 1 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar. season with additional grey salt and pepper to taste. (add additional oil and vinegar if lentils seem dry). top with the chives and serve immediately

have you ever created a dish based on color? what did you make? please tell us about it in the comments section of this post....

happy middle of summer everyone!

best,

diane

diane padoven

napa farmhouse 1885

"live a green life of style"

join our preferred customer list by signing up on the sidebar of this blog....receive notice of special offers, promos and updates regarding our company, napa farmhouse 1885...thank you

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how about balsamic wild mushroom ragu' with polenta?

i have written many times about my love of recreating recipes...i adore eating a delicious meal in a restaurant and then trying to make the dish at home. now i never actually request the recipe from the chef...where's the fun in that?...rather i imagine the tastes...textures...flavors and then "make it up". if it turns out excellent...i serve it to family & friends...and then blog about it, of course giving the inspiration credit to the restaurant's chef.

today i want to tell you a bit about bottega, chef michael chiarello's restaurant in yountville here in the napa valley of california. bottega opened last winter but, for unknown reasons, i did not go until a couple of months ago...not sure why except i seem to be spending much more time entertaining at home where i can cook...instead of going out to restaurants. maybe it is because i spent so many years traveling for business. let me tell you something...traveling gets old...especially travelling on business... even very cool hotels and fantastic restaurants can't make up for the fact that you are not home...at least that became my experience. anyway, bottega opened to terrific reviews. i loved michael's first restaurant, tra vigne, when he was chef/owner there....and i am a big fan of his style of italian cooking...so i just had to try his newest restaurant...

first of all, the experience was perfect and the food was amazing. i am not a restaurant critic and rarely write about restaurants...but this was such a perfect evening that i almost decided to write this entire post about bottega. notice i said "almost". here's the deal.... we went to dinner with a couple of good friends. one of them used to work for chef chiarello years ago. he is also a life long napan...knows everyone...so going out with him is always an experience. our friend knew everyone at bottega...the entire wait staff...all the busboys...the cooks...bartenders...you name it...he knew them. so, of course, the service was fantastic... people stopped by our table all night...constantly checking in to ensure we had everything we needed. the food was flawless. now...maybe this is true for everyone...and the restaurant is just that good. but before i actually recommend it to all of you, i think the fair thing to do is go back...with just my husband...and compare the two experiences....if the second time measures up to the first, we really have a winner here...

but...until then....there was one dish that was so amazingly good, i had to try and recreate it at home. it is listed as an appetizer at the restaurant and called "polenta under glass, caramelized wild mushrooms, balsamic game sauce". we ordered a number of dishes to share...this was one of them...and it was love at first sight. dramatic i know, but the dish comes served in a mason jar...and, if you know anything about my company, mason jars are one of my favorite things....i package many of my products in mason jars, so i loved the whole presentation...it was really unexpected. then, the taste....creamy polenta, mushrooms, balsamic....this stuff won rave reviews from all of us....definitely on my list of dishes to recreate...

a couple of weeks later i saw dried porcini mushrooms at a produce stand...and polenta style cornmeal. i always have many types of best quality extra virgin olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar on hand...so...here goes!

the dish at bottega was really rich...i wanted to lighten it up just a touch....and eliminating the "game" in game sauce seemed like a good place to start. i love mushroom ragu...so i thought ragu with balsamic...and creamy polenta with e.v.o.o. and parmesan...could be really good. you know what? i made it and it was delicious!...made a big platter of my version...which i named balsamic wild mushroom ragu with polenta...served it with grilled steak and a big salad....invited some friends over and they proclaimed it...bloggable!! (the highest compliment you can pay me these days.) so, here it is....please let me know what you think...

balsamic wild mushroom ragu with polenta

8 oz fresh baby bella mushrooms, sliced

3/4 oz pack dried porcini mushrooms

best quality extra virgin olive oil

1/2 onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 small carrot, finely chopped

1 cup dry red wine

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar di modena

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tsp dried lavender flowers

grey salt

freshly cracked black pepper

best quality extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

best quality aged (min 19 yrs) balsamic vinegar di modena for drizzling (if you can't splurge on this type of balsamic vinegar, no worries...use our recipe for balsamic reduction)

2 small sprigs fresh rosemary

parmigiano reggiano, freshly grated

soft polenta (recipe follows)

place dried mushrooms in a small bowl. cover with 1 cup very hot water and allow to soak for 10 minutes. pour softened mushrooms through cheesecloth lined fine mesh strainer placed over a small bowl, reserving mushroom liquid. rinse mushrooms and rough chop. set aside mushroom liquid for use later in recipe.

add 2 tbsp olive oil to large skillet over med high heat. add the fresh and dried mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are very tender and begin to caramelize...15-20 minutes. add onion and carrot, cook an additional 5 minutes. add garlic, stir well, cook another 5 minutes....mushrooms should be very caramelized..do not let garlic burn. add wine and cook until skillet is almost dry. add balsamic vinegar, reserved mushroom liquid, rosemary and lavender. cook until liquid is thick and reduced by half. taste and add salt and pepper to taste.

to serve: place prepared soft polenta in rimmed serving dish. top with mushroom ragu. generously drizzle with the aged balsamic (or balsamic reduction)...about 1/2 cup total. drizzle with a small amount of extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with a handful of the parmigiano-reggiano. top with the sprigs of rosemary and serve immediately.

soft polenta

6 cups water

1 1/2 cups polenta type cornmeal

2 tbsp best quality extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano, freshly grated

grey salt

bring water to a soft boil in medium saucepan. add 1 tsp. salt. reduce heat to medium and gradually add polenta to pot, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until totally incorporated into the water. continue stirring until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. stir in olive oil and parmigiano reggiano. taste and add additional salt if needed... serve immediately

do you recreate dishes? tell me about your successes...and non-successes in the comments section of this post....and please tell us about any of your new favorite restaurants....

best,

diane

diane padoven

founder/president

napa farmhouse 1885(tm)

"live a green life of style(tm)

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can "just a salad" really be dinner?

for me, the answer is yes and...especially in summer...this is a frequent solution to the "what's for dinner when it is hot?" question. last night we had a big taco salad...greens, red onions, extra sharp cheddar cheese, organic kidney beans, chopped peppers, sliced black kalamata olives and corn tortilla chips tossed with a balsamic/chipotle vinaigrette. extra tortilla chips, salsa, guacamole...and, of course, freshly juiced lime margaritas completed the meal. easy, delicious, satisfying...perfect for a lazy saturday.

i was thinking this morning about how often salads have been my go-to option when entertaining...and decided to tell you about my new favorite series of salad recipes.

two weeks ago my friend caitlin phoned to discuss our friend richard's birthday which was later that week. richard had told her that...instead of a big "to-do"...he wanted to celebrate with "family". i believe that, if you are very lucky, you will have friends that you care so much about you consider them part of your family...that is the case here so we quickly organized a birthday bash at the farmhouse.... now it was one of those weeks where i literally had something planned each day and night leading up to the birthday dinner...i had no time to plan...barely time to shop...and needed something easy, but still special enough to qualify as a birthday celebration meal. the answer was inspired by the grilled chicken summer salad from the july issue of gourmet magazine. really, this is a bunch of small salads that, served together on a platter, create the most amazing meal...looks beautiful and tastes fantastic. the recipes include a radish-cucumber salad, a chickpea (garbanzo bean) salad, a green bean salad, a tomato salad, a lettuce salad...and grilled chicken & mushrooms tossed in pesto....how good does that sound?

the brilliant touch is that all the salads, with the exception of the chicken, use the same vinaigrette so that the tastes all kind of meld together in a really fantastic way and the individual salads are separated just enough so that you can take what you like...and skip what you don't.

now, regular readers know that it is impossible for me to follow recipes as written...i just have to edit and tweak...but in this case i did stay pretty true to the original...i added another bean salad using cannellini beans and diced marinated peppers for a bit more protein for the vegetarians, roasted the almonds for the green beans in e.v.o.o. and aglio olio peperoncino (organic italian seasoning) to add a bit of spice...actually, i made a big batch of these roasted almonds and served some as part of the appetizers....and i threw in some feta with the tomato salad just because you can never go wrong with cheese!

dinner was really good...i grilled big slabs of bread...rubbed them with garlic and some of the pesto, drizzled with really good e.v.o.o. and served with the salads... for appetizers we had the aforementioned almonds, pecorino cheese, our cocktail biscuits and prosecco. we continued with more prosecco and some wine with dinner. caitlin brought a delicious birthday cake from abc bakery for dessert...perfect with more wine...and then we, of course!, ended with shots of limoncello....what a memorable meal. richard and caitlin were leaving the next morning for a weekend camping trip...so i packed up the leftovers (trust me, this recipe makes a ton of food)...so they would not need to think about cooking. they said the food was even better the next day....

last week for the 4th of july, we invited our friends mary and terry for dinner and fireworks watching. they are both vegans so i decided the same meal with a few revisions would be perfect. i eliminated the chicken and the green bean salad and substituted roasted asparagus, roasted/marinated red peppers, tweaked the garbanzo bean salad by adding organic cherry tomatoes, chopped green onions, basil, lavender & chives....and i used my balsamic vinaigrette instead of gourmet's version. i served the feta on the side for the non-vegans and eliminated the pesto from the grilled bread....an equally delicious meal...and i love the flexibility!

our garbanzo bean salad

2 15 oz cans garbanzo beans (organic if possible)

1 pint organic cherry tomatoes cut in half

1 bunch green onions, chopped with white and green parts separated

1 bunch chives, chopped

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped chiffonade style

1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

1 tsp organic lavender flowers (optional)

1/2 cup balsamic & mustard vinaigrette

add garbanzo beans, tomatoes and white part of green onions to medium bowl...add 1/4 cup vinaigrette and gently stir together all ingredients. allow to marinate a minimum of 1 hour in refrigerator (can be made up to 24 hours in advance). when ready to serve, add all herbs, the green part of the onions and remaining 1/4 cup vinaigrette...stir again and enjoy!

i plan to make versions of this salad all summer...of course tweaking the recipes all the time...how about serving grilled steak salad or barbecued shrimp in place of the chicken...maybe adding a watermelon, spinach and feta salad? or a vinaigrette based potato salad? i will let you know what works...and what does not. in the interim...what are your favorite salads as meals?....let me know in the comments section of this post....and happy summer everyone!

best,

diane

diane padoven

napa farmhouse 1885(tm)

"live a green life of style"(tm)

to learn about our company...and receive special offers only available to our private list...sign up to receive our emails....located on the sidebar of this blog