Tickled by this: “I cook with wine – sometimes I even add it to the food”  -W.C. Fields

Sheryl, a fellow March Baby, and her darling husband Steve, inspired me to create this menu for them:

Asparagus Salad and Brown Rice Fusilli Pasta

Peel and blanch 20 spears of asparagus. Trim them to about 5 ” long. With a potato peeler, gently shave off the top layer of the stem. At an angle cut through a tender joint. In the same boiling water cook one egg hard. Put the egg aside to cool.  To assemble the salad, place three small leaves of butter or romaine lettuce on a dinner size plate. Line up 5 spears of tender but not over cooked colled asparagus over the lettuce. Make a dressing: Vegenaise or mayonnaise, balsalmic vinegar and cayenne pepper to taste. Should be light in color. Put a generous dollop of dressing on top of the delicious asparagus. Chop several chives or scallions and sprinkle generously over entire salad. Finely grate our egg over the center of the salad letting the green onions peek through. Add coarse black pepper lightly and garnish with three kalamata olives on the side. Be sure and have a small dish for the pits. Serve with fresh sourdough bread sliced thick with soft butter.

Pasta: Follow the directions on your bag of brown rice fusilli pasta. For 4 servings use two bags. You’ll have enough leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch. In a skillet, saute 3 cloves minced garlic and 1/4 cup pine nuts lightly in olive oil. Add pasta al dente, 1 lrg. tomato chopped, one ball of Buffalo Mozzarella cubed (save a little for garnish), 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese (reggiano) and 1/4 cup pesto sauce. Mix together moderately on a very low flame for one minute. When possible, put a fresh leaf or two of basil as garnish.

Sweet Lady Jane, a bakery in LA, provided dessert; a mixed berry cake with whipped cream. We sipped on Jered’s favorite Jasmine tea in thimble size cups from our Taiwanese tea service until just before midnight. Sheryl and Steve brought champagne which was never un-corked. I’ll save it for next time!

Cheers and Bon Appetite

My friends and I were talking about the catastrophe in Japan over dinner at my place. June’s 18 year old cousin from Japan had just been visiting family in the US. She and her husband said their goodbyes to her on Sunday, all the while knowing what she was returning to. These times are so humbling. We are facing man-made disasters and catastrophic wake-up calls from Mother Nature reminding us to turn our attention to the Infinite Light. In keeping with the mood of the situation I served a simple meal of quinoa with skewers of tofu and chicken.

Quinoa (4 servings):  Two cups quinoa/four cups water. Rinse quinoa and cook in a rice cooker or pot until fluffy.  Saute’ 1/2 purple onion, 3/4 red pepper, 3 cloves of garlic and one slice of ginger. Chop fine and add to extra virgin olive oil  over medium heat. This step can be done ahead of time. Just before mixing in the quinoa, add 1/2 cup unsalted roasted cashews to the reheated saute’ pan. You may need to transfer to a larger skillet when incorporating all the ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste.

Tofu and chicken skewers: Three hours ahead marinate tofu and chicken (in separate bowls)  in the juice of one lime,  add a drizzle of olive oil, sea salt, turmeric, cayenne (just a dash) and scallions. You can also sprinkle a bit of cognac for a more robust flavor. Refrigerate. Before cooking, add the pieces of tofu and chicken that are 1″x2″x1/2″ thick onto bamboo sticks. Three pieces fit nicely. Saute’ tofu in one pan two minutes on each side. In a grill pan, cook chicken 5-7 minutes on each side. Use a spatula to remove tofu as it may fall off the stick.

To serve, heap a generous portion of the quinoa onto the center of a plate and put the skewers around it. Garnish with a few sprigs of cilantro, cubes of cucumber & Satay sauce.

Dessert…take a fresh pineapple and quarter it trying to preserve the integrity of the shape and leaves. Remove the flesh with a knife and slice. Freeze the fruit and refrigerate the outer shell. Do this the day before to assure the fruit is frozen. This is a dessert you will prepare while your guests are waiting and having their tea or coffee. In a juicer create a sorbet with the frozen pineapple. No Sugar, no cream- just pineapple goodness! Then dollop the sorbet of pineapple into the quartered shell and top with shredded coconut and shaved chocolate. What a dramatic looking dessert with very low impact concerning calories! It basically cleanses the palate leaving you feeling refreshed. Bon Appetite

The 180 men who are still working at the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Plant to try and cool the systems down and prevent more explosions are the real heroes and Angels.

I love to cook. For goodness sake, I have been schlepping my 100lbs+ maple chopping block with me since 1972! Chop, chop, chop onions, garlic, parsley- my holy trinity initiating many a dish inspiring me to write a new column I call Tickles & Papenade. Why, you ask, are you calling it that? At midnight recently, my dear husband strolled into the kitchen looking for a late night snack and found pickles and  olive tapenade to quench his appetite. No, he’s NOT pregnant, just hungry and that’s what sang out to him. Next morning over tea he shared his evening with me. I guess the caffeine hadn’t kicked in because my response was an inversion of consonants. Hence, the title.

Discovering cooking, learning techniques and using fresh ingredients was my way of channeling creativity after I retired in 1968. I write about this in greater detail in the book I’m hoping to complete this year. My ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ became a quest for Alberta free stone peaches when in season and New Zealand strawberries before they were readily available. My new voice replacing a ‘singing career’ gradually transitioned into the kitchen and an infinite choice of what I would do to feed my new family. I was empowered by having the time and resources to seek out sources of delicious fruit, vegetables, baked goods and protein, namely a butcher who called me Mrs. Veronica.

So, my first Tickles & Papenade entry, the menu for my birthday dinner: surf and turf. Vicente Foods, a market I frequented when I lived in Brentwood in the late eighties and early nineties was my first stop.  It’s been sixteen years  for me since I was a regular customer. Passing the exotic fruit section, papayas, mangos, berries (even yellow raspberries), a gentleman who was arranging the produce recognized me. I remembered him too and he warmly said hello. “I am retiring on August 5th this year-40 years here!” he told me. He really looked happy. I think the work agreed with him because, truthfully, he looked youthful except for his gray hair. I asked him where the fruit and veggies came from and his reply was Mexico and Chile. I am cautious about consuming food that might be sprayed with chemicals. Also, the idea of eating genetically altered foods has zero appeal. Instead, I opted to shop at the Farmer’s Market from farmers who use organic seeds and retain a pristine method of farming. You know, Prince Charles endorsed a special project years ago to create a seed bank of indigenous seeds at Kew Gardens.

At the back of Vicente Foods is the butcher. Out in the open several men wearing long white coats saw through bones and prepare the various parts of beef, etc. I got the attention of a lovely man behind the counter and asked him for three pieces of wild-caught salmon and a filet tail of beef. Done. Then off to the wine dept. for Prosecco and Bellini mix. Before I leave I can’t resist a bunch of golden Gerbera daisies to add to the evening’s festivities. OK, I’ve got my main course and cocktails. As soon as I return home I will marinate the fish and meat with garlic and cognac. Now let me share the rest of my preparation with you. With a paring knife make slivers to insert slices of garlic into fish and beef. Sprinkle a good quality cognac such as Martell VSOP over both and let rest for several hours at room temperature. In some cases, refrigerate when temperatures outside are too warm. Before I grill my meat and saute my fish I liberally salt and pepper using Himalayan Pink Sea Salt and course ground black pepper. I also add turmeric, cayenne and paprika. In addition to all that, I squeeze the juice of a meyer lemon on my fish while cooking. My side dishes are baby spinach and mushroom risotto. In a large saute pan add water and seasoning. Chop garlic to a paste and let simmer as you pile on the baby spinach. Make sure you remove all stems. Then onto the risotto.  Use arborio rice for a creamy texture. Begin by sauteing finely chopped white onion in organic extra virgin olive oil. This time I found Chanterelle mushrooms at the farmers market but shiitakes do very nicely, too. Stir in thinly sliced mushrooms and add two tablespoons of butter, grated parmesan cheese to taste and several cloves of finely chopped garlic. Measure the rice two to one  liquid and stir, baby stir. You will be adding the liquid gradually as the rice absorbs and plumps up. Taste the rice to make sure of it’s tenderness and, voila, risotto.

For dessert, I did take out from Al Gelato on Robertson Blvd., a most authentic Italian cafe with no frills and cash only! My fave is their mile high apple pie with vanilla crema gelato.

Please tell me how these recipes turn out for you. Bon Appetit