Loving the Bellingham area...some publications that help

Bellingham has its own travel literature that helps to learn this area.  One I like is the Whatcom County's travel planner at Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism.

Another good source is Experience Washington with their Washington State Visitor's Guide, and other helpful publications which you can view online or have mailed to you for free. I love the info on the Northwest Washington (including Bellingham, and the Islands (pp 44-61) in the 2009 Experience Washington Travel Planner.

And then there's the Bellingham Farmer's Market which has good online info here. They even have their own Flikr site so you can see photos from folks visiting the market.

New Year's eating for good fortune

LUCKY FOODS TO EAT

Epicurious writes about what foods get eaten for luck around the world.  In Italy it's cotechino (zampone) con lenticchie or sausages and green lentils.  Here's a recipe that I got from Vietri, who are the North Carolina women who import Italian dinner and house wares; I'm on their email list:

 

Sausage with Lentils

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups green lentils
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 pound prosciutto, pancetta, or bacon, diced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 small fennel bulb, diced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage with fennel
• 1 medium can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 small dried chili pepper, or red pepper flakes to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Directions

1. Place lentils in a pot of boiling, salted water; when the water boils again, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Sauté bacon, onion, carrot, fennel, shallot and garlic in olive oil in a large skillet. Remove vegetables from skillet when soft and brown sausage in the same skillet. Set sausage aside on paper towels.
3. Remove all fat from skillet and return bacon and vegetables to pan; add tomatoes, hot pepper, and bay leaf, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the sausage and heat through, simmering for 5 minutes or more.
4. Season with salt and pepper and serve on a large platter accompanied by mashed potatoes.
   

Chianti is a good wine to enjoy with this dish. Enjoy!
Serves 4 to 6 people

I was a Phyllis and Jeannie's for the holidays, and with some leftover lentils from Aladin's Mediterranean, Phyl whipped up a similar version for us to have with rice at New Year's Eve.

While we are on the topic of lentils, here's an Epicurious lentil stew recipe I made for my staff before the holidays:

Lentil Stew with Spinach and Potatoes

I subbed the kale for the spinach, and doubled the recipe. I made it in the crock pot which meant no early saute, and I held back the kale, lemon juice, and lemon peel until after 8 hours on low. One hour or less on low at end was enough to cook kale. Don't over mint and don't over cook kale.


You can view the complete recipe online at: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/349

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 cups canned vegetable broth
• 1 cup lentils, rinsed, picked over
• 8 ounces red-skinned potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 lemon
• 6 ounces torn fresh spinach leaves (about 8 cups)
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
• Crumbled feta cheese (optional, though I think it's essential)
  

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add vegetable broth and lentils; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add potatoes; cook uncovered until potatoes and lentils are tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, grate 1/2 teaspoon peel from lemon; squeeze enough juice from lemon to measure 2 tablespoons. Add lemon peel, lemon juice, spinach and cayenne to stew. Cover and simmer stew until spinach wilts and is cooked through, about 2 minutes. Mix in mint. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over low heat before serving.)
3. Spoon stew into large soup bowls. Sprinkle feta cheese over, if desired.
   

Bon Appétit
May 1995

Preserves found on Canadian radio...

One of the fun things about living in Bellingham, WA is being able to listen to Canadian radio and watch Canadian TV in addition to U.S. entertainment and news media.  Through one such experience, I heard about these artisanal culinary preserves from a farm in Langley, BC -- Vista D'Oro Farms. I don't know, I guess I was taken by some of the names of the preserves, e.g. turkish fig with walnut wine or apricot tarragon & riesling. And I liked what the woman from the farms said you could do with the preserves. Anyway, I drove there and I like what I found.  Preserves like Green Walnut and Grappa on a cheeseboard with great cheese...fun.

Soup's On - Crock Pot Golden Chicken and Crimini Mushroom

I awoke one day this week to the wonderful smell of soup.  Okay, I didn't think when I started this blog, that it would show me out as a foodie, but I can't resist sharing this recipe I concocted with the items on hand:

CROCK POT GOLDEN CHICKEN AND CRIMINI MUSHROOM

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 stalks celery, sliced to the size you like in soup
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 lb crimini mushrooms, sliced (I bought them already sliced)
• 1/3 cooked chicken, cut in bite size pieces (I used leftover from rotisserie chicken I bought at market)
• 8 cups broth (I used half chicken and half vegetable, because that is what I had on hand)
• 1 tsp garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 TBS thyme (I had some freshly dried thyme sprigs and just loaded it in.  I liked the result)
• 1 can evaporated milk

Directions

1. Put all ingredients but milk into crock pot.  Cook on low for 8 hours or until celery is done or done slightly less than you like.
2. Pour in evaporated milk and let cook for another 30-45 minutes on low.
3. Enjoy with some toasted crusty bread.  YUM
   

Yes, I had this soup for breakfast and for lunch.  First time I have had soup for breakfast I think.  But I could not resist.

One of the tastiest things I ever made...

September 30, 2009
New York Times
Fig Tart With Caramelized Onions, Rosemary and Stilton

Time: 1 1/2 hours

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large onions (1 1/2 pounds), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1 sprig rosemary, more for garnish
• Pinch sugar
• 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 egg
• Flour for dusting
• 3/4 pound prepared puff pastry (I used Peppridge Farms, required minimal rolling out)
• 1 pint fresh figs ( 3/4 pound), stemmed and cut in half lengthwise (I used half black mission and half Kadota which are less sweet. Liked both)
• 1 1/2 ounces Stilton cheese, crumbled (about 6 tablespoons)
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts (no way photo represents 2 TBS but I liked just this amount)
• Good-quality honey for drizzling, optional. (I skipped this...how sweet does it need to be?)

1. In a large skillet over low heat, melt butter with oil. Add onions, rosemary and sugar. Cook, tossing occasionally, until onions are limp and golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, scraping any browned bits from bottom of pan.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and egg until smooth. Stir in the onions. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line an 11 by 17-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to a 9 by 12-inch rectangle. Transfer to baking sheet.

3. Use a fork to spread onion mixture evenly over pastry (let excess egg mixture drip back into bowl), leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange figs, cut-side up, in even rows on onion mixture. Scatter cheese and pine nuts over figs. Use a pastry brush to dab edges of tart with egg mixture. Gently fold over edges of tart to form a lip and brush with more egg mixture.

4. Bake until pastry is puffed and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with rosemary needles and drizzled with honey, if desired, warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 8 servings.

Maybe a visit to T's Tearoom in Vancouver

My sister Char gave me a sweet tea pot, like the one to the left, but in sky blue, with some terrific Kenya black and ginger loose tea. I drank this right up and I knew, with such a fun teapot, a tea bag wouldn't do.

So I was looking for loose rooibos tea because I like the taste so much. It is my favorite tea, plain or infused with other flavors like fruit. This is something to say because I also love decaffeinated Constant Comment or chai very much. But I wanted some rooibos in the house. Didn't check our local food co-op or seasonal farmer's market, but rooibos was not to be found loose in the grocery stores. Lo and behold, on an adventure of a completely different nature, in a small farm store in Langley, BC, I found vanilla rooibos from .

Who would have guessed these loose twigs for brewing would have found their way into my hands, when renown chefs and prestige hotels around the world are more likely to carry the brand. has a tearoom at 1568 West Broadway Street (just west of Granville) in Vancouver. Maybe a visit to the tearoom on some upcoming trip to Vancouver is in order, to find peace in a teacup, with perhaps a side benefit of finding lower prices than what online shoppers can find, no?

A Few of My Favorite Things - Bellingham Food First

* Baba Ghanouj from the Mediterranean Specialties Cafe and Goods, so tasty, as good or better than Lawrence's in Atlanta, very high marks. (505 32nd St. 360-738-6895)

* Donuts from Lafeens, and I'm not a donut person. Love the buttermilk for example. Thanks to Christina VW for this treat. (1466 Electric Ave. 360-647-1703)

* Barbeque from Speak E-Z's

Makes me homesick for the South but meets a definite Joanne need. (2400 Meridian St. 360-714-0606)

* Meatball sandwich from Tino's, good sauce, pure comfort food for me, and right in my neighborhood. The calzones are giant. (Sudden Valley Shopping Center, 2275 Lake Whatcom Blvd, 360-671-6088)

* Take-n-bake pizza from Papa Murphy's. Okay, spoiled in my childhood by pizzas from my Mom, Angie Sbarro, Lena down at the Victory Cafe, and even the Chewton Firemen Ladies Auxillary, never did I imagine a favorite pizza of mine being created at a location with the last name of Murphy. Just doesn't seem right. But on the way home from work, I can go through a drive-through pick up a gourmet vegetarian with creamy garlic sauce, spinach, zucchini, mushrooms, marinated artichoke hearts, roma tomatoes, onions on a thin crust deLITE, bake it at home, and be pretty blissful. Not Pizza Big in Milano, but eh, whazzamatta witchu? (My Papa Murphy's is at 1312 Lakeway Drive, 360-715-1117)

* Butternut squash ravioli with walnut sage butter sauce from D'Anna's. I swear everything is good here. Solid Italian in the Italian tradition, not the Italian-American tradition, which is a different story. (1317 North State St. 360-714-0188)

* Gelato from Sirena Gelato , if going for a fresh cone or dish, or the Haggen brand from Italy at their markets. I'm fixed on hazelnut, but Sirena Gelato has a nice Pineapple or Cappucino, and Haggen's Triple Chocolate, Coconut or Pistachio are all worth trying. (Sirena Gelato - 960 Harris Av Fairhaven, 360-733-6700; Haggens - various locations)

* Arni Tzito (New Zealand lamb with roast potatoes) from Mykonos. It's all good, really. So great to have a solid Greek restaurant in my hometown. It's good to go to a Greek restaurant with a Greek like Linaki to know I'm in the right place. (1650 W Bakerview Rd 360-715-3071)

* Tacos from Tacos Tecalitlan taco truck. Thanks, Luis I, for this wonderful addition to my favorites. I'm a regular for the tacos or the burritos. (Near Glynn's Pub at corner of Guide Meridian and Smith Road, 360-223-2836)

* Happy hour at Nimbus. Interesting drink specials and try several delizioso half-price appetizers that shared will be a meal. (14th floor, that's right, 119 N Commercial St 360-676-1307)

* Salmon pot pie at Anthony's Hearthfire. I tried to have the chef give me the recipe, but no luck. (7 Bellwether Way, 360-527-3423)

* Oyster sampler at The Oyster Bar on Chuckanaut Drive. Great for out-of-town visitors and go at lunch when the prices are more reasonable. That great Chuckanaut Drive drive, then overlooking oyster beds and the Bay, what could be better? (2578 Chuckanut Drive 360-766-6185)

* The chef's special at Il Granaio. Bound to be good. The other perfect Italian in the area from my perspective (other than what Seattle and Vancouver have to offer). Alberto Candivi is the real thing. (100 E. Montgomery, STE 110, Mount Vernon, 360-419-0674 in the grainery, hence the name, next to the Mount Vernon Amtrak station right off of I-5) Interesting side-note, the Mount Vernon Amtrak station is staffed completely with volunteers.

* Chicken tortilla soup at El Rinconcito. I eat half there and take the second half home for another meal. I immediately start feeling better when I eat it, even if I wasn't sick in the first place. Thanks to Christina VW for this soup recommendation! People recommend other things there, like the fajitas, but I can't get off the soup, the rice, the pieces of avocado, the chunks of chicken, the bite and the flavor...wow. (2416 Yew Street Rd., 360-647-9055)