Palmabella's Passions

The Slow Travel party pair is home! We had another whirlwind weekend with Slow Travel friends, worthy of several blogs. Be patient with me. It is a busy week!

Last Thursday, August 30, we flew from Ontario, CA to Seattle. We didn't get in til after 10 p.m., checked in to our hotel, and grabbed a late night appetizer for dinner. We shared some coconut shrimp and jerk chicken wings at a nearby Bahama Breeze restaurant, and started our "foodie weekend adventure".

Friday morning, we arrived at the bustling Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle. I had little luggage space to work with for bringing home food items, since I checked an extra bag containing our Italy 2007 scrapbook photos...all 40 pounds of them!

We wandered among the food and flower stalls, where I drooled over the dahlias and lilies in every possible shade. I bought some lemon-basil orzo, caramel sauce, and two kinds of jam. Across the street, we did a quick run to Sur La Table, for a few holiday gifts, and extra napkin rings for our upcoming Desert GTG, as I think we just hit 39 people!

We stopped for coffee and HUMUNGOUS cream cheese-chocolate chip cinnamon rolls (breakfast and lunch). It was great to get a "cool fix" from our HOT summer weather in the desert.

A street entertainer kept us amused, just outside the door, with his ability to play TWO guitars (one balanced on his nose), and a harmonica, while keeping two hula hoops going. And they say men can't multi-task!

I do love the food shops at Pike's Market, but my FAVORITE thing there is the flower stalls! I have been known to take over a hundred flower photos in this two block area, but I tried to contain myself. Here are a few.

I browsed every vendor's booth to choose just the right combination for an enormous bouquet for our hostess, Sheena, for tomorrow's GTG. Here is the arrangement I came up with:

We left Seattle around noon, and headed to Vancouver, British Columbia. My first and only previous visit was at age 20 when I was "in love" with a cruise ship bartender named Peppi. I took an Alaska cruise with my parents, and there was an overnight stop in Vancouver. We had chamber of commerce weather, and I remember bridges, totem poles and Stanley Park. That night, the Italian crew on SITMAR Cruises (later bought by Princess) had a soccer team that played a Vancouver team. Passengers were invited to attend the game, and Peppi was on the team. The Sitmar team won, and invited the passengers who cheered them on to come for a midnight supper of spaghetti carbonara down in the crew's dining room. My parents and I went, and had a ball with the off-duty Italian crew members. It was my first taste of carbonara, and one of the guys shocked my mom by saying the crew said SITMAR was an acronym for "sex isn't too much after ravioli"! But I digress...

We crossed the border in a light drizzle, but found clear weather in Vancouver. We checked into the Listel Hotel, and walked around busy Robson Street before having an afternoon glass of wine in the hotel bar.

We drove to dinner at Monk McQueen's for a great dinner with Slow Travel friends. We met Ann and Scott, Janie and Geoff, and Sheena's husband, Terry for the first time. What a lively, funny, and delightful group of people! We shared baskets of calamari, and everyone enjoyed the fresh fish entrees. I had a wonderful panko crusted sole with crab leg quiches and veggies.

Brad enjoyed his mahi-mahi with blueberry sauce, and managed to save room for a chocolate lava cake.

We chatted for hours, enjoying the company, food, wine, and a beautiful Vancouver view. Janie passed out shopping bags for tomorrow's food shopping/eating fest, and detailed information and directions on all our stops. We were already SO glad we would be spending the weekend with this group!

By 8:30, I had consumed a mug of hotel coffee, and a venti Starbucks nonfat latte. I was capable of complete sentences, so we met Ann and Scott, our gracious chauffeur for the day. We headed to meet the rest of the group at the Farmer's Market coffee truck. I passed on more coffee, deciding to hold off until our next stop with a restroom.

The Trout Lake farmer's market was wonderful! There were lots of produce booths, flowers, cheese, herbs, and vinegars, chocolates, bread, and a few crafts. I LOVE to look at food! It was sunny and cool (for us), with just a hint of fall in the landscape. For some reason, I get very excited when I see pumpkins, and fall colors, as it is one of the most beautiful times of the year, and I associate the foods with family, sharing, and a bountiful harvest. Way before Thanksgiving, I begin to feel blessed, grateful and generous! It makes me want to nest even more than usual! It is almost time for butternut squash soup, pumpkin ravioli, and apple crostadas! People ask, "Do you dream in color?" YES! I dream of foods in all their glory!

Brad gathered our spinach for our pasta course, and I found FABULOUS, huge bunches of sage (I forgot to take a photo) for a dollar each! I can't even tell you what I spend on sage a month at home! I've tried growing it, but the leaves burn in my yard even in shade! I must try again!

Ann found the most wonderful pomegranite vinegar. I must order some! Next year I will bring no scrapbooks and an extra EMPTY piece of luggage!

Our next stop was the amazing Bosa Foods: "Italissima Quality Gourmet Mediterranean Foods"! I thought I had died and gone to Italian food heaven, or been zapped to a beautiful new grocery store in Italy. This place was an Italian food lover's dream. Deli, fresh pastas, cheeses, olives, hanging prosciutti, wheels of parmigiano, a panini bar, a cappucini bar, every kind of flour, breads, dolci, olive oils, vinegars...well, you get the idea!

After buying ingredients for our dishes, and sharing a panini or slice of pizza, we moved along to Thomas Haas Chocolate. I'm not a big chocolate fan, but Thomas was adorable, and had fabulous bakery products, desserts, and treats for everyone. Sheena had ordered an amazing chocolate cake, and I found a chocolate with oozing caramel center that had my name on it. I also had one of the best cappucinos in North America!

Next, we stopped at Sheena and Terry's beautiful store, "At Home". Beautiful bath products, linens, home accessories, dishes, jewelry, gifts and so much more made this a wonderful afternoon stop. Handy dandy, there was a wine shop steps away, where we made our selections for the evening.

We all congregated in Sheena and Terry's beautiful back yard, and enjoyed the views all around us. From their deck, we saw the lovely woodsy surroundings, pots of plants, and our dining area with pitchers full of hydrangas and candles. Just around the corner was an incredibly well-designed refuge of jaw-dropping beauty, complete with a waterfall...Terry's garden. Another lovely spot is Sheena's patio with vines, a patio table and a serene fountain. We chatted, drank prosecco, and several at a time went into the kitchen to prepare an appetizer, or do some prep work for dinner.

We enjoyed a variety of appetizers: funghi trifolati (mushroom bruschetta), olives, sweet balsamic baby onions, baked brie with red pepper relish, and fresh mozzarella with basil, olive oil, and crushed red pepper. We had marinated salmon with mustard aioli, baby spinach, red onion, pancetta and peach salad, and spinach-ricotta strozzapreti in brown butter sage sauce. We devoured panzanella salad, barbequed prime rib, and mushrooms stuffed with gorgonzola and spinach. Of course we had dessert! Broiled peaches with honey and cinnamon topped with marscapone, and the Chocolate Thomas Haas cake! It was a feast for...foodie Slow Travelers who love to cook and eat! We might have had a few bottles of wine too.

A perfect ending to a perfectly lovely day! Photos of it all are here.

I'm having a Slow Travel party in six weeks. It may sound early, but this weekend we began cooking ahead for the event on October 20. I'm not going to share the whole menu YET, but let's just say I'll be making 18 items for at least 43 people. This requires some planning. I do as much as possible ahead of time, so I've been emptying my freezer in order to FILL IT UP!

This weekend Brad and I made 192 lamb meatballs (plus a few for dinner in order to taste test)! We made mint pesto to go with them.

We used 7 pounds of ground leg of lamb. Here is the recipe for a 1 lb. batch:

1 pound ground lamb
1/3 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/4 c. chopped Italian parsley
1 egg yolk
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/3 c. grated parmigiano cheese
several mint leaves, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper

Here is Brad mixing the ingredients into the meat as I added them.

I rolled 192 meatballs while he worked on his "Party To Do List".

We fried the meatballs quickly in hot olive oil.

We let them drain completely and cool on paper towels.

Then they went off to the freezer, and we had some for dinner with the fresh mint pesto!

Since I've been emptying the freezer in preparation of filling it for the upcoming GTG, I decided to clean out my fridge on Sunday morning. I found an over abundance of fruit, along with a forgotten puff pastry sheet in the freezer. Hmmm.

Slow Travel members Diana B., Jan, and Lesfaye have all posted similar recipes/instructions on their "tart or whatever you call it". I decided to treat my sous chef, Brad to this for breakfast. I had a peach, several figs and a variety of jams and preserves.

Pre-cook a puff pastry sheet for about 10 minutes in a buttered pie pan at 400 degrees.

Spread it with a little jam or preserves (I used the last of a jar of boysenberry), the cut fruit. Fold over the pastry in whatever shape you like, and brush pastry with an egg white. Bake 10-12 more minutes until dough is golden and crisp. It was a great breakfast for two, and we had the rest for dessert!

I love to read and try new recipes. I read at least four food magazines a month, but many wonderful recipes are posted on Slow Travel. There are many great cooks and even chefs as members, so each day you may find something new. It is fun to try recipes from people all over the world, and then meet them if possible! This week, I seem to be using LOTS of recipes from Slow Travel friends.

We were invited to a pot luck dinner Sunday night, and I was to bring a pasta dish. The hostess was going to grill mahi-mahi and beef. I made a recipe Colleen found in Food and Wine magazine in June, 2007:

Pasta with Zucchini and Yogurt

1 lb. farfalle (bow tie) pasta
4 zucchini, grated
1 c. Greek Yogurt
1/2 cube of unsaltedbutter (1/2 cup)
1 cup Parmigiano or Pecorino-Romano (and more for serving)
freshly grated nutmeg

While pasta is cooking, melt butter In a large skillet. Remove from heat. Stir in yogurt and cheese, salt and pepper to taste. One minute before pasta is done, through grated zucchini in with the pasta. In a minute, drain pasta and zucchini together. Toss with yogurt mixture. I added lemon zest from 2 lemons to the yogurt-cheese mixture. In another pan, I sauteed some shrimp in butter, and tossed those in before serving.

It was a BIG hit!

My apologies to those of you who were looking for new posts, or trying to leave a comment. This blog's host, Slow Travel, moved it's server this week. We couldn't blog for a couple of days, and it lost a few of my previously published comments somewhere in cyberspace. I did NOT delete anything.

We had a delicious dinner Wednesday evening with another Slow Travel friend's recipe. Judith, who lives in Umbria, teaches cooking classes, and often shares her wonderful recipes. This one is Cotellette alla Crema di Limone. I used turkey cutlets for the recipe, and we had broccolini and orzo with it. Delicious! Check out her blog, Think On It.

This recipe is ambitious. If you have never made it before, you will have to get over two fears:
1. Fear of fillo dough (or phyllo)
2. Fear of using LOTS of butter

These are crispy fillo dough triangles filled with whatever filling you like. You can make spinach and goat cheese, mushroom-sausage, crab, or anything you like!
I used this, which is very similar to my "Pizza Rustica" recipe:
This was enough for TWO boxes of fillo dough, and made 168 panzarotti to freeze

2 c. ricotta
4 eggs
3/4 c. grated Romano cheese
8 oz. chopped prosciutto
8 oz. chopped salami
1 lb. grated mozarella
salt and pepper to taste

1 lb. butter (yes, I said POUND!)
2 boxes frozen fillo dough

Thaw fillo dough overnight in the fridge (works best), or two hours on the counter. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl for the filling.

There will be 2 rolls of fillo sheets in a box. Only open one at a time. Unroll one package (leave the other in the fridge until you are ready for it). Cover sheets with wax paper, and then a wrung out wet dishtowel. Melt a cube of butter, and use a silicone pastry brush. I make mine on a plastic pastry mat. Take one sheet of dough and lay the rectangle horizontally. Brush with butter. Lay a second sheet on top. Brush with butter. (about 2 dips with the pastry brush per sheet...not too much, or they will be greasy).Cut horizontally into four strips (the long way). Put a small amount of filling at the end of each strip of dough, and fold into triangles, like a flag. (I make my little globs of filling triangle shaped, so they fold easily, and fill the whole little panzarotti, which will come out flatter, with filling to the corners.) Place these on a disposable cookie sheet.

Repeat, keeping fillo sheets covered, and butter hot. If a sheet rips, or sticks, don't worry. The fillo is very forgiving. "Glue" the broken one on top or patch with the butter. If sheets crack, you don't have them covered. If them stick, or get too moist, take the damp towel off for a few minutes.

Cover with foil, and freeze filled cookie sheets. Thaw for an hour, and bake at 350 for about 10-12 minutes, until golden and crisp.

I made Brad an early Anniversary dinner on Friday night. We both love rack of lamb, and I have cooked many over the years. This was the BEST I ever made, and the recipe came from September's Bon Appetit. It is Gordon Ramsey's (Hell's Kitchen's screamer) Cheese and Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb. His recipe is for three racks, so I will post the amounts I used for one:

3/4 c. fresh breadcrumbs made from sourdough bread
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 T. chopped fresh thyme
2 T. chopped fresh mint (I used 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary instead because I like it!)

One 1 3/4 to 2 lb. rack of lamb with most of the fat trimmed off
1-2 T. prepared English mustard (I used Dijohn)

Toss first 5 ingredients in a food processor until finely chopped and mixed together. (I added sea salt and freshly ground pepper.) Toss with 1/2 T. olive oil.

Preheat oven to 425.

Score lamb: Using a sharp knife, cut diagonal cuts on fat side of lamb rack, spacing about an inch apart. Make cuts in opposite direction, forming a diamond pattern. Heat 1 T. of olice oil in skillet, over high heat. Salt and pepper lamb, and place, scored meat side down into oil. Cook until golden (about 5 minutes). Let cool until you can safely touch meat.

Rub mustard over meat, and on sides. Coat with crumb-herb mixture, pressing to adhere. Place in a foil-lined baking pan, and cook at 425 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes for medium-rare, or until meat thermometer registers 135 for medium-rare. (Can be done up to 6 hrs. ahead and chilled.) Let cooked roast stand 5 minutes, then cut into chops and serve.

We had ours with a dab of mint pesto, smashed red potatoes, and steamed artichokes with garlic aioli.

Sunday was our "real" anniversary (7 years), and relentless taskmaster that I am, I kept Brad in the kitchen all morning! He had made pasta dough on Saturday, while I zested lemons, grated 6 bricks of gruyere, and made lemon-artichoke pesto/ricotta filling by the bucket! Sunday, I made a GALLON of bechemel, and we were ready to assembly line lasagna! Brad rolled sheets of fresh pasta, while I layered ingredients across the kitchen island. We were done by 12:30, where he got a break to watch Tiger win another golf tournament. The lasagnas are "happily napping" in the freezer until October's GTG.

After an afternoon nap, we headed to Aqua Caliente, our favorite local casino for a couple hours of 25 cent video poker. We do this 2-3 times a year, and I was feeling lucky! I must interject a story of our last "lucky casino day". It was Easter Sunday, 2004, and after a nice bruch out, we decided to have a stop at the casino. I was "feeling lucky" that day too. I asked Brad during brunch if he wanted to share winnings. I suggested, "I'll give you half if I win, and you give me half if you win." He said, "Nah...how about 25%?" I agreed. It was with some glee, that I handed him $500 an hour later, when I hit a Royal Flush, saying only, "You could have had $1000!"

Sunday, after 20 minutes of play, Brad walked up to me and handed me several bills. He was back an hour later with five more hundreds and a big grin. He got his first Royal Flush... in HEARTS, and shared HALF! Oh what fun!

I just HAD to share this video with my gelato-loving friends. Enjoy!

Some of my friends have asked me, "How do you cook for 48 (or more) people for dinner without getting stressed out? "

I PLAN! Some might say I obsess. I make lots of lists, spread out the tasks, start early, and do some recipes that can me made weeks ahead and frozen.

I thought I'd share some of my "tricks" that help me plan and execute a party, so I can relax and have a good time too! Last year, I had time for a nap before the party!

My first task was really to set the date, and create a "doable" menu. By doable, I mean are there dishes I can make ahead? What is last minute? Will I have fridge/freezer space? Enough for vegetarians to choose from? Some new dishes, and and "tried and true". What worked last year?

So here is what I came up with: *** I reserve the right to change something at the last minute if I can't find an ingredient, or can't fit one more thing in the fridges (my only fear).

Antipasti:

Panzarotti (filled phyllo dough triangles)
Baked Brie with fig jam
Prosciutto-salami platter
Cheese tray/pecorino with Italian honey
Mozzarella/tomato/basil skewers
Hot Crab dip
Antipasti of marinated/grilled veggies
Assorted flatbreads, crackers, crostini

David's Fabulous Caesar Salad

Artichoke-lemon lasagna
Gorgonzola-pear ravioli

Pancetta-wrapped pork roasts with fig-port reduction sauce (requested re-run)
Lamb meatballs with mint pesto
Grilled asparagus
Baked Cippolini with apricots, chestnuts, and cognac
Palma's Stuffed mushrooms

Dessert:

Black and White Cake
Butterscotch cake
Panna cotta with toppings
Chocolate dipped Caramels with sea salt

This menu gives me 18 dishes to make (in quantity), BUT, 9 of them are do ahead, and only 6 (mostly easy appetizes to put on trays) need to be done the DAY OF the party. I also have great cooks as houseguests, that have offered to keep me in coffee or wine on Friday.

So I've done a week-by-week countdown:

7 weeks before:
Decide menu
Start emptying freezer
Call and book 2 kitchen helpers for the day of the event (Robin and Nina were FABULOUS last year, and asked to come back anytime for the Slow Trav people!) THIS is money well-spent! They come early, and I have everything written out for them. "At 7:30 put meatballs in top oven at 350 for ___ minutes..." All platters, etc. are marked with what food goes on it. They clean up as they go. They stay til dessert is out, and they have run several loads of dishes. This year that will be REALLY important, as we'll have 48 chargers, dinner plates, pasta plates, and salad plates! The only time I even need to go into the kitchen is to boil the ravioli, and tell them when we want to serve dessert! I get to enjoy!

6 weeks before:
Rent tables, chairs, tablecloths
Decide on dishes for each table (we're using mine)
Decide on centerpieces for each table (from stuff I have)
FInd napkin rings, napkins, salt & pepper, water glasses for each table (from my stash)
Make and freeze lamb meatballs and mint pesto
Make panzarrotti and freeze
**Check on serving platters/bowls/utensils for each dish

** I have typed menu into computer. I copy it, and in colored ink, type what platter each dish will need. Then I copy it AGAIN and write WHEN I can make it, marking those to do far ahead and freeze in one color, Thursday before the party in another color, Friday another color, etc.

5 weeks before:
Make and freeze 3 pans of artichoke-lemon pesto lasagna
Make caramels
Order special treat wine
Clean my pantry (optional, but it needed it!)
Make MORE room in freezer!
Think about entertainment...DUH

4 weeks before: (WHOA...that's THIS week!)
Dip caramels in dark chocolate and sea salt
Buy paper plates/napkins for appetizers & dessert
iron napkins
make dozens of pear-gorgonzola ravioli and freeze

I'll keep this current the next four weeks!

I'm taking a brief break today from my usual blog topics of food, travel, and Italy. I thought I'd share the strange thoughts that struck me yesterday at an odd moment.

Brad and I were running typical Saturday morning errands. On our way to Costco, we stopped at the cleaners for the usual weekly drop-off and pick-up. I waited in the car while Brad went in to the cleaners.

I noticed lots of pigeons on the roof of the building. Actually, there were 57 of them. I was bored, so I counted them. In this moment of observing nature, I noticed a couple of things. The pigeons seemed to be clustered in groups, and some in pairs. They shared the rooftop space. Most of the pigeons were some shade of grey, some with more, or less, black or white feathers. Some were light, some were dark. There was one RED pigeon. Its feathers were the color of a carrot red-headed child with freckles. It stood alone the whole time. Pigeons came and went, flew off, and others joined the group. But no pigeon EVER came near the red one. For some reason, that made me sad. Was he/she lonely? Sick? Did it have a "personality disorder"? Was it ostricized because it was different? Was I just projecting human feelings on these birds? Before I could decide, an interesting thing happened.

ALL 57 pigeons began flapping, and flew off! They scattered in every direction. Then I saw the huge hawk. One of the white pigeons had flown south, and the hawk followed it. In seconds, 56 pigeons returned safely (no, I didn't count them again), but all stood alertly on the peak of the roof, watching toward the south. The red-head was back, and stood off by him/herself, also looking toward the south. They stood like that for a couple of minutes, and then a few went back to their naps, while the majority "stood guard".

By then Brad had returned with our clothes, but I asked him to wait. After another minute or so, I saw the hawk circling back from the north, but all the pigeons were still looking south! The hawk flew past the roof, high above it, on his way to wherever hawks go, as the pigeons continued to face south. The red-head was still alone.

As we drove away, I shared with Brad what I had seen, as well as my thoughts about how it reminded me of a metaphor for our country's "War on Terrorism". We all take our shoes off at the airport, and are not allowed water bottles before passing through security. Maybe we should also look around in other directions?

Anyone know a red-headed pigeon who is looking for a meaningful relationship?

Nonstick foil

1 cup butter (no substitutions)

2 1/2 cups packed brown sugar 

1 cup light-colored corn syrup 

One 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp. vanilla
Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with nonstick foil or buttered foil, allowing edges to hang over sides of pan; set aside.
In a large microwave-safe bowl combine butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and condensed milk; cover loosely with parchment paper. Microwave on 100% power
(high) for 4 or 5 minutes* or until butter starts to melt. Whisk to combine mixture. Microwave on high for 4 or 5 minutes* more. Whisk well. Microwave an additional 4 or 5 minutes*. Whisk gently. Add vanilla. (Note: Bowl may get hot as mixture cooks; use hot pads to handle.)
Pour caramel mixture into the prepared pan. Chill for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until just firm. Using foil, lift block of caramel from the pan. Use a buttered knife to cut into 1-inch squares.

*I used a 9x13 pan to get smaller caramels to dip in dark chocolate. After dipping, I sprinkled a little sea salt on top of the chocolate.

One batch of caramels cut into "petite" squares made over 200! I found it easier to work with the caramel "slab" when I kept it in the freezer. I'd cut a strip, cut into squares, dip about 20 caramels in chocolate, put them in the freezer to firm up, then put them in candy papers, and repeat.

I hosted this month's Book Club Lunch. We read One Thousand Splendid Suns, by Kahled Hosseini. It was an excellent, but very sad story about women and family relationships in Afghanistan during the past thirty years of political struggles.

I served two appetizers while we were chatting and discussing the book: hot spinach-artichoke dip, and a cheese spread with pears. For lunch, we moved to the dining room and began with a little cup of thick broccoli soup. Oh how I love to set a table with a new set of dishes! Here are the "Zucca" plates from Montefalco.

Next we had a spinach salad with peaches, carmalized onions, pancetta, and pomegranites with a pomegranite vinegarette. This was a slight varieation of Jen's salad at the Vancouver GTG. It was a HUGE hit (and pretty too).

Our entree was a ramekin of "Cheese Monger's Mac 'n Cheese from September's Bon Appetit.None of us were able to put a dent in our entree, so everyone took their's home. I had two last minute cancellations, so a couple husbands (not mine) got the extras for their dinner.

Finally, for dessert, I experimented with Diva's Tiramisu Brownies. Brad was happy with the results!

Three Weeks Before:
Plant fall flowers in my hanging baskets
Make grocery lists for week of party
Buy candles for pool area
Get large chafing dishes down from the garage (Brad)
Pick up "special wine treat"

It's an easy week. We did all this over the weekend except the grocery list. Brad even polished my copper pots. I'm going to keep working on my GTG scrapbook, and lay low this week! There is nothing else I can cook ahead...unless...hmmmmm maybe I'll find that recipe...

Oh how I love to cook for friends who like to eat!

Here are the flash frozen ravioli before I bagged them in zip-locks (each bag will be enough for a bowl for each of the six tables).