Passover without Matzah

There is a matzah shortage in Berkeley. This seems true every year: we run around frantically to 6 stores on the day of the first seder looking for the lone remaining box. However, this year I think it's worse, and as a result, I have no matzah. My big plans to post Mina (an amazing meat pie with a matzah crust), matzah pasta (sounds weird but is quite delicious), and other matza-related passover goodies must wait. I still have to eat though, so here's a quick breakfast recipe.

(Excuse the photos-- my camera ran out of batteries and I didn't want my breakfast to get cold so I used a cell phone camera)

You'll need:

1 medium-large Yukon gold potato
1-2 fried eggs
grated cheese


I'm using Elise's fantastic recipe for hash browns as the base for this. Grate your potato and squeeze out all the moisture using a potato ricer. If you don't have a potato ricer, get one. I'm not a fan of extraneous kitchen tools-- I'd be happy with my cast iron skillet and wooden spatula-- but the potato ricer seems to come in handy. Anyways, squeeze out the moisture while you heat some olive oil in a non-stick or cast iron pan. Spread out the potato on the hot oil so that you have a very thin layer (Elise says 1/2 inch; I prefer even thinner). Top with salt & pepper. Cook over medium heat until it begins to brown, then flip the whole thing over by edging a flat spatula underneath. Cook on the other side until brown, 2-3 minutes.

Top with grated cheese (or cheese curds, which melt beautifully) and fried eggs.

Barley Salad

leftover pearl barley; arugula; blood oranges;
walnuts; feta; pickled red onion; parsley;
lemon-olive oil dressing

Steelhead Trout, Roasted Broccoli, and Barley

I haven't been in a blogging mood lately, but here's a pretty picture to hold you over.

Dressing Up Pasta Leftovers

One easy, quick way to make last night's pasta a little more interesting is to add a poached egg. When you break the yolk, it oozes deliciousness and coats the pasta. This works well for a pasta that doesn't have much sauce (tomato or cream) to begin with.

Another nice pasta trick that works well with a cut like spaghetti is to make a pasta frittata: just mix in a few eggs and bake until set, then cut into wedges. This makes a good lunch (served with a salad) or first course (served alone).

Springtime Pasta

This is a springier version of the classic (or not-so-classic) orecchiette with sausage & broccoli rabe. Here we used a mix of cooking greens, goat cheese, and walnuts to brighten up the dish.

You'll need:
4 large handfuls cooking greens, cleaned & trimmed (kale, chard, collard, mustard, etc)
1 lb spicy Italian bulk sausage
1 shallots, sliced
2-3 spring garlic, sliced
1/2c dry red wine
1T red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1 lemon
1/2c walnuts, toasted
1 box campanelle pasta (my new favorite!)

Boil water for pasta.

Heat olive oil. Saute shallots and garlic, stirring to make sure they don't burn, for about 4 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and saute 2 minutes.

Put pasta on to cook.

Add sausage, breaking it up into very tiny pieces with a wooden spatula. Let a lot of the fat burn off and the sausage brown slightly. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste.

Deglaze with red wine; cook until wine is absorbed.

Add greens, tearing them into small pieces as you add them. Cook until wilted.

Add just-undercooked pasta with some of its cooking water (about 1/2c) to the sausage & greens. Stir to combine.

Zest lemon onto pasta; stir. The water should be cooked away; taste and add more water if too dry.

Add goat cheese; mix (or serve dotted with goat cheese). Top with crumbled walnuts to serve.

Grilled Tofu with Spring Garlic

This is a light and tasty meal that can be modified depending on what kind of flavor you're looking for. I ate this over bulgur wheat; you can also serve it over a salad with grapefruit and arugula, for example.

You'll need:

firm tofu, cut into 1/4" slices
2T dark soy
2T pomegranate molasses
1 large spring garlic, sliced thinly
1/4c peanuts, slightly crushed

Mix the soy sauce, molasses, and garlic in a bowl. Add the sliced tofu and marinate 15 minutes. Heat a griddle pan or cast iron skillet and lay the drained tofu slices on pan in one layer; top with garlic slices. Cook about 2 minutes, until bottom is crispy; flip, letting the garlic hit the pan to cook briefly. Transfer to bowl, sprinkle with crushed peanuts, and serve.

Ginger Soy Salmon with Rice & Eggplant

This is incredibly easy and uses a minimal number of ingredients. The salmon and eggplant use the same marinade, which is then reduced into a thick and flavorful sauce. Katie & I make a great cooking team.

You'll need:

2 thick, center-cut fillets of salmon
1/2c soy sauce
1/4c minced ginger
5 cloves garlic, minced
2T chili sauce or sriracha (optional)

1 eggplant
1c jasmine rice

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Mix soy sauce with ginger, garlic, and sriracha.

Remove pin-bones from salmon using tweezers. Place salmon in ginger sauce.

Slice (unpeeled) eggplant into 1/4-1/2" rounds. Spoon some sauce onto every slice and place in a baking sheet (it's ok if they overlap a little). Put in hot oven.

Put rice on to cook.

When rice is almost ready, place a baking sheet in the oven. When it's hot, take it out and place the salmon on it, skin side down. Be sure to get most of the ginger pieces off the salmon so they don't burn.

Turn the oven down to 275 degrees. Put salmon in. If the eggplant isn't done cooking, you can cover the pan with aluminum foil to help it cook faster (we had to do this).

The salmon should be ready in about 10 minutes, depending on how you like yours cooked. We think it's best rare.

Crispy Za'atar Lingcod with Roasted Pepper Caper Aioli

This can be made without the za'atar, a spice I brought back from Israel but that is readily available at Middle Eastern markets. You can make this an even quicker recipe by using store bought mayo instead of making the aioli base from scratch.

You'll need:

for the fish
1 fillet of lingcod per person (red snapper would be a good substitute)
1/4c panko (Japanese bread crumbs-- you can substitute with normal bread crumbs if you want; crushed cornflakes would better approximate panko's crunchy flakiness)
1t za'atar
1 egg
grapeseed or veggie oil for sauteing

for the aioli
1 egg
1/4c vegetable oil (do NOT use extra virgin olive oil-- it can turn a good aioli bitter!)
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt
1 roasted red pepper (you can roast it & clean it yourself, or buy the jarred kind)
1T capers + 1T crushed capers (crush them with your fingers)

Make the aioli first (it can be made a few days in advance). In a small food processor, beat egg with garlic & salt; slowly add oil while the processor is running so that the mixture emulsifies. Taste and adjust with more salt or garlic. (If you're using store bought mayo, just add crushed garlic and a little salt.) Add pepper and process until smooth. Transfer to bowl; stir in whole & crushed capers. Taste and adjust seasoning.

For the fish: Heat 1T oil in a nonstick or cast iron frying pan. Beat 1 egg in a shallow dish. Mix panko with za'atar in another dish. Salt and pepper fish fillet; dip in egg, then in panko. Press panko on so it sticks. Transfer coated fish directly into pan of hot oil. Saute until golden, then flip, about 3 minutes/side.

I served this with a farro pilaf. Farro is a very exciting wheat berry kind of grain with an earthy flavor and a very nice bite. You cook it like pasta in lots of boiling water, then saute it in oil or butter for some flavor. I sauteed 1 chopped onion, 1c mixed chopped mushrooms (crimini & shittake), 3 cloves pressed garlic, and 1t red pepper flakes, for about 10 minutes, then added the cooked farro. It was delicious.

Orange Roughy, Walnut & Broccoli Salad

This is like the last fish salad; the main difference is, here, we used roasted broccoli instead of sweet potatoes. The overall flavor is earthier and nuttier.

You'll need:

mixed greens
2 fillets of fish (any firm white fish works)
spices (we used cayenne, paprika, marjoram & oregano)
walnut halves, toasted
broccoli, roasted (we used this kind of amazing baby broccoli that was at the farmers' market last week)
apple, cored, quartered and sliced
1/4c grated gruyere
vinaigrette

As you can see by the ingredient list above, this is a salad based on stuff you have lying around. First, roast the broccoli (toss with olive oil and salt and stick in a 400 degree oven). Toast the walnuts in a dry pan on the stove, over medium heat, while the broccoli is roasting. Watch the walnuts carefully so they don't burn, and when they're done, take them out of the pan. When the broccoli's done, toss it with the grated gruyere while still hot.

Turn the broiler on. Rub fish with spices and place under broiler, about 5 min/side.

Mix broccoli, walnuts, apple and greens with vinaigrette. Top with fish. Serve.


This wine was really good-- it had a rich chocolaty flavor that matched the earthiness of the salad, and was even good after the meal was done.

Spicy Beer and Kale Stew

Like a Belgian (actually, Flemish) Carbonnade, this stew uses dark ale (Newcastle Brown); the similarity ends there. It also has leeks, hot chili peppers, and kale, which make for a complex and tasty combination. You can make the sauce thicker, but I wanted a soupier, classic stew-like texture. I've given instructions for both ways below.


You'll need:

3.5 lbs beef chuck, trimmed & cut into 1" chunks
1 onion, sliced
1 large leek, quartered lengthwise & cut into 1/2" pieces
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 large rib celery, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed and sliced
1T tomato paste
about 4 dried chili peppers (I used 2 chipotle, 2 other)
1 12oz bottle Newcastle, or other dark ale or stout
4c broth (I used the tongue broth I froze when I made the offal dinner)
3T flour
1 bunch kale, leaves removed and stems discarded
chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Pass chilies over gas flame until slightly blackened. Submerge in boiling water; cover.

Salt and pepper beef chunks and brown well in hot grapeseed oil, in batches. Set aside browned meat.

Lower heat. Add onion, leek, carrot, celery, garlic, tomato paste, salt & pepper. Stir, scraping brown bits at bottom of pot. Cook about 15 minutes.

In the meantime, remove chilies from water. Slice open to remove seeds. Chop roughly and add to cooking veggies.

Add flour to veggies and stir well, 2 minutes. Add beer. Scrape to remove flour stuck to bottom of pan. Scrape and stir until the pan is clean.

Add broth and bring to a boil. Add meat and accumulated juices. Cover and place in oven. Cook until meat is fork-tender, about 2 hours.

At this point, it's best to let the stew sit overnight for the flavors to develop, but you don't have to. If you do, reheat it in a 300 degree oven about 30 minutes before serving.

For a thicker stew, remove the meat and puree the liquid and veggies with an immersion blender. You can then reduce the pureed liquid to achieve your desired consistency. I normally do this, but for this stew, I wanted a more classic, brothy feel.

About 10 minutes before serving, add kale and stir to combine. Cook until kale is tender. Taste and adjust seasonings (salt & pepper). Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with spicy cornbread, brown rice, or egg noodles.

Spicy Cornbread

We used Bob's Red Mill Cornbread mix
and added 1 chopped habanero & 2 chopped jalapeños to the batter.

2005 La Cabotte Cotes du Rhone

Slide Ranch

fresh chicken eggs
(yes, some are green!)

homemade butter, honeycomb, and cornbread

Fennel, Leek and Sausage Pasta

This is pretty quick to put together once you've gotten everything chopped & sliced. The French mise en place is one of my favorite cooking concepts-- get everything ready in those cute little prep bowls (except I don't really have any, so I make piles or use mugs), and then you're not pounding garlic at the last minute while the oils overheats.

You'll need (serves 4-6):

1 1/2 lbs pasta-- we used orecchiette (ear-shaped) and campanelle (bellflower-shaped)
1 large (28oz) can peeled tomatoes & their juices
3T tomato paste
1c half & half
1 very large leek (or 2 smaller ones)
5 shallots (or 1 onion)
6 cloves garlic
2 large bulbs fennel (2 lbs)
1/2c sun dried tomatoes
5 uncooked sausage links (about 1.3 lbs)
1c grated parmesan, and more for serving
2T fresh marjoram, chopped, plus some for serving
1T cumin
1t red pepper flakes
2t dried oregano
1/2t cayenne
1t fennel seeds, toasted

Boil salted water for the pasta.

Clean your leeks by slicing them through the root, lengthwise, almost to the dark green top. Then turn and slice again, so the leek is split into quarters but held together at the top. Wash well and shake dry. Slice off root and discard; then slice thinly. Stop at the dry dark green tops.

Slice shallots or onions and fennel. You don't need to remove the fennel core-- just slice very thin.

Saute everything in 1T butter + 2T olive oil, salt & pepper, until brown and caramelized.

In the meantime, slice garlic & sun dried tomatoes. Add them to the pan when ready, with all the dried herbs & spices. Saute until fragrant (about 3 minutes), then push everything to the sides of the pan and add the tomato paste to the middle. Let brown a bit (2 minutes), then stir together.

Push to the sides again. Squeeze the sausage out of its casing into the middle of the pan (if you're using a low-fat sausage like turkey or chicken, add some oil first). Add marjoram and more cumin if you want. Saute, breaking up sausage, until brown. Stir together.

This would be a good time to put the pasta on.

Add tomatoes in their juices and break them up with the back of a wooden spoon. Stir to combine everything and cook until liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Then add half-and-half (or cream!) and stir together; simmer until cream thickens and the whole thing starts looking like a sauce. Then add grated parmesan, stirring to combine.

Mix pasta with sauce; add a sprinkle of marjoram for color, and serve with more parmesan.

Chicken & Veal Burgers

This was a surprisingly delicious combination of meat-- lean ground chicken breast and tasty ground veal. Jesse smothered his (above) in bacon & cheese, and stuffed the sandwich with avocado and hot sauce. I made mine (below) like last month's stuffed turkey burgers, but stuffed them with cheese (firecracker cheddar) and jalapeno slices, which I also put on top.


Into the 1/2lb chicken & 1/2lb veal went minced shallots, jalapeno, and garlic.


We ate these with simple baked sweet potato fries:


and a seriously good version of a basic cabbage salad. The secret ingredient...

kumquats!

Lamb and Kale Quesadilla

Ok, I know it sounds weird, but believe me, this was really tasty, and sooo easy. I had some frozen ground lamb in the freezer and didn't even wait for it to defrost; it just thawed as it cooked in the pan.

You'll need:

2 tortillas
1/4 lb ground lamb
1/4 bunch kale (I used about 7 leafy stems)
2 shallots, sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1t cumin
1/2t cayenne
grated cheese (I used firecracker cheddar on one side, sharp cheddar on the other)
a little chopped red onion for garnish
a small handful of parsley, chopped

Saute shallots in a little oil; when the shallots turn translucent, add lamb, salt, pepper, cumin and cayenne. When lamb browns, add garlic, kale, and a little liquid-- wine, broth, water, whatever you have. Cover and cook until kale wilts. Stir in chopped parsley

Pass tortillas over gas flame to brown (or stick them in a hot oven). Cover with grated cheese and place, cheese side up, under the broiler for 30 seconds to melt cheese.

Spread lamb on one tortilla; sprinkle with red onion; place other tortilla on top, cheese side down. Serve with salsa or even a yogurt sauce.

Grilled Garlic Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with Pomegranate Spice Gravy and Wild Rice Pilaf

Jesse attacked his plate before I could get a good picture in. There are a lot of recipes on this post, so bear with me. The Pomegranate Spice Gravy is a delicious, and potentially vegetarian, sauce that can be drizzled over anything-- fish, chicken, rice-- to add flavor and sticky goodness. This time I went for pomegranate juice instead of molasses to cut down on the sweetness a bit. But first: the pork tenderloin.

Grilled Garlic Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

This is so quick and easy, and uses minimal ingredients. You'll need:

1 pork tenderloin, silverskin & any fat removed with a sharp knife
1T chopped fresh rosemary
3 garlic cloves, cut lengthwise into slivers
1t good olive oil

Rub the tenderloin with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Make little slits with a sharp knife and insert garlic slivers (make sure they're fully inserted or they'll fall out while cooking). Now, if you happen to have an electric grill with an aroma diffuser (hey, I do), put your rosemary in the diffuser with 1/2c water. If not, rub the rosemary all over the pork. Put the pork on a very hot grill or barbecue and cook 8-10 min/side, until a thermometer reads 140 degrees. Remove from heat and let sit as long as you can stand (ideally 10 minutes) before slicing, against the grain, into 1/4-1/2 inch slices.

Wild Rice Pilaf

This is Jesse's mom's recipe, and it's delicious. We used a wild rice combo (it's cheaper and more colorful!). And, by the way, wild rice is not rice, but aquatic grass.

You'll need:

1c wild rice
2c beef broth (or chicken or veggie broth)
1 large shallot, minced
6 cremini mushrooms, minced
1 medium red onion, minced
2 stalks celery, minced
2T butter

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute all veggies together for about 7 minutes, until mushrooms give off their liquid. Add rice and saute to coat grains; add broth, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer until tender and liquid is absorbed, about 1 hour. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, 10 minutes. Fluff and serve.

Pomegranate Spice Gravy

topped with marrow-- see below

The word "gravy" here might be a bit misleading-- this sauce is more syrupy in consistency. It's based on this recipe.

You'll need:

4 veal bones, optional
1 large onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
6 garlic cloves, smashed & roughly chopped
1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and cut into disks
2 star anise
1 stick cinnamon
2t black peppercorns
2c red wine
2c unsweetened pomegranate juice
1/2c *low sodium* soy sauce
2t fish sauce
2t hoisin sauce
1T dark brown sugar
1T Wondra flour (or 1t cornstarch dissolved in 1t warm water)

First step, optional: Wash, dry, and salt the bones. Brown them in a dutch oven in very hot grapeseed oil. Remove & set aside. Lower heat to medium.

In the same oil, add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and a pinch of salt. Saute 15-20 minutes. Add ginger, star anise, cinnamon and peppercorns. Return bones to pot if using. Add all liquids (wine, pomegranate juice, soy sauce, fish sauce and hoisin). Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Check for sweetness; add 1T brown sugar if necessary. Keep cooking, covered, as long as you want.

this is what you take out
notice the tasty marrow in the bones...

About 15 minutes before serving, remove bones, anise and cinnamon. Run mixture through a food mill (or just strain through a fine mesh strainer) and return to pot. Sprinkle in Wondra flour, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil and cook until it's as thick as you want it, probably about 3 minutes.

Roasted Brocccoli

to interested parties:
we drank a delicious 2004 Poppy Pinot

This is the easiest, and tastiest, way to cook broccoli. You can also do this with cauliflower. Just cut into florets, toss with olive oil and coarse salt, and roast at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. We made this the other day and had to make another batch because we ate it before sitting down to dinner-- it's that good.

Frittata Sandwich

I am back from short my blogging break with a quick snapshot of what I've been eating this week: leftovers, like the frittata sandwich above, made from fromage fort, spread on each side of baguette and broiled, a piece of leftover frittata, lettuce & tomatoes. Here's the frittata recipe, from a few months ago. To this one, I added parsley & red onions. Green onions would be even better.

Katie, Karen & I also made a very delicious dinner of olive & lemon stuffed chicken breasts coated in a honey truffle mustard & panko crust, baked in a mushroom onion ragout, with toasted almond, lemon, and black pepper orzo. But the pictures got stuck on Katie's camera. Oh well.

Fromage Fort

As my 100th blog post (!!), this is dedicated to what I am proud to call my favorite food: CHEESE. From Camembert to Montagnolo, La Pyramide to Gruyere, Brillat Savarin, Feta, Bucheron, Sharp Cheddar, Brie de Meaux, Parmesan, Raclette, Epoisses, Fougerus, Reblochon-- you get the idea: I love cheese. The Cheeseboard (conveniently located four blocks from my apartment) is my favorite store. Even the Fromageries in Paris can't compete with the Cheeseboard's selection and generosity (I am slightly ashamed to admit how long I stand there, tasting cheese, each time I go in). I always end up with quite a variety in my fridge, and I am usually loath to eat the last of any particularly delicious cheesy morsel. Apparently, other people feel the same way; thus, the birth of Fromage Fort, essentially a puree of your leftover cheese bits, magically reconstituted into a tasty spread that is divine spread on bread and stuck under the broiler until bubbly and brown. This is the closest to eating "processed" cheese I have, and will, ever come.

I use Jacques Pepin's recipe-- appropriate to this "homage" post, since he is my favorite recipe writer of all time.

You'll need:

about 1/2 lb cheese bits
1 clove garlic
1/4c dry white wine (I use vermouth)
lots of black pepper

Throw it all into the food processor and process until smooth. Taste and add salt if necessary (if you used strong enough cheese, you shouldn't need salt). Your mixture should look like this:


You can keep this in a container in the fridge for weeks. As I said, it's really good on toast, either plain or broiled. You can also top it with olives. Yum.

Also, as this is my 100th post, and I never thought I'd make it this far, I want to thank my readers (I know there are at least 7 of you), and say that even though this was never supposed to be a public blog, it's been wonderful to get your comments and feedback, and even to work on the quality of my photos (though this post's pictures are distinctly monochrome and unappetizing). Thanks for reading!

Chicken in Smoky Pomegranate Sauce

This sauce is insanely delicious-- spicy and smoky from the chipotles, and tangy and sweet from the pomegranate molasses. Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients; it's ok to leave some out, and this is really easy once you have everything chopped and the chicken cleaned.

You'll need:

chicken thighs, bone-in (2 per person; I made 6)-- remove the skin & all visible fat
2 thick slices bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 anchovies, chopped
1/2 head garlic, peeled & sliced
2T tomato paste
1T fresh thyme, chopped (or 1t dried)
1t herbes de provence
2 chipotles in adobo, roughly chopped
2T soy sauce
1c red wine
1/2-1c chicken broth
1/3c pomegranate molasses

Prepare all ingredients first (chop, clean, etc).

Put bacon pieces in a cold pan. Turn the heat to low and slowly render the fat. When the pieces are crispy, remove them with a slotted spatula and set aside.

Salt and pepper chicken thighs. Dust well with flour. Turn up heat so bacon fat is hot; add chicken thighs, former skin side down. Brown well; this will take about 7-10 minutes. Turn them and briefly brown the other side. Don't burn the pan; add more oil if you need. Remove browned thighs and set aside.


Turn down heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, anchovies, salt and pepper. Stir until soft and the bottom of the pan is clean, about 10-15 minutes.

Add wine and cook until you can't smell the alcohol anymore. In the meantime, add tomato paste, thyme, herbes de provence, soy sauce, chipotles with their sauce, and return the bacon to the pan. When the alcohol has burned off, add the chicken, former skin side up, and add enough broth to come halfway up the thighs (their tops should not be covered). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook about 45 minutes, until chicken in tender.

Remove chicken and add pomegranate molasses. Stir and reduce if necessary. Return chicken to sauce; serve over quinoa.

Lamb, Eggplant, and Feta Pasticcio; Seared Scallops with Arugula Walnut Pesto & Balsamic Drizzle

Seared Scallops with Arugula Walnut Pesto
& Balsamic Drizzle

Wine: 2005 Domaine Talmard
Macon-Chardonnay

Lamb, Eggplant, and Feta Pasticcio

Wine: 2006 La Vieille Ferme
Cotes du Ventoux

Or: The dinner Suzanne & I made to celebrate our temporary culinary freedom from certain picky eaters.

To make the scallops:

Sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and a little sugar. Heat some oil. Sear them on both sides. Deglaze the pan with balsamic vinegar; stir in a pat of cold butter; drizzle on top of scallops. Serve over arugula walnut pesto-- a puree of arugula, toasted walnuts, 1 small shallot, and olive oil.


To make the pasticcio:

Saute 1 chopped onion & 5 cloves chopped garlic; add 1lb ground lamb and spices (cumin, cayenne, etc). When the lamb's brown, add some red wine and let it cook away. In the meantime, roast an eggplant and then mix the soft eggplant flesh in with the cooked lamb. Make a basic 2-3c bechamel and stir in 1/2 lb feta. Mix the feta bechamel with the lamb & eggplant and 2 beaten eggs, and then mix it all with some slightly undercooked pasta. Pour it into a gratin dish; sprinkle with breadcrumbs & parmesan. Bake at 425 degrees until set and golden & crispy on top.

Mushroom Hunting at Salt Point State Park

mushrooms on my kitchen table

these are the beautiful poisonous ones

poison mushroom bouquet

these are the edibles ones. kinda ugly.

edible mushrooms cleaned & ready to cook

The edible mushrooms are black chanterelles (aka black trumpet mushrooms) and yellow-foot chanterelles. They are delicious sauteed with some butter and shallots and served over polenta, or stirred into a risotto, or sandwiched in the folds of a fluffy French-style omelet. Although we went all the way to Salt Point State Park (1/2 hour north of Jenner) to pick these, they grow all over the East Bay, and we hope to find more soon, closer to home.