Where's the Beef?

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was asked to be a judge of a contest cosponsored by the Junior League of Hampton Roads and Certified Angus Beef Brand, in conjunction with the Michelob Ultra LPGA Open at Kingsmill May 5-11. The Michelob ULTRA Open partners with the Junior League of Hampton Roads to present the "Fairways and Runways" Fashion Show and Luncheon presented by Certified Angus Beef®. A recipe contest that focused on dishes made with Certified Angus Beef was held and the winner's dish was served at the Fashion Show Luncheon.

There were more than 20 entries and they were winnowed down to 5 semifinalists that were prepared for a panel of judges (including me). I took a long lunch from the salt mines (aka nuclear physics lab) and travelled up to the Eagle's Nest Clubhouse at Kingsmill, a treat in itself since it was a sunny day, and the Williamsburg area, and specifically Kingsmill is absolutely gorgeous in the Spring (especially after the 4-5 consecutive days of rain that we have had, greening up the golf courses). Now, I have to admit I am not a big golfer, but I am a big fan of golf courses since they are gorgeous expanses of green grass, sparkling water, and lush woodlands- what's not to like. But the Michelob Ultra Open is really a big deal. Forty-nine of the top 50 women golfers compete in this event, which takes Open organizers a full year to prepare for.

When I arrived, I was met by Jennifer from Certified Angus Beef who introduced me to the other judges, including two members of the Junior League of Hampton Roads (Patty and Rebecca),Nicole Lee, the Sales and Marketing Manager for the Open, the Corporate Executive Chef for Farm Fresh stores Bob Hirasawa and Certified Angus Beef Corporate Chef Scott Popovic. We were given a feedback form for each of the dishes, and one by one they were plated by Chef Scott and brought to us for our opinion. Table conversation centered around, of course food, places and people that the two chefs had cooked with and questions about food blogging and how I got started. In assessing each recipe we looked at how well it showcased the Certified Angus Beef, how easy it was to recreate at home, flavor and originality.

After about an hour and a half of tasting(and great conversation) Jennifer tabulated the results and a winner was chosen. Now you can see and taste for yourself the dishes we judged :

Lisa Moore – Petite Sirloin Tapenade Tapas
Mary Anderson – "Cowboy Up" Round Beef Supper
Samantha Bishop – Colorado Flank Steak
Holly Hage – Beef & Scallion Rolls
Sue Kerr – Teriyaki Steak With a Twist

The winner according to the esteemed panel of judges was Lisa Moore's Petite Sirloin Tapanade Tapas, a delicious tidbit of beef that is great for a cocktail party or a tapas-style meal. Lisa won $50 a month for the next year in Certified Angus Beef for her recipe as well as having her dish served at the Fairways and Runways event(Lisa and CAB Corporate Chef Scott Popovic, pictured right)

While you are at the CAB website check out their file other delicious beef recipes. They even have a feature on grilling, now that it is the season for fire and charcoal! Congratulations to Lisa and all the other finalists, and those of you who are beef fans, start now working on your entry for next year!

Photos courtesy of CAB (Don't those Thai Spring Rolls, upper left look great?)

A Spanish Pantry ...and La Tienda Inspired Tapas

As I browsed the shelves at La Tienda, there were so many delicious and beautiful things to choose from I hardly knew where to start (and that is nothing compared to what you have to choose from on the website!). Since we often have tapas at our house, I wanted to select some items that would allow me to make some of the recipes on the La Tienda website and to recreate the tastes of Spain that Don Harris introduced me to. So I started by asking Don what items you should have in your pantry as a foundation for a good Spanish meal.

Don Harris of La Tienda makes these recommendations:

• Spanish extra virgin olive oil- La Tienda sells several artisan olive oils, and even if you have had fine Italian extra virgin olive oil, you owe it to yourself to give these artisan oils a try. I had sips of two very different oils in Don's shop each with completely different character.

• Sherry vinegar- The very best sherry vinegar comes from Jerez and it has a depth and complexity that adds layers to any dish.

• Chorizo - This is a Spanish sausage. Some of the sausages at La Tienda (like those in the picture of the previous post) are red from the addition of pimenton or smoked Spanish paprika.I bought the little chorizos and they were leaner than any chorizo I have had before. They are great in eggs and cooked with garlic and wine.

• Serrano or Iberico ham- These are both famous Spanish hams and have only recently been imported into the US. These are both served sliced paper thin. Iberico hams are from black acorn-fed pigs giving the meat a unique taste that makes it a prized Spanish delicacy.

• Manchego cheese- A delicious sheep's milk cheese from the La Mancha region of Spain, great in thin slices.

• Pimenton (smoked paprika)-This is one of the ingredients that made the biggest impression on me at La Tienda. Donhad me smell the bittersweet pimenton and it had a depth and richness that made me think of about a hundred ways I could use it. Pimenton comes in sweet, bittersweet and hot.

• Calasparra rice- This is a special Spanish rice used in paella. For a good paella, Don explained,you need a rice that can absorb lots of liquid without disintegrating, and that is where Calasparra rice is unique.

• Olives- We left with a can of olives stuffed with anchovies, neither of which I am crazy about, but Don assured me "These are not the salty hairy nasty anchovies you see on pizza", and when they found their way to our tapas table, they were truly incredible!

• Spanish saffron from La Mancha- I know this is an embarrassing confession, but saffron is not something I have had in my spice cabinet. I learned a lot about this precious spice from Don, and if you can't make the trip to Toano you can benefit from Don's expertise as well.

• Canned bonito tuna-Spanish canned tuna is not chicken of the see and bonito tuna at La Tienda is line caught and packed in oil

Armed with many of these staples I couldn't wait to incorporate then in a tapas meal. I used La Tienda's recipe link to find some new dishes and I did a little experimenting on my own for what was a wonderful tapas menu:

Anchovy-Stuffed Spanish Olives
Green Gazpacho
Shrimp and Chorizo
Artichokes with clams
Magdelena strawberry shortcake

Green Gazpacho- I am posting this as this week's entry to Kalyn's Weekend Herb Blogging hosted by Cate of Sweetnicks

This recipe is adapted from a recipe on the La Tienda index and relies on the complex flavor of the Spanish sherry vinegar. Use watercress as a base and play with what herbs and greens you have in your CSA or farm market and each time the dish will have a different nuance.This a delicious and refreshing salad that you should add to your reperatoire.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

2 bunches of watercress (you can also add or mix other greens such as dandelion, fennel,etc.)

1 bunch of mint (I also added some fresh thyme and sage from my garden,almost any fresh green herb would be good)

1/2 head lettuce shredded

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons Jerez sherry vinegar

Sea salt

Cold water

Preparation:

This gazpacho should be eaten immediately after it is made, so that it is crunchy and refreshing.

Remove the stalks from the herbs, rinse and drain them. Finely chop them and place them in the large bowl. Add shredded lettuce. Add them to the bowl and mix them with the herbs so that you get a uniform mixture of flavors, textures and colors.

Place the garlic and salt in the mortar. Pound them together until you have a smooth paste. Slowly add the oil so that it emulsifies and then the vinegar and a little cold water. When it is clear, continue liquefying for a few more seconds and then pour it over the vegetables and immediately add the remaining cold water. Serve immediately.

This "liquid salad"is reminiscent of the Andalusian countryside, and is a fresh, delicious and light dish that your family and friends will love.You can scatter edible flower petals on top for an even more festive look.

Shrimp and Chorizo

This was a quick and easy invention to showcase these delicious ingredients, and it was a big hit (Eaten before I could get a picture!)

1/2 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 pound chorizo, cut in bite-sized chunks
5 cloves garlic,chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon sweet pimenton
1 tbsp olive oil

Cut each shrimp in two. Saute garlic in olive oil, add chorizo. Saute for about 5-8 minutes. Add white wine and sprinkle pimenton on top and stir together until wine is reduced by half. Stir in shrimp, and cook until it just turns pink. Salt to taste and serve with crusty bread.

Magdalena Strawberry Shortcake

Angel food cake and biscuit-based shortcake, move over! The spongecake magdalenas provide the perfect base for the seasons freshest berries soaking up the juices.

For each serving cut a magdalenas in half. Cover with fresh sliced strawberries that have been tossed with just a touch of sugar and cold water and bruise the berries to release the juice. Top with whipped cream, and enjoy!

A Trip to Sunny Spain...via Williamsburg VA

When you think of cured Spanish olives, or sun-dried saffron, or thin-sliced Iberico ham,Toana, Virginia wouldn't normally spring to mind, but the truth is, it should. Nestled a mere twenty minute drive from me is little bit of Spanish heaven in the form of La Tienda, Don Harris and his family's living tribute to the flavors of Spain. Prompted by a post from fellow Virginia blogger Veronica of Veronica's Test Kitchen, I discovered that this internet purveyor of the very best Spain has to offer was in my own backyard, and I was immediately intrigued. If you have been reading my blog, you know that at our house Wednesday night is tapas night, a Spanish tradition of eating"little dishes" and so having the very best of Spain available was very exciting. My visit there was so enlightening and interesting that it fueled an article in the Taste section of our local paper the Daily Press, and I will be posting multiple entries here to capture it all for you.

I started by checking out the La Tienda website where I began to see not only the wonderful foods and other products that Don Harris imports from small farmers and producers across Spain but the love and respect that Harris and his family began cultivating from the time he was a Navy chaplain and was stationed there. By the time I had read some of the articles on the site, his product guides (which are an incredible resource) and Don's Reflections, I wanted to make a trip to the La Tienda retail store as much to meet him as to see and experience the tastes and sights and smells Spain here in Virginia.

I called ahead and made an appointment so that I could talk to Don and learn the story behind the foods he imports, how he became enthralled with Spain, and how he ended up locating his business in Toano. And of course, I was anxious to check out the products that I saw online. As I was ushered into La Tienda's corporate offices, I was impressed right away. I had to sign in and be issued an ID badge since they have very stringent rules for monitoring anyone who might come in contact with the food they import. Don explained that this was important to comply with Homeland Security regulations and ensure standards of safety for all the products they sell. I am not sure what impressed me most about Don Harris, his warmth and congeniality or his skill as a story-teller. This is clearly a man who has his priorities straight."I fell in love with Spain right away", he says,"It just felt like home" But what was it that attracted Don? He explained that he was impressed with the way Spanish life is focused around children. Not only one's own children, but all children are cherished, and family is everything. Don goes on to tell me that he was stationed in Spain during his time as a Navy Chaplain and that his oldest son was born there. When he retired, he wanted to use the contacts he made in Spain to start a business and began by importing tiles, but found that they often were broken and were hard to ship,so he began by importing some Spanish foods that he became familiar with. He built a clientele, and started polling his customers, many of whom are Spanish expats or people who have travelled to Spain for business or pleasure and want to recapture their experience there, about their interest in buying Jamon Serrano or Jamon Iberico, the famed hams of Spain. The response was overwhelming and Don began a ten year mission to import these unique hams that for years have been banned from import into the US. His business has expanded over the years, outgrowing first his basement, then a storefront, then warehouse before locating in his current facility.

As we wandered through the retail store, Don had a story for almost anything in his catalog. While his business has grown, one thing has not changed at La Tienda. The Harris family works with small producers and farmers all across Spain to bring the very best of Spain to his customers. It is something he is very proud of. He had me smell the deep rich scent of bittersweet pimenton, smoked paprika that is a staple in the Spanish kitchen. I tasted artisan olive oils,one with a peppery finish and another that was rich and buttery. He explained that the redness in his chorizo was from the addition of pimenton. The more he shared his enthusiasm and love for Spain and the products he hand-selects for his customers, the more I wanted to learn. I gathered up items from the store to make in my home kitchen, and reluctantly said goodbye to Don and La Tienda, ready to take what I learned from him, about food, life and family back to my own kitchen. And the best part, is that no matter how far away you live from Williamsburg, VA, the tastes of Spain are only a click away.

Next...Essentials for a Spanish pantry

Fitness and an injuwii

I could not resist entering a contest over at CityMama, who is giving away the red-hot Wii Fit based on an embarrassing fitness story. Okay, I am fifty-something, have had 6 kids (2 of whom are teenagers), been pregnant 8 times, been married almost 33 years (to the same man), am post-menopausal...let's get real, I am an embarrassing fitness story. However,that sounds more pathetic than funny so I am sharing a hilarious fitness story that I was part of. So here it is (make sure you go to the bathroom before you read this!).

Several years ago in our office, we had a young administrator, Carl. Carl was obsessed with his looks, working out, worrying about the slightest appearance of crow's feet, though he was a very nice-looking and very fit young man. In an office of predominantly women, most of whom were married and had kids, we lived vicariously through Carl's adventures as a single guy. He took to working out at a fitness center near the Lab during lunch. One day he came back from his lunchtime workout late and obviously flustered. When we asked him if something was wrong,he recounted that something terrible had happened to him at the gym. He said when he was finished on the treadmill, he had gotten off and moved onto the next piece of equipment. As he headed into the showers, he heard a lot of commotion, and ran to the equipment room to see someone sprawled on the side of the treadmill he had gotten off of, and the guy was explaining that someone had left the treadmill on and when he tried to get on, it knocked him down. Carl realized that he was the one who had left the treadmill running, and was horrified that he might have contributed to someone getting hurt. We asked if he knew who it was and he said the guy looked familiar, but he couldn't place him.

A couple of days later, our PR manager was meeting with a marketing consultant we had been working with. I was sitting in my office, and Carl came in a panic asking if he could stay there. I wasn't sure what he was so upset about so I walked out into the hallway. There was our PR manager coming down the hall with the consultant...his eyes were both blackened and he had a splint on his nose. I went up, saying, "Oh my God, what in the world happened?"He answered, "Some idiot left the treadmill on at the gym and I stepped onto it and fell and broke my nose!"

We have probably burned more calories in our office laughing about this story than Carl did in his original workout and needless to say Carl never lived this down!

Finally Meeting a Fellow Blogger...at the 17th Street Market

Part of the fun of being a food-blogger is the sense of community that you get corresponding with people from all over with a passion for food. We may come from different cultures, different socioeconomic backgrounds. We write from different perspectives - some humorous and irreverent, some instructive and detailed, some poetic and lyrical, but we all share a love of food and the power it has...to nourish, to celebrate, to comfort. And while we learn a lot about each other from our profiles, and reading posts (and memes), unless we live in a metropolitan area with a large food-blogging community (like you luck bloggers in Columbus or DC), we don't often get the opportunity to meet each other in the flesh. That is why, when I heard that Veronica of Veronica's Test Kitchen and Petite Bouchees was going to be at the 17th Street Farmer's Market in Richmond, where I had research for an upcoming article, I couldn't let the opportunity to meet her (or taste her macarons!) pass me by.

We got up early and made the trek to Richmond (a little over an hour's drive) on an otherwise dreary day. Since it is still early in the season, there was not much produce yet to be had at the market, set in the heart of Shockoe Bottom. Even the parking lot was cool, underneath the highway and complete with its own cool sculpture, which my girls loved. We wandered around for about two and a half minutes before I spied the Petite Bouchees banner, and under it, were the divine, much anticipated macarons. Oh, and Veronica and her husband were there too. I went over with the "Core Four" (Gavin, Bridget, Molly and myself) to introduce myself (You can see us left - Veronica is the young, skinny one!). Veronica is just as sweet as she sounds on her blog. We had samples of the incredible macarons and heard about the Farmer's Market . Our conversation was punctuated by customers looking for Veronica's delicious baked goods. Veronica and her husband (who is as nice as she is) were great hosts giving us directions to our next two Richmond stops, but not before we bought some macarons for the road.

As the booth got busier, we decided to make our way to our other two stops for the day, Penzey's Spices in Carytown and Millie's Diner. It was great to finally have a chance to meet a fellow blogger and an excellent baker(and a genuinely nice person!). Oh, and Veronica, if you read this, my girls loved your apron!

At the beach... Seafood and More!

It seems like forever since we were enjoying our luxury vacation for Molly and Bridget's birthday, but it has only been a month. Food is central to our family, and so planning the food for our beach getaway was as important as who was invited and what we would do. Vacation meal planning takes a little extra work since whether you vacation in resort areas or in the wilds, often ethnic ingredients, exotic spices, fresh herbs and produce, and meat or seafood can be hard to find or expensive and you may not want to duplicate certain staples like spices, olive oil, etc. that you already have at home.

Even if you don't usually make a list, if you are planning for food on a trip, this is a time when you should do so. I start with menus for each meal, deciding what we will have each day,but also incorporating some additional choices like cereals and bagels for breakfast and sandwich fixin's for lunch in case we just don't feel like cooking. This helps me organize my shopping list and deciding what to take and what to buy at our destination. Meat and seafood that I know will be priced at a premium I plan to take with me, buying flash-frozen e-z peel shrimp, sea scallops, beef tenderloin, sashimi-grade tuna and specialty meats like prosciutto. I have a vacuum sealer that makes it easy to prep these items for transport in my cooler. (Tip: I always keep several water bottles in my freezer for use at the bottom of my cooler. I use them to provide a basis for my other frozen goods in the cooler, and when you get where you are going, you have icy cold water to drink!) Go through your menu and note what you will need to prepare each dish and whether ingredients might be available to buy where you are (chicken, steaks, ground beef, ribs,etc.), what spices and condiments will you need, and make decisions to take or buy based both on availability and on space available in your vehicle

For this trip we knew that we wanted to do a "seafood feast" for our Saturday dinner. Bridget's boss, Chad Martin at Create Bistro helped us procure some great sea scallops (seared scallops based on Chad's recipe has become Bridget's signature dish), seaweed salad , several loaves of fresh bread and some northern Blue Point oysters . Katie's friend wanted to make tostones,or fried plantains, and I had a special request from my Florida daughter, Colleen, to make the hot beans- a recipe I posted here early on and one that Epicurious Editor Tanya Steele actually tried. Because we knew there would be a lot of cooking (and a lot of people) on Saturday, we chose to do frozen lasagna (Horrors!), salad and bread for our first night to allow us time to arrive, get settled, and then actually have some fun! This turned out to be a great strategy, since that was the only sunny (meaning not raining with gale-force winds!) day of our stay.

Molly and Kate had selected a luau theme (family and friends eating, right) for the birthday dinner so while food prep went on in the kitchen, Molly decorated with leis and shells , and latecomer guests still arriving in the midst of a nor'easter. The kitchen the next day reminded me a bit of the famous scene in The Big Chill, only with cooking instead of cleaning up- lots of music, noise, laughter, and lots of dirty pots and pans! The result was indeed a feast. And the bonus for me, Colleen organized the non-cookers into a KP cleanup party that would put the most hardened drill sergeant to shame, cleaning the counters, loading the two dishwashers, and in no time we were all playing spoons and shooting pool.

It was hard to pick a star from this meal- the Blue Point oysters had a tasty salinity that really added to the seaside atmosphere. Chad had given us some seaweed to shock (just like blanching) and to use to plate the oysters with(see left). The seaweed had these little pockets along the stem that held a salty liquid that could be squeezed onto the steamed oysters, making it both pretty and delicious. Bridget's seared scallops with a butter, shallot sauce were truly outstanding, and the hot beans were a big hit since we had not had them in awhile.

As usual, the occasion was made even more special by delicious food prepared with care and love in a fun (crazy!) environment for a birthday and a meal that we won't forget for a longtime to come!

Twice Fried Beans (first posted December 28,2008)
(Serves 6 as part of a Chinese meal or 2 Dowds)

1 1/2 lbs of fresh green beans with ends removed
1 lb reduced fat or lean bulk sausage
1/2 cup brown bean paste
1 tbsp sugar
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp chili and garlic paste (add this a quarter tsp at a time till you get to the spiciness you want)

3 cups vegetable or peanut oil for frying

Heat oil until a cube of bread browns easily, but doesn't burn. In several batches, fry beans until skins blister, but don't let them brown. Remove from hot oil and drain on paper towels. Meanwhile brown the sausage in a pan, breaking up the meat, until all pink is gone. Add brown bean paste, sugar , lime juice and chili paste to taste (my family likes hot, but you may not want yours quite so hot). Once sauce is the way you like it, stir in the beans and keep hot until serving.

Bridget's "Create Counterfeit" Seared Scallops

A simple yet impressive company dish. As with all seafood, start fresh and be careful not to over cook.

2-3 sea scallops per serving
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2-3 tbsp butter

Prepare your scallops by patting dry and if it hasn't already been removed (most seafood markets already do this), remove the little muscle that attached the scallop to its shell -it looks almost like a little tab, and will get tough during cooking. Sprinkle both sides lightly with coarse-ground salt and freshly ground pepper. Heat butter in pan till melted and set the scallops in the pan to sear for about 2 1/2 minutes per side, and remove to a serving plate. Like all seafood, be very careful not to overcook. Serve with Tarragon-Butter Sauce.

Tarragon-Butter Sauce
Makes enough sauce for eight servings of scallops

1 stick butter
5-6 shallots finely chopped
1/4 cup white wine
2-3 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves
1 small squeeze of fresh lemon

Melt butter in saucepan and add shallots, cooking until they are transparent. Add white wine and tarragon, whisking until incorporated. Before serving, add a squeeze of lemon and stir. Serve over seared scallops.