Heat for the Tomatoes, Finally

From foxyconcordgrape by Julie Kadingo

June 3, 2009

It’s 10:25am in Seattle. It’s 73 degrees. My tomato plants are finally looking happy :)

Wilting Kale and a bottle of Loco Imperial Red

From foxyconcordgrape by Julie Kadingo

May 11, 2009

I had to cut back a half of kale plant to make room for a tomato plant that can use all the sun’s help this cold May in Seattle. With all that kale to eat, kale pesto over noodles sounds really good for dinner. At the same time, however, I cut back the kale, I lopped off the biggest Swiss chard leaf I’ve grown so far. When I came home tonight it was weeping. So either I must have Swiss chard on the side of my kale pesto pasta, or I must find something interesting to do with chard... thank goodness for the internet, a green cook’s best friend.

Oh, and it’s Seattle Beer Week. I went to an Iron Horse Brewery Testing. It came out that Loco Imperial Red is under-appreciated. So I have a bottle to drink while I surf for an answer to dinner.

Simplicity, key to variety

How to eat when your fridge is no taller than your boots

From foxyconcordgrape by Julie Kadingo

April 24, 2009

My fridge resides under the sink in my very small, 175 sq ft live/work art studio. It’s as tall as my favorite pair of boots; and, like my boots, my fridge comes to my knees. Downsizing has been an adjustment since I’ve always been the kind of cook who likes bottles and bottles of interesting olives and sauces, and one bottle of capers. But, please don’t feel sorry for me, because I’m actually eating better without all those bottles, and the bottle of capers, too.

The key, I’ve learned, is to decide on a few high quality ingredients that I just can’t live without. I bought high quality products before; however, so much of what I bought lost its flavor before I could use all. I wasted so much money!

Now, I keep only a few staples in my fridge: butter, a jar of garlic, lemon juice, lime juice, and a small bottle of organic soy sauce. Otherwise, for flavoring, I rely on 4 spices that I can keep on my shelf: a grinder with sea salt, a grinder with good quality black pepper, a jar that keeps a cinnamon stick, and a jar that keeps a stick of nutmeg. I’ve invested in a good grater to grind the nutmeg and cinnamon. I also have one more staple in the fridge: a grater with a high quality block of Parmesan cheese.

I buy lots of pasta and potatoes because, of course, they keep outside the fridge. Besides pasta and potatoes, I’ve discovered all kinds of interesting grains: Thai Jasmine rice, Indian Bamati rice, wild rice, Arborio rice, and Black Japoica.

I am lucky to have a garden for growing a variety of herbs and greens. Since the garden is a few blocks from my studio, I grow thyme and parsley on my window sill for those times I can’t walk to the garden.

There are three more very important ingredients that help me get the most out of my food dishes. At the beginning of the week, I make a vegetable stock, which I keep in a recycled glass jar in my refrigerator. I can add the stock to rice or pasta for flavor. I also own good quality oil and good quality vinegar for making dressings. Dressings can be made with oil, vinegar, and any imaginable combination of herbs and spices.

Who knew simplicity is the key to variety. Even if I ever have a refrigerator that is taller than me again, I won’t go back to my old ways. I have more fun choosing a good parmesan cheese than choosing 10 bottles of sauces I’ll hardly ever use.

I’m An Avid Gardener, but I Don’t Eat Enough Veggies

From foxyconcordgrape by Julie Kadingo

April 24, 2009

I love vegetables, but I find it hard to eat them raw, or without sauce or dressing.

I wilt my kale, lettuce, and other mixed greens with my steamer. Then, with my hand-held blender, I turn them into my favorite, fattening, dairy-based pasta sauce. Or I douse my asparagus with a fattening hollandaise sauce. Of course, I’ve already drenched the asparagus in oil before grilling.

So, tonight, I intend to eat closer to nature. I plan to make a potato soup with just broth, potatoes, leeks, and nutmeg. Ok, I might steam some kale from the garden, and turn it into the potato soup. The goal, though, is to make a very simple soup that does not relies on vegetables for flavor, rather than pasta, sauces made with milk, or dressings made with oil.

If anyone has suggestions on simple, wholesome ingredients to add to my potato soup, I am open!

Hey, I should have raw carrots on the side!

Hot Lemon Peppers, Black Pearl Tomatoes, and Ruby Queen Corn

From foxyconcordgrape by Julie Kadingo

April 17, 2009

I have a garden plot is in the neighborhood p-patch (Seattle speak for community garden). The p-patch is adjacent to a pair of twenty-two inch tall cowboy boots and hat. It’s also five blocks from Boeing Field, and so I can grow vegetables tall enough to touch the planes. This weekend, my boyfriend and I are planting hot lemon peppers, black pearl tomatoes, and ruby queen corn. We are nervous because, while this weekend will be beautiful and in the sixties, next week will be in the fifties and rainy. We will build mini-green houses for them, and check on them daily. I’m anxious for a full garden again, and willing to take risks. Right now, I only have two kale plants and one Swiss chard plant. They have supplied me with plenty of greens. I do like them steamed, and blended into sauces and soups. But I want variety.

Let’s hope for the best.