Lemon Chicken

A New Aproach to Tzatziki

I will admit right up front that I have absolutely no preconceived notions of Tzatziki. Peter called this afternoon and suggested that we take dinner to Greece tonight, and I was quick to jump on board. I’ve been thinking about cucumber salad lately and I wanted to take a stab at Tzatziki. So in my mind I wanted a tart creamy salad jam packed with herbs and crunchy cucumbers. I’m not sure if its proper to call this dish tzatziki, but the resulting salad was absolutely fantastic.

I’ve been watching Kyle Kwong’s show Simply Chinese and she does a lot of quick pickles with cucumbers and celery. I was thinking this was the perfect opportunity to try out this new technique. So basically what I did was dice the cucumber and then tossed them with salt and sugar and let them set for fifteen minutes. The salt pulls the water out of the cucumbers and the sugar helps balance the flavors. After fifteen minutes I drained off all of the excess liquid and then let them soak up the red wine vinegar. To finish the dish off I combined the pickled cucumber with Greek yogurt, minced garlic, lemon zest and fresh mint, tarragon and parsley.

Garlic and Horseradish Potato Gratin

I admit it: I totally stole this recipe from my former employer.  Actually, I only saw my old boss make this while I was walking in and out of the kitchen, but it was so good that I remembered its simple ingredients and preparation.

Make this with steak, it's a match made in heaven.  It's also amazing refried for breakfast. When we went sailing over Labor Day Weekend last year, we made so much that we had it with every meal for two days!

3 lbs. potatoes

10-15 cloves garlic, peeled

1 - 4 inch piece fresh horseradish root

parmaggiano reggiano or other melty, yummy cheese

1 pint heavy cream

salt and pepper

crushed red pepper

  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grate the horseradish.  Combine with garlic cloves and cream and heat in a small saucepan on low heat until simmering.  Remove from the heat and let steep 20-30 minutes.  Meanwhile, peel and slice the potatoes into 1/8" slices.  Arrange the potatoes in a gratin dish, sprinkle with generous amounts of kosher salt and ground pepper.  Pour the cream mixture over the potatoes and grate the cheese over the top.  Cook in the oven until the potatoes are cooked through and the cheese is gold and bubbly. 

The Magic of Spring

Today was pure magic. After weeks, no months of rain and dark skies the sun burst through today with a vengeance. The market was off the hook. It was packed, people where smiling and I even talked with complete strangers. It’s amazing what happens in Portland when the sun shines. Peter and I are having some friends over this weekend for a spring vegetable Frito. We’re going to fry up baby artichoke hearts and fiddle head ferns. We’re also going to make morel mushroom pasta.

After working in the yard all day we were to tired to cook, so our spring meal will just have to wait for one more day.

The First Week of the Farmers Market

I woke up this morning at 6:30, and as soon as I opened my eyes I started thinking about what I was going to find at the market today. Naturally it was a cold and rainy morning, but that didn't stop the crowds. It was great to see so many happy faces and even some familiar ones.

Peter and I grabbed a couple of fun things. We got fiddle head ferns, radishes, nettle greens, green garlic and spring onions. I think we'll find something fun to make with those tonight.