Love Me Some Lidia...

OK, so maybe it's not "cooking" per se, but it's about cooking, so it counts, right? Besides, it's just freakin' cool. What a fantastic event.

Good Golly, Miss Molly

Last week, I was cold and wet. THIS week, it's almost 9:15, it's sweltering, and I'm in line outside Molly Moon's Ice Cream on Capitol Hill. No, I didn't make it. No, there's no wine pairing. Instead, it was just a damn fine single scoop of creamy, cold Balsamic Strawberry. I couldn't be happier.

Kyle D.T. Reynolds

Cold and Rainy in August??

I'll admit, at first I was a little bummed by the rain. I'm no sun-worshiper, but in August, it's pretty much de rigueur.

As another busy Saturday came to a close, Kelly and I decided to open a bottle of the 2009 Bruno Giacosa Dolcetto d'Alba to drink after work. It's fantastic. We both just sat there swooning over it - that is, until her ride showed up early. Since she had to run, I was left with the lion's share of the bottle. Well, I couldn't just let it go to waste... ;-) Kelly's parting words echoed in my mind - "You've gotta make something amazing for dinner to go with this."

And so I did. Sitting down at 10:00 (hey, I don't get off work until 6:30!), I relished a plate of ragù of veal, dotted with pancetta, over a bed of gnocchi, delicately dusted with freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and black pepper.

By that point, the Dolcetto had opened up beautifully. Rich yet elegant purple-black fruit, laced with hints of star anise and black licorice, a touch of skin tannin on the tongue and a solid core of bright acidity. It was the perfect complement to my hearty meal - AND a perfect antidote for a cold, rainy August night.

Kyle D.T. Reynolds

A little taste of Spain...

The other day, the beautiful ladies at Bavarian Meats gave me a nice chunk of their Hungarian paprika salami along with the half-pound of sliced I asked for. So what'd I do? I chopped it up into squares, fried it in a little olive oil, turned off the heat and then added a sliced garlic clove, letting it warm through. I then blanched some sliced kale in lightly salted water, squeezed it dry, then threw it in with some cooked white beans. The juice of one lemon, some red wine vinegar, lots of good olive oil, plenty of black pepper and a little salt... Delicious!

Along with a hunk of Iberico sheep's milk cheese from Spain, some bread and a bottle of Marqués de Riscal Rioja Reserva, and dinner was done. So easy, and SO tasty.

Kyle D.T. Reynolds

Somewhere in Ballard...

Simple equation: oven roasted tomatoes+vinho verde Arca Nova 2009= the perfect Sunday evening with friends on a roof top!! Have a great summer!!

Jean-Jacques Clapié

90 Degrees and Feelin' Fine...

While my coworkers were slogging away down at the shop Wednesday late afternoon, I was spending some down time on the patio in my backyard. Sliced up some heirloom Brandywines and German Stripes from Yakima with some fresh mozzarella and basil, served alongside "pinzimonio" - fresh, local baby vegetables (in this case, yellow summer squash, cauliflower, carrots and radishes) with some seasoned extra-virgin olive oil for dipping. All that, and a chilled bottle of 2009 Burlotto Rosato from Piemonte. Now THAT's the way to beat the summer heat!

Kyle D.T. Reynolds

It's Sugar Snap time!

I've been a little lax lately in updating the blog, but the side dish I made the other day for my roast chicken was just too good not to pass on! This is a great way to make use of the freshly-picked sugar snap peas that are popping up all over the Market.


SUGAR SNAP PEAS “BONNE FEMME”

2.5 lbs sugar snap peas (in-shell weight)
2 slices bacon, chopped
8 spring onions, trimmed to 2.5-3 ins.
1/2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
Splash of dry white wine
2 Tbsp butter
8 interior lettuce leaves, pref. green leaf (optional)
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Shell and rinse peas; set aside. In a medium saucepan, fry bacon on medium heat until golden and crispy. When done, remove and reserve. Add trimmed spring onions to pan and gently cook until tender and taking on a little color. Add peas (and lettuce, if using) to pan, along with a splash of dry white wine and the chopped thyme. Cook until peas are tender and the lettuce is wilted. Add the reserved bacon to the pan. Remove the pan from heat, then add the butter to the pan and toss gently to coat the peas. Season with salt to taste and plenty of freshly-cracked black pepper. Serves 3-5.

Kyle D.T. Reynolds