Food and Crafts for All Occasions

Tomato Bisque with Cinnamon and Fresh Dill

Despite being a huge fan of soups in general, I've always felt indifferent toward cream soups. Mostly because of their quite monotonous, smoothie-like texture with nothing to chew on.

Lamb Ragout with Ricotta and Arugula

Here's my take on the popular Italian Bolognese sauce. I make it quite nontraditional so I just refer to it as 'meat ragout' in order not to tease authenticity advocates. (Who knows how pissed I would be if someone served me borsch with sweet potatoes instead of regular ones…)

Instead of beef I take lamb as it has more robust and pronounced flavor that is not easily overpowered by tomatoes. I also add ricotta, which softens the acidity of the sauce and gives it a nice creamy texture, and arugula to balance out the richness with its fresh peppery bite.

Mussels in Tomato Sauce with Jalapeno, Cream and Madeira

Every time we go to Taylor Shellfish on Melrose ave (Capitol Hill) to binge on shucked oysters and a glass of cava/beer, we usually buy several pounds of fresh mussels on the way out. Taylor Shellfish carries the best mussels in Seattle and supply them to many local restaurants. These mussels are absolutely perfect – large with plum and meaty flesh.

Tomato Season: Two Favorite Salads

Tomatoes are my most favorite veggies and the only edible plant (besides cooking herbs) that we grow in our yard. We don’t have much of a planting space around the house, but whatever little we have Ilya turned into very tall raised beds. Which is perfect for tomatoes because, as those of you who grow tomatoes know, the deeper you plant tomatoes, the larger the root system, and the larger the root system, the larger the tops of the plants. And the larger the tops, the more tomatoes you’re going to harvest.

We usually plant cherry and grape tomatoes simply because Seattle summer is quite short and other kinds may not have enough time to mature and ripen to perfection. Our cherry tomatoes always turn out great and taste like little sugar bombs, as our neighbor and friend calls them.

Tomato Based BBQ Sauce

This delicious sauce takes mere minutes to make.  It goes great with Smoked Pork Baby Back Ribs as well as other meat and poultry dishes.

Pizza, Part III: the Toppings

Besides a good dough, the success of pizza depends on its toppings. A tasty topping means a tasty pizza, right?  And to make a tasty topping is quite easy – all we need is quality components and a balanced combination of them.

Pizza, Part II: the Tomato Sauce

While the dough is rising, we have enough time to make the tomato sauce and prep the toppings.

Traditionally, the sauce would be made with fresh skinned and seeded tomatoes, but I haven’t yet come across the tomatoes in Seattle that would inspire me to make sauce out of them. Even during the tomato season, I find local tomatoes either not meaty and sweet enough for the sauce or super expensive to use for it. The latter I would better eat fresh!

Lazy Dolma: Ground Lamb and Vegetable Stew

This fragrant and hearty lamb and vegetable stew is truly delicious and liked even by those who swears that they wouldn't eat eggplants or lamb to save their lives.

Beans in Tomato Sauce wit Cinnamon and Fresh Dill

These beans seemed to be quite popular at our last Society lunch. I myself happen to be a big fan of this Greek inspired dish. I make it using either cannellini or garbanzo beans, though the Greeks, I believe, would take large white beans called Gigandes, which are, unfortunately, are not available in our stores yet.

In Loving Memory of the Summer Gone Too Fast: A Salad with Avocadoes, Tomatoes, Palm Hearts and Bell Peppers with Cilantro Dressing

Summer is suddenly gone and just like most Seattleites I am not ready to let it go. I’m currently in the denial stage of grief, especially because of the sun peeking out from behind the clouds more and more often and a patch of blue sky here and there becoming larger and larger. A perfect setting for me to pretend that it is as warm and vibrant outside as it was just a month ago.

Pickled Tomatoes, 2 Methods

Since Ilya and I moved from a downtown apartment to our house in Wedgwood, we’ve been growing tomatoes every year. We don’t have much space for planting, but Ilya built a long, deep raised bed along the southern side of the house and tomatoes are very happy there.

Grits with Spicy Creole Prawns and Poached Eggs

It was pouring elephants and whales yesterday and instead of the planned grilling I went for the southern comfort food, prawns and grits. Or, more specifically, prawns in hot tomato sauce, seasoned with Creole spices on a bed of creamy grits, cooked with milk, chicken stock and lots of goat gouda. For the finishing touch, I topped all of this with a poached egg. After taking several bites, accompanied by the rolling eyes and smacking lips, Ilya finally declared the dish a masterpiece. And it wasn't bad, really.

Yellowtail, Scallop and Octopus Ceviche in Jalapeno Leche de Tigre

Another warm week in Seattle and again I’m planning to battle the heat with my favorite weapon - food and drinks. My today’s arsenal consist of yellowtail, scallops, limes and hot peppers and I’m turning all these beauties into ceviche, which is, basically, fish or seafood marinated in tart citrus juice.

Feta Baked with Olives, Cherry Tomatoes, Olive Oil and Herbs

In cooking, I enjoy the process itself as much as the results, and because of that I often tend to choose elaborate dishes like homemade pasta or sausages, smoked ribs, stuffed vegetables and such. However, in a lack of time I have no problem whatsoever with cooking – and eating – simple dishes.

"Wow" Factor or Stuffed Eggplant Rolls Baked Under Tomato Sauce

Sometimes, there’s a dish that you’ve been cooking successfully for a while and everybody seemed to love it and then one day you decide to change the recipe just a little, just a tiny bit, and all of a sudden you say, “Wow”, and your guests say, “Wow”, and everybody’s raving about it and asking for the recipe.

I had this situation just recently with my stuffed eggplant rolls in tomato sauce, which I’ve been making for years (top picture). I filled them with a mixture of ricotta and soft goat cheese and baked under a tomato and basil sauce. Kind of an Italian style dish. But then, for one party with a Greek flair (mezze, lamb kebab and such) I decided to alter the recipe slightly to fit the theme. I substituted ricotta with feta cheese, added some chopped dill to the filling and spiced the sauce with cinnamon instead of basil.