Last weekend, I went home to Spokane to celebrate my father’s birthday. The big 5-5! I’ll admit, however, my motivations were not purely inspired by filial devotion–I also wanted to catch one of the last weekends of Harvest. Now that my mother is empty nester, she has become organic tomato farmer extraordinaire. She starts her tomatoes in a greenhouse months before the seedlings are planted outside; by the end of the summer, my parents have more tomatoes than they know what to do with. To that end, my father decided to experiment with a sun- (or in this case, oven-) dried tomato recipe. Delicious. So to celebrate his birthday and the end of Harvest, I cranked out some homemade pasta and whipped up a sun-dried tomato pesto. We had a fantastic weekend, and on my last night, the first frost of the season occurred. I’m so glad I was able to make it home just in the nick of time. You can find the recipe for sun-dried tomato pesto after the jump.

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

Ingredients

• 12 ounces pasta (I used fettucini I made)
• 8.5-ounces of sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

A couple  years ago, David Chang, the genius behind the Momofuku group, slammed the San Franciscan food scene at the New York Food & Wine Festival. The King of Ramen complained, “Fuckin’ every restaurant in San Francisco is just serving figs on a plate. Do something with your food.” Whoa there, watch your language Chef!

Figs do heavy lifting on SF menus in the late summer / early fall. But rightfully so–the combination is delicious. And there aren’t many places in the world where you can eat fresh, local figs harvested the same day. And so when I saw panachée figs at the Noe Valley Farmer’s Market, I grabbed a pint.  Having recently purchased Yotam Ottolenghi’s new cookbook, Plenty, I decided to try his fig salad. You can find the modified recipe after the jump.

FIG AND FRESH RICOTTA SALAD WITH POMEGRANATE VINAIGRETTE
-1 tsp finely chopped Shallot
-½ tsp Dijon mustard
-2 tsp Pomegranate Molasses (can be found at Middle Eastern and higher end supermarkets)
-3 tbsp (45 mL) EVOO, plus a little more
-3 cups of mixed greens or arugula
-6 Figs, cut into halves or quarters lengthwise depending on size
-4 oz (125 g) Fresh Ricotta (Ottolenghi recommends fresh, creamy goat cheese, but I prefer ricotta)
-salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Place shallots, mustard, pomegranate molasses and a little salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk vigorously while adding olive oil. Dressing should be homogeneous.
2. Toss arugula with dressing and arrange on a serving platter. Top with figs and cheese.
3. Drizzle with a bit of extra olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Scatter pomegranate seeds on top.

I’m definitely going to continue to play around with this salad–the ingredients are just too good not to. Ottolenghi’s pomegranate vinaigrette may be too sweet for some (I liked it). Perhaps skip the pomegranate molasses and instead add pomegranate seeds? Ditch the greens and serve the figs and ricotta dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette and chopped basil? The combinations are endless and well worth exploring, and that’s why David Chang is wrong about serving figs in San Francisco.

Primly,
Ella

So to celebrate my move and San Francisco’s annual Indian Summer, I threw an impromptu dinner party for my friend Peter’s birthday. I’m afraid my recently hectic life was reflected in rather disjointed menu : Fig and Ricotta Salad, Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Corn and Cilantro, Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Prosecco & Raspberry Gelee. But when the ingredients are fresh and your friends are too kind to say anything, it works out deliciously.

It’s getting late and I’m starving (the pictures above aren’t helping!), so recipes and more photos of the new house to come later this week.

Primly,
Ella

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes Recipe

Directions

Primly,
Ella

(photo by juliette)

I’ve long been obsessed with homemade pasta. The texture and taste of a fresh pasta just can’t be matched by a dry pasta, no matter how much you spend. I assumed since I don’t  have a charming Italian grandmother to pass down a family recipe, I’d never be able to make homemade pasta myself. That was until I was served homemade pasta at a non-Italian friend’s house. From then on, it was game-on.

Last Hanukkah, I gifted my parents the Marcato Atlas pasta maker. My sister and I spent  the next few days in Spokane attempting to make pasta. We struggled with the pasta dough and found cranking and feeding the pasta maker to be a rigorous, two person job. While we ended up with delicious pasta, it was an all day affair.

I recently gifted myself the Kitchen Aid Pasta Excellence set–essentially a pasta maker where a stand mixer does all the manual work Some may call it cheating, but I like to save arm exercises for the gym.  While I no longer struggled manipulating  the pasta maker, I stilled needed help with my pasta dough. It was either crumbling apart (too dry) or sticking to everything (too wet). My boyfriend suggested I consult his father, Lee, who had been experimenting with pasta for years. After all, who needs an Italian grandmother when your Jewish boyfriend’s father has mastered the art of pasta making?

Lee is a purist and only uses eggs and flour in his dough. His trick is to begin with the eggs rather than building a flour well. It is much easier to calibrate how much flour is required for the eggs rather than vice versa. In general, you will need one egg per person. After lightly beating the eggs, you then add the flour. Beginning with 3/4 cups of flour per egg, gradually stir in more flour and knead until the dough is no longer sticky to touch. When you reach this desired consistency,  knead for 2-3 minutes, and then let the pasta dough rest in a ball for 20 minutes. From this point on, follow your pasta maker’s directions for rolling and cutting the dough. My only advise is don’t be afraid to add more flour throughout the process if your dough is still the least bit sticky; otherwise, when you cut the pasta, it will curl up.

Lee taught me so well that I was able to serve homemade pasta at our last dinner party and our guests were impressed. Who wouldn’t appreciate homemade pasta at a dinner party? The sauces were also winners, but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow for those recipes.

Thanks again Lee (and Cynthia) for sharing with me the secret to hassle free, delicious homemade pasta. I have a feeling this is a recipe I’ll be making on a weekly basis for many years to come.

Primly,
Ella

(photos by juliette and my handsome boyfriend)

On the menu:

Heirloom Tomato Salad
Homemade Pasta, Two Ways
Balsamic Strawberries with Mascarpone Cream and a Lemon Lime Basil Shortbread Cookie

Recipes, diy decoration instructions and more photos to come later this week!

Primly,
Ella

(photos by juliette tang)

Primly,
Ella

(This photo is from Juliette’s Still Lives of Books series which can be found here. I highly recommend checking it out.)

While my boyfriend, Ari, was in town for a week, we spent a lovely afternoon admiring the Dahlia Garden in the Golden Gate Park, which is now in bloom. The garden is easy to miss, as its tucked away to the east of the Conservatory of Flowers. The Dahlia Dell itself is quite small, but the diversity of dahlias coloring this space more than make up for its modest size. After all, the dahlia is the official flower of San Francisco. On Oct. 4, 1926, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution declaring that because of its versatility, beauty and infinite variety of color and form, “it is the very symbol of San Francisco life and of the spirit of her people.” The resolution includes some delightfully flowery language comparing dahlias to “sophisticated world travelers” like those who return to San Francisco.

Primly,
Ella

(photos courtesy of my handsome boyfriend)

This summer, I’ve been cooking my way through fellow San Franciscan Heidi Swanson‘s new cookbook Super Natural Every Day. Heidi Swanson is this generation’s Mollie Katzen. But instead of the Enchanted Broccoli Forest, Heidi’s dishes are subtle, simple, elegant.  The Toasted Kale & Coconut Salad from the cookbook highlights just this. Heidi provides a unique way to serve kale–toasted with coconut and dressed with sesame oil. The recipe is easy and the results are delicious.

TOASTED KALE & COCONUT SALAD WITH SESAME OIL

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 TSP toasted sesame oil

2 TBL shoyu, tamari, or soy sauce

3 ½ lightly packed cups of chopped kale, stems trimmed, large ribs removed

1 ½ cups of unsweetened large-flake coconut

2 cups cooked farro or other whole grain; I used quinoa (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350°F with two racks in the top third of the oven.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, sesame oil, and shoyu. Put the kale and the coconut in a large bowl and toss well with about two-thirds of the olive oil mixture.

Spread the kale evenly across two baking sheets. Bake for 12 to 18 minutes, until the coconut is deeply golden brown, tossing once or twice along the way. If the kale mixture on the top baking sheet begins to get too browned, move it to the lower rack.

Remove from the oven and transfer the kale mixture to a medium bowl. Taste. If you need a bit more dressing, add some and toss. Place the farro on a serving platter and top with the tossed kale.

Primly,
Ella

(photos by juliette)