Greens Cookbook Dinner, October, 2009

It's been a few weeks since I posted anything...but didja notice? Our website now is sporting the photo our our crowing coq....er, hen!! Sound effects to come soon....just in case you are missing the affectionate sounds of a crowing rooster to announce that your goose is cooked!

The Greens Cookbook dinner on October 3rd was a surprise to most of us. A few of the members have children who are vegetarians or vegans but most gourmet cooks and foodies eat meat...and, after seeing the documentary, FRESH, eat sustainable & organic meat. Some of us thought it would be a "light" meal (i.e. not filling) but again, that was a mistaken perception! Several people commented that they were surprised to really enjoy eating a vegetarian meal…but then, it’s easy to enjoy a meal prepared by talented cooks, no matter what you are eating.

Speaking of “no matter what you are eating,” I had a chance to try Rocky Mountain Oysters (calves testicles) at a restaurant in Guadalupe, CA. Far Western Tavern was stop on our way home from a short stay at the Alisal Guest Ranch in Solvang. I asked the waiter what the texture was for these “oysters” and after he said “spongy” I had to pass. Now, you have to understand that I’m a very adventurous eater and have tried and enjoyed different types of offal (tongue, tripe, kidneys, liver, heart, brains, etc.). But I just couldn’t fathom eating a spongy testicle…George said that he tried rooster testicles in China and didn’t really like them so I don’t feel too bad about passing up this "opportunity." I did order the sweetbreads that were grilled over red oak and very delicious….not impressed with their "famous" Cowboy rib eye steak though.

Well, enough of my tangent on weird food. NONE of the dishes were weird at our GREENS Cookbook Club dinner. Most people used the Greens Cookbook but a few dishes were from other Deborah Madison cookbooks, Local Flavors and Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

Because there were 13 people at this dinner, we decided to eat in 4 “flights” and serve 3 dishes in each flight. If we had plated 13 dishes, we would be dining until midnight to eat it all! It wasn’t a buffet. We put 3 entrés on a single dinner plate for each flight. Normally, we serve our entrés on salad or dessert plates or if it’s a soup, in a china cup or small ramekin AND normally have 8-10 entrés and people at the dinner table.

We started out with Crepas con Queso y Verduras (p.274*) that Sharon made. She pre-prepared the crepes and did the assembly at the dinner. It was absolutely delicious and several people commented that they HAVE to try this recipe. Sharon said that making the crepes was pretty easy after the first one. Apparently the first one is always a “throwaway” crepe. We only ate a half of a crepe in anticipation of 12 more dishes, but each bite was scrumptious! Marianne made the Black Bean Chili (p. 109*). She was worried about the black beans because she thought they really never got “soft” and boiled them longer than the recipe called for to try to soften them. They were perfectly cooked and balanced in terms of hotness by the layer of melted cheese on the bottom of each small ramekin and the dollop of sour cream on the top. The black beans went well with the crepe dish as well as the Sweet Corn Fritters with Sweet Pepper Relish, Grilled Tomato Sauce & Chili Butter (pp. 291, 319, 315, 326*) that Tina made. The corn fritters were crispy and sweet. The 3 different accompaniments really enhanced the sweetness of the fritters. Tina said that making the relish, sauce and butter took longer than the main part of this dish. She actually roasted the tomatoes and chopped all the ingredients for the relish by hand (I probably would have used my Cuisinart…).
All three of these first flight dishes were washed down by two wines out of Bill’s cellar ~ Gary Farrell 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Redwood Ranch and Dickerson 1997 Zinfandel Reserve, Napa AND a surprise magnum of 2002 Chardonnay from Mt. Eden Vineyards, complements of Jeffrey! That magnum disappeared in a blink of an eye or I guess I should say a tip of a wine glass! I didn’t even get a glass it disappeared so quickly! The Gary Farrell Sauvignon blanc stood up well against the spicy Mexican-oriented dishes. We had a short conversation about the downfall of great wineries who get sold to big conglomerates. The crepe dish recipe suggested pouring a zinfandel with it but although the Dickerson was delicious, it didn’t go as well with these entrés as well as the Sauvignon Blanc..or at least, IMHO.

The next flight had the dish I prepared, Zucchini & Basil Filo w/ Pine Nuts (p. 260-261*). I learned that I cannot freeze filo for very long. I had tried to make this a week ago with filo that had been in our freezer for about a year…what a mess! Dry brittle edges and wet spots that didn’t pull a part at all. So, take it from me, don’t “save” filo. Buy it the day before you plan to use it. The grated zucchini was flavored with basil, feta, grated parmesan, garlic and white wine. The filo sheets had finely chopped roasted pine nuts in between the layers. I liked it and I think others did as well. It's a twist on the Greek Spanakopita. A very unusual combination of Beets, Apples, & Cress w/ Walnuts & Curry Vinaigrette (pp. 34 – 35*) that Janis made was served with the Zucchini Filo. I don’t think I’ve ever eating beets with apples. The salad was accented with dried currents. The curry vinaigrette pulled the disparate flavors together into a harmonious salad. And, the last entré served on this plate was Sandi W’s Leek, Scallion and Fennel Gratin(Local Flavors by Deborah Madison,p.72,73). This reminded me of a moist frittata. Rich, egg-y and onion flavors permeated each bite of this delicious dish. She must have tons of fabulous serving dishes because this gratin looked so pretty in the dish she baked it in. I’m adding the photo of her serving dish, I liked it so much! Bill brought out a Ferrari-Carano 2007 Chardonnay Reserve, Carneros. Napa. The chardonnay was the perfect wine for these three dishes. The buttery Ferrari-Carano enhanced the flavors of the filo and gratin. It’s been a long time since I’ve tasted their chardonnay but it’s just as I remember it!


The last savory flight was composed of Corn Pudding w/ Parsley & Dill w/ late Summer Tomatoes & Fresh Herbs (pp. 251, 4*) that George prepared. This was amazing in itself since he had just flown home the day before from India. I would be dead on my feet with jet lag but he made the effort to create a yummy pudding. I liked it so much that even though I couldn’t finish it this evening, I wrapped the remaining half to enjoy tomorrow. Mary’s Tomato Salad on Grilled Eggplant Rounds (Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, p.163) was the perfect light component to the two heavier dishes. The grilled eggplants added a nice smokey flavor to the dish and the fried capers created a fun crunch to each bite. Of course, tomatoes out of her backyard, during my favorite food time of the year, were sweet, juicy and firm. Lisa prepared a Potato Gratin w/ Artichokes & Smoked Mozzarella(p. 208*). The gratin had a tasty & crispy top layer that was a great contrast to the rich cheesy artichokes and potatoes. Lisa drove from across the Bay so she baked the gratin in two stages so she just had to “finish” it at the house. Bill served Radog 2007 Gewurztraminer, Monterey. I thought it was a dry Gewurztraminer but Jeffrey thought it was sweet...so much for my palate! I thought it had a dry finish but I could also taste the wine for a long while after I tried a sip so maybe he’s right. Regardless, I liked it with a gratin and pudding. Unlike the Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay, it was a lighter wine that gave a contrast to the rich dishes in this flight of food.

By now we were all pretty full even though everyone tried to serve small portions so we just get a “taste” but several of these dishes were very rich. What we needed to do was take a walk around the block but it was really cold and very, very windy this evening. Our original plan was to eat al fresco but at 5:30 it started getting really windy so we moved the dinner indoors. A good decision because it got colder and windier as the evening wore on. Annie and George’s home is so charming that it was perfect for this fresh and green dinner…not to mention warmer!

For an “intermezzo” and because Jeffrey’s fig trees were laden with their annual bounty, we were served Fresh Figs with Honey, Cream Cheese & Mint(page 337*). He used two types of figs, the black Mission Fig and the Calimyrna that he has in his back yard. Lucky us! Honey was drizzled over the plate and each fig was cut into fourths to create a small flower with a small drop of cream cheese/ricotta in the middle. Very pretty! The chopped spearmint was a very nice accent to the figs, honey and cream.

After a brief respite, we had two desserts. Both decadently chocolate-y! Willie’s Date, Dried Cherry, & Chocolate Nut Torte (Local Flavors by Deborah Madison, p. 371) was rich…it reminded me of a chocolate fruit cake but better! I’m not sure which dish needed the whipped cream but it was perfect with both the Chocolate Nut Torte and Annie’s Gateau Moule (steamed chocolate cake) (Field of Greens by Annie Somerville, p. 355*). It’s steamed in the sense that it is baked in a bain-marie (water bath). It was light and so-o-o easy to eat, even though I was totally "full." It just melted in my mouth. We served an Old Chandon Port Works, Koda nv Dessert Wine, Chandon, CA. because it is a very chocolate-y port. Bill thinks that there is no wine that really goes with chocolate but I think this one comes close. This wine and Meeker Vineyards, Frozin, are the two wines that come the closest to complementing chocolate.

OMG!! I waddled home! Who would have guessed I could fill up on vegetables? I went home with a couple of recipes I want to try. That’s the wonderfulness of this cookbook club. I don’t have to cook every recipe in the book to see which ones I want to keep. I got to “try” 13 recipes all at once…so much less work! And, all of these recipes (except the one I prepared, of course…) were ones I did NOT mark as recipes I wanted to try. That's the delightful surprise of each meal with this group. Others pick recipes that I would not have chosen to try and because they are consummate cooks, each dish is prepared to perfection and tastes like it!

There were some fabulous photos of each entré, rather than the plated versions, and I regret not putting them on this blog...because of the space issue. You can click on the photos to get an enlarged view, in case you didn't know. Willie sent the entire photo album of this dinner to our cookbook club members. If you want to see very artistic photos of each entré, it's worth the visit! click on: Greens dinner

Another aside…not so appetizing but eating nothing but vegetables, when my system is not used to eating nothing but vegetables, puts too much fiber into me. I think I need some meat to balance out my system or maybe if I always just ate vegetables, my system would get used to it. I made a spaghetti with kale dish for dinner tonight so I am trying to eat more veggies but I am craving a chicken!! I don’t know that I’ll ever be a vegetarian but I am reducing my carbon footprint (less plastic, more reusable storage containers, picnic plates, etc.)and eating sustainable, organic everything now…milk, eggs, chicken, filo dough, fruit, veggies. AND, my chickens are now sustainable, organic "Rosie" chickens!

Our next dinner will be our annual Holiday appetizers-and-desserts-from-any-cookbook-we’ve-tried-this-year event. Your spouse/partner/guest is invited to join us for this dinner so get out those cookbooks!! AND, maybe next year YOU’LL be the lucky and proud caretaker of our Crowing Coq mascot if you participate in our kitchen white elephant gift exchange.

Looking forward to dining with you in December!

Sandi

* unless otherwise noted, all recipes were from The Greens Cookbook.