I knew that I liked both tuna and beans. Separately. But epiphanies happen and in Venice last spring we had tuna and cannellini beans together in a salad for lunch. Loved it. Insalata di tonno e fagioli. My Italian Connection again. Our friend Mac made it for our lunch one day just before we headed for Murano Island.

It was a memorable time and I can picture events associated with and following that lunch – views of the Venetian skyline while riding the #5 Vapretto toward Murano, its colorful architectural landscape, its modest but beautiful cathedral, and the classic painterly light in early evening as we returned to Venice.

In the midst of all that my mind did one of those random backflips – you know what I mean, an out-of-the blue flash of intention then right back to the present moment which in this case was the view and the light – where I imagined making this salad when I got back home. Turns out I didn’t wait that long.

We rented a place in Tuscany for a week and prepared some of our meals there. Because it’s quick and delicious and Italian we had this salad for lunch at least twice that week.

And shopping for the ingredients in Cetona, our nearest town, was an adventure. Located on the edge of the piazza there was a tiny grocery where I bought everything I needed. The white-haired nonna and I, neither speaking the other’s language, figured it out and she helped me find what I needed. I returned several times that week and each time she stepped forth with a smile. To hell with the language barrier. We’re on the planet together and simpatico regardless of differences.

This is my current favorite summer salad and it doesn’t hurt that I have these sweet memories of Venice associated with it. In the PNW we have plenty of our own memory-making scenes. If you can’t imagine tuna and beans together, give this a try. Come to think of it, one of our absolute favorite meals is a Tom Douglas recipe for halibut and lentils with a bread crumb salad on top. Fish and beans, maybe not such a weird combo.

Our Venetian Tuna & Bean Salad

Tuna and bean salad takes about five minutes to make. Let it sit for a bit if you have time. This is enough for two or three servings.

Ingredients: canned or fresh tuna, canned or cooked-at-home cannellini beans (or any white bean), red onion, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Chopped, fresh parsley.

Open and drain a can of tuna, Tuna Guys is a great local choice, and a can of rinsed cannellini beans – or 1 C fresh and cooked of each. More of one or the other would be fine. Mix together with 2 tablespoons of finely chopped red onion, more or less as you prefer, and sprinkle generously with olive oil and vinegar. Perhaps a little seasoning, a handful of parsley, and lettuce from the garden, glamorous at the moment. Dress it lavishly – add more olive oil and vinegar to taste.

Serve chilled or at room temp on a bed of lettuce with whatever other vegetables you’d like – tomatoes! – a piece of crusty bread and a bowl of berries. I’ll say it again . . . aaah, sweet summertime.

Having said that I realize it would be just as good mid-winter, but I don’t even want to think about that right now.

Local Tuna Taste Test

Browsing through my new volume of Canal House Cooking, I came upon the perfect pairing for my favorite basil summertime drinks — the Italian crispy, cheesey treat known as a frico. Perfect for me because I love something salty to munch along with a cocktail. These are so simple to make, the thought of having to cook a few after guests have arrived isn’t at all intimidating. Even when you’ve run out of all other ingredients for quick hors d’ouvres, I’ll bet you can find some grating cheese somewhere in the fridge. You can make them any size you please so start small until you get the hang of it. The recipe calls for 1 cup of freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano or other hard Italian grating cheese. I didn’t measure (typical) and in this case, I’d say just start with whatever feels comfortable.

Canal House Frico

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Sprinkle 1 cup (or less) grated (I used shredded) hard cheese in roundish, thin layer.

Toast until it begins to melt and turns a deep golden brown.

Lift up the edge of the cheese with a thin spatula. I found a metal one works best but carefully not to scrape your nonstick skillet. Gently slide it over to toast the other side. It may bunch up a bit but that’s fine.

Transfer to a plate, let it cool down and crisp. When it’s still hot, it’s somewhat pliable and can be shaped if you are so inclined. I love them just as they are.

If you feel like continuing the Italian theme, basil is an excellent ingredient for a summer cocktail, mocktail or iced tea. All you’ll need is a batch of basil simple syrup and you can mix it up however you like.

Basil loves heat when it’s growing but doesn’t take well to cooking. One way to get around this when making basil simple syrup is to blanch it VERY quickly — for 10 seconds or so. Before it knows what happened, plunge into a bowl of ice water, then blend with the sugar & water. It’ll still retain that wonderful spicy, complex sweetness. The other big tip I learned from Jerry Traunfeld, in his Herbal Kitchen, is to add a tiny amount of baking soda to the simple syrup. This is a huge revelation for those of us who have added bright green herbs to drinks only to have them turn into a muddy brown mess. The next day, your basil simple syrup will look as lovely in its emerald green summer dress as when it arrived at the party (unlike the rest of us). Don’t combine with citrus until you’re ready to drink it to maintain its beauty for as long as possible.

Basil Simple Syrup

1 1/2 cups basil leaves

1/2 cup superfine sugar

1/2 cup water

1/8 t baking soda

Blanch basil leaves by plunging them for 10 seconds into a small pot of rapidly boiling water. Lift them out with tongs and place in a bowl of ice water. Place in a sieve and drain, squeezing out excess water.

Blend sugar, water and baking soda in a blender. Add basil leaves and continue blending until you have a dark green liquid — 30 seconds to a minute.

Strain through a fine strainer using a spoon to push the liquid through. Store in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Once you have this potently delicious syrup you can mix up all sorts of concoctions.

Basil Lemon Lime Fizz (non-alcoholic drink for 1)

2 t basil simple syrup (recipe above)

1 t lemon juice

1 t lime juice

Sparkling water or club soda

Pour basil simple syrup, lemon & lime juice into glass. Fill with cracked ice. Top off with club soda. Stir.

You can adjust amounts of basil simple syrup, lemon & lime juice to suit your own taste. This drink is not only beautiful but is an excellent thirst-quencher for a hot summer day. These same ingredients make the basis (substituting the club soda with tonic) for an amazing gin & tonic.

Basil Berry Tonic (cocktail for 2)

4 ounces rum (we like the taste of dark rum but light rum also works and would make a drink of a lighter color)

1 ounce basil simple syrup (recipe above)

3 – 4 large strawberries, washed and hulled + 2 extra for garnish

Leaves of 2 or 3 sprigs of basil

Tonic water

Gently muddle the strawberries and basil leaves in the bottom of a wide shaker. Remember you are pressing, not tearing.

Add rum and simple syrup.

Add plenty of ice to the shaker and shake.

Fill 2 glasses with cracked ice. Pour muddled mixture into glasses and top off with tonic. Stir and garnish with a strawberry.

If you prefer a clearer cocktail, you can strain out the muddled pulp. It may look prettier but we think it doesn’t taste as good. Why waste all that good stuff?

Once again, Charlie, our master mixologist, outdid himself with this herbalicious Basil Berry Tonic recipe. We have Jerry Traunfeld to thank for the basil simple syrup and inspiration for the Basil Lemon Lime Fizz.

Sometimes it’s hard for us during the summer to make it to the University Farmers Market on Saturdays. I’ve come to rely more and more on produce and market stands and have discovered  a wonderful one in the Skagit Valley called Mother Flight Farm. We often get off I-5 at Conway and make our way to Anacortes via La Conner for a more scenic route through the valley. Mother Flight is close to Conway but slightly off the beaten path — you’ll see their wonderful hand-painted signs. Prices are great, everything is organic and the selection is perfect for one-stop shopping.

A couple of weeks ago we came home with a beautiful bunch of beets. I almost always roast beets and then marinate them. They’ll keep in the fridge for several days so you can add them to your daily salad or just serve them as a side dish. When the greens are young and tender, as these were, a brief saute with garlic and a squeeze of lemon is all you need.

Several years ago I started using Jerry Traunfeld’s recipe in The Herbfarm Cookbook and have stuck with my own variation of it ever since. Like so many of his recipes, this one fits my style of casual cooking.

Roasted Marinated Beets

1 bunch of beets, 7-8 small

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 1 lemon

1 T maple syrup

1 medium shallot, sliced thin

Salt & pepper to taste

Chopped herbs — dill, tarragon, chives are all good

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Wash beets and trim stems to 1/2 inch.

Place in a shallow baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer. Pour 1/2 inch of water into dish and cover with a lid or foil.

Bake 30 to 60 minutes depending on the size of beets. Test by piercing with a paring knife for doneness.

Let beets cool. Cut off the top and tail and remove the skins (usually they’ll just rub off or use a paring knife).

Stir together the lemon zest, lemon juice, maple syrup, shallot, salt, pepper and herbs. Coat the beets with this dressing and let it sit at least an hour or overnight in the fridge.

Blue cheese, feta cheese, walnuts, arugula, frisee or any salad greens and beets — whatever you have on hand, it’s all good. You can even forgo the roasting altogether and try this grated raw beet salad. It’s said to turn even sworn beet haters into fans.

Heading home now, the road’s still beautiful, we’re still happy companions but looking forward to sleeping in our own beds. And then there’s the catching up with stuff back home.

A few more snapshots from the road, Idaho and Montana.

Country road outside Hamilton, MT, site of our workshop.

Clearwater River (Hwy 12) lunch stop and foot spa.

Downtown Missoula at sunset and dinner at Pearl Cafe & Bakery (good!), also my mother’s middle name so it was a must.

This sign speaks for itself.

BLT’s from Ryan’s Wilderness Inn (Lowell, ID) made a fine picnic lunch on the Clearwater River.

A couple of the many kids we met and photographed this week, each doing their own thing.

Stopping/swerving off the road for a quick pic. (Poppy was a little shaken but grabbed her camera anyway.)

Over 16o vineyards in the Walla Walla neighborhood. This is one not far from town.

Grain silos punctuate Palouse wheat fields.

The road to Lewiston, ID, early evening.

Next stop Hamilton, MT and an intensive photo workshop. Now things get serious.

Sagelands near Ellensburg, WA.

Cornfields now on what was once Sally’s family land. Through cornstalks, Mt. Baker in the distance.

Hops outside Toppenish, WA. That cold brew you keep in the fridge . . . hops are involved.

Wheat fields on the road from Walla Walla to Waitsburg, WA. 6:30 in the evening, beauteous land and light beginning to soften.

Flashy grain silo and an old barn across the road from each other.

On a side road exploration we found this gorgeous meadow with its tiny cabin.

JimGermanBar in Waitsburg, WA. At the end of our first day, so worth the wait.

Through more Palouse country, Pullman and then on towards Montana today.

We’ll probably camp a night or two, and we’ll scope out local communities, their gardens, markets, crafts, food and a nephew as we explore the eastern regions of our state – where I grew up, Poppy’s never been and I rarely visit anymore. Ice chest in the back seat, music, snacks (we both love a good potato chip which might be why we get along so well), cameras at hand. Should be a blast. We’ll keep you posted with a daily photo or two.

And in the cooler will be ice cold rosemary lemonade made before leaving home, plus a small container of the concentrate for making more along the way.

Herbal infusions are lightweight, unpackaged, unprocessed and inexpensive beverages that can be made in a few minutes with ingredients you may have in the backyard. The citrus can be minimized or even eliminated in which case you could also eliminate the sugar. Adjust ingredients to create your own infusion by adding more or less of any ingredient. Mint, lavender, lemon verbana, hyssop, lemon thyme, basil  .  .  .

Thanks to Jerry Traunfeld, The Herbfarm Cookbook

Rosemary Lemonade

Ingredients for 1 1/2 quarts: 1/2 C sugar, 6 C water, 6 sprigs rosemary, lemon juice and lemon zest (zest isn’t part of Traunfeld’s basic recipe – it just seemed like a good idea.)

Bring sugar and 2 C water to a boil/ Remove from heat and add rosemary and several 2-inch peelings of lemon zest (just the yellow skin and none of the pith which is bitter)/ Cover and let steep for 30 minutes/ Strain syrup into a pitcher/ Add remaining 4 C water, juice of one or two lemons. Put a piece of rosemary and lemon zest into the pitcher. When cooled, pour over ice. Aaaaaah, summer.

I tripled this recipe and made a pitcher for home, another pitcher for the road, and saved a small bottle of the syrup. I’ll make another pitcher while traveling with the syrup + water + the juice of 1 lemon.

Each season brings on new routines and activities. Here’s to you and your own version of summer fun, whatever it may be – possibly a sip of rosemary lemonade.

Montana or Bust!

About a year ago right now I was in the kitchen of friends while Mac was cooking up a pot of Risi e Bisi for our first course, rice and peas Italian style. Rice and, yawn, peas? It now seems blasphemous to have doubted.  Let me tell you, I sat down at the table, had a bite from my bowl full and began to float. I was in heaven. I carried on and I might have even said that it was the best thing I’d ever eaten. It was one of those moments when hyperbole is the only fitting expression.

Since I have the very cookbook that he uses, The Seasons of the Italian Kitchen, I recently got up the nerve to try it myself, and the experience was nearly as good again. I pass it on and recommend. You know how Italians are about their seasonal specialties – well, Risi e Bisi is one of them. This dish is Venice’s spring fling and has been for centuries, part of festivities honoring the Doge, ruler of the Republic. The rule of a Doge long gone, risi bisi remains heartily loved.

Peas are in season in the PNW right now, perfect timing if you can get them. Last week I found fresh shelling peas at the Farmers Market, this week not, so I used a package of frozen. Cascadian Farms are organic, local and, unlike other produce, peas are pretty good frozen. The timing is right so look around a bit.

And timing is part of the deal here. Read the recipe, lay everything out and go for it. With the stock made in advance this takes about 35 – 40 minutes. I recommend homemade chicken stock if you can manage it. You’ll notice that this recipe uses Arborio rice, but the process differs from the usual risotto making.

Homemade chicken stock: It can be informal and simple to make. Use leftover bones or the carcass from cooked chicken, uncooked backs, a whole chicken, or a combination of both/ Place it all in a large pot with enough cold water to cover the chicken (probably several quarts)/ Add one onion, quartered, one carrot and one celery, cut into large chunks, a handful of fresh thyme or a teaspoon dried, a bay leaf, salt and pepper/ For a large batch of 4 quarts of more add more onion, carrot, celery and herbs to the mix/ Slowly bring it all to a simmer and let it cook, covered, for 2 1/2 – 3 hours/ Check and stir the pot occasionally/ Taste for seasoning, drain through a fine sieve and pour broth into quart containers/ Label and freeze.

After broth is chilled it’s easy to skim fat off the top, or use a fat separator. Oxo Good Grips makes a good one, a pitcher with a long spout that works well.

Or, Poppy’s slow cooked broth recipe is excellent and has more explicit directions.

Risi e Bisi (Rice & Peas), from The Seasons of the Italian Kitchen, Darrow & Maresca. Four servings.

Ingredients: 6 C chicken stock/ 4 T unsalted butter/ 2 T olive oil/ 1/4 C chopped onion/ 1/2 C chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley/ 2 ounces pancetta, chopped/ 2 C fresh peas if you can find them/ 1 C Arborio rice/ 1 t salt/ freshly ground black pepper/ 3 T Parmesan cheese.

Bring the 6 cups of broth to a bare simmer in a large pot/ In another large pan melt 2 T of the butter and 2 T olive oil/ Add onion, pancetta and parsley and sauté over medium heat for 3 or 4 minutes, until pancetta begins to brown and onion is soft/ Add peas and simmer for a minute, stirring and coating with the base ingredients/ Then add 1/2 C broth and simmer until peas are almost tender, 20 – 30 minutes, stirring often and adding broth a little at a time as needed/ The peas should be kept just moist, but not swimming in broth/ AN IMPORTANT NOTE, this is where I diverged from the recipe. I cooked peas about 10 minutes instead of 20 or 30 and felt the dish didn’t suffer from that change./ When peas have finished their simmering process, add the remaining broth and bring to a boil/ Add all of the rice and simmer uncovered until rice is just tender, about 20 minutes/ Season generously with pepper, stir in the remaining 2 T butter and 3 T parmesan cheese. It should be a little soupy.

Garnish with parsley, take a bite and have your own moment of heaven.

Buon Appetito and thank you Italy!

If you think you’ve had enough cabbage to last until next winter, think again. Last weekend at the Orcas Island Farmers Market all the buzz was about the Arrowhead cabbage sold by Maple Rock Farm. You would think everyone would be excited about the sweet sugar snaps or the spring onions and they were, but these cabbages certainly caught my eye and evidently there were plenty of repeat customers back for more.

Their shape is obviously different from your normal run-of-the-mill cabbage and actually quite a challenge to photograph without making them look like some sort of alien. If you were to take away some of the more irritating aspects of  cabbage and come up with an ideal variety, this would be it. First of all, they’re the perfect size, especially for a small family. Let’s face it, it’s hard to use up a big head of cabbage all at once unless you’re making sauerkraut. At the suggestion of the lovely woman from Maple Rock Farm, I cut one of these in two, drizzled it with olive oil, salt, pepper and scallions and roasted for about 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees. I sprinkled some grated parmesan cheese on just before they were done.

The result was very light and lovely without any of the heaviness sometimes associated with cabbage. The best description of the taste I can come up with is buttery crunch — not at all tough, but a velvety texture. Mild, sweet, delicious.

And if that weren’t enough, I had one head left to make a spicy slaw I’ve wanted to try. I think my usual slaw is pretty darn good but this recipe may become the one I’ll make from now on. It has an Asian taste making it an excellent companion for my Japanese salmon burgers but I served it with simple pan-fried salmon and it was memorable. I was inspired by Jerry Traunfeld’s spicy cilantro slaw in The Herbal Kitchen. Oh, and no need to remove the outer leaves since the whole head is very tender so there’s hardly any waste except for the small core.

Spicy Arrowhead Cabbage Slaw

1 whole head of Arrowhead cabbage, sliced very thin, core removed

1 large carrot, grated

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

Juice of 1 lime

1 t sugar

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 t Sriracha sauce (Garlic chili sauce)

Toasted sesame oil

Whisk together mayo, vinegar, lime juice, sugar, soy sauce and Sriracha in a large bowl. Toss in remaining ingredients. Drizzle some toasted sesame oil on top. Refrigerate for at least an hour to wilt the cabbage and blend the flavors.

So, where do you find this wonderful cabbage if you don’t happen to be on Orcas Island? I’ve read that it’s showing up more and more in CSA boxes, but I’m not sure if that’s true in our area. The best bet seems to be to grow your own. The seeds aren’t that easy to come by but Johnny’s Selected Seeds has a variety called Caraflex they describe as cone-shaped, pointed mini cabbage. Start searching for Arrowheads — they’re well worth the hunt.

Ever since we bought land on Orcas Island about a month ago, I’ve wanted to try cooking on an open wood fire. I’m talking about ON the fire, not just on a grill over the fire. To some people this may be no big deal but I’d never done it and needed some help to get started. Last weekend Sally had her first visit to the land and I jumped at the opportunity to take advantage of her expertise. She grew up on a ranch in Eastern Washington and experienced both her father and grandparents cooking over an open fire. We had both seen the cover recipe for Caveman Porterhouse in the latest issue of Bon Appetit and decided, despite our skepticism, to give it our best cavegirl’s try.

First stop — Silvana Meats in where else, Silvana — take the Arlington exit off I-5 and head west. This has become a regular stop for me on my way to Anacortes. They’re all about local meat and game, have excellent quality and customer service and their prices make it well worth a stop to fill up a cooler every time you make the trip. We bought two New York steaks, more than plenty for four hungry girls or just the two of us with leftovers. We learned from the friendly butcher, who’s been there as long as I can remember, that the Porterhouse is the same as a T-bone. Once you cut the meat off the bone, the rounder, more tender (and expensive) side is the Tenderloin and the longer side is the Strip or New York steak, still plenty tender and delicious.

Sally brought along onions and potatoes to cook in foil packets and we picked up a couple of beautiful portabellas to throw on the grill. Truthfully, the mushrooms are meaty enough to forgo the steak but I wanted to try grilling the meat directly on the wood coals. Notice I said wood, not charcoal briquettes. If you don’t have access to firewood, buy hardwood lump charcoal. Save your briquettes for the barbie.

While Sally was chopping the vegetables, adding salt, pepper and butter, I started mixing our favorite rum & tonics. Maybe not such a great idea before cooking on an open fire but a necessary part of the girl’s camping trip ritual. It also made driving to the store for the salt I forgot to bring along out of the question, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing — I mean not driving , not the fact that I forgot the salt. Sorry, Sally.

Once the fire is going, place the foil packets in, giving them plenty of time to cook since the steak will only take about 4- 5 minutes on each side. Sit back, enjoy your cocktail, contemplate nature and have a conversation about subjects that just don’t come up around the backyard bbq. This isn’t the time to be too stingy with your thoughts or your firewood. You’re going to want plenty of glowing coals to cook the steak on. I was so aware of the dry grasses surrounding us and our lack of water coupled with my rum buzz that I was maybe a little overly cautious. We ended up with enough coals but just barely.

Meanwhile, brush the portabellas with a little olive oil, salt & pepper and put them directly on the grill. Now that I’ve cooked meat on the coals and have more confidence, I think mushrooms would work that way too. In full disclosure, I threw a head of radicchio from my garden on the grill also. Everybody’s heard of grilled radicchio, right? Took a taste and all I’ll say is that I don’t recommend it, definitely not my cup of tea.

The portabellas, on the other hand were perfectly moist and smoky-flavored. Sally may have had something to do with that.

When the coals are glowing and orange, you’re supposed to fan any excess ashes away using newspaper. We didn’t seem to have excess ashes, maybe due to the fact that we used actual wood instead of hardwood lump charcoal. Sprinkle the steaks generously with coarse sea salt and plenty of cracked pepper. Place directly on the hot embers and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Use long tongs, remove from fire and if you have loose ash, brush off steak. Let rest for about 10 minutes if you can wait that long, then dig in.

I’ll have to say, we didn’t do too bad for a couple of girls. At least I overcame my fear of cooking over the campfire, which is good since I think I’ll be doing a lot more of it.

Mark Bittman came out with a list of 101 Fast Recipes for Grilling this week in the NY Times, just in time for July 4th. Our steak wasn’t exactly fast but waiting for the coals to reach the right shade of orange was half the fun.