Finallyfinallyfinally these fellows are up and in the shop! I've been slowly and steadily working on these two and all their many iterations over the last few months. I'm pretty much in love with them.

One of the best parts was getting back into watercolors. I hadn't messed around with them in forever but they were just what I needed. I zoned out--or IN, rather--for hours and could virtually feel parts of my brain healing up and getting shiny while I painted. 

I also really enjoyed the logistical part about figuring out how to make these actually happen...from a printed page of art...

...to finding and adding the perfect tiny vintagey-looking mini-brads...

...(so tiny!)...to actual dancing Tuxedo Kitties!

I know just how they feel :)

I fell in love with the characters (based oh-so-loosely on our own two deadpan tuxedo kitties) and from them flowed a fount of handmade ideas: storybooks, some olde-timey-inspired art dolls...

...who even have a rear view...

...(still working on the tails)...to some still smaller versions of the guys...

...who will reside inside a tiny wooden storybook box. 

All of this to come and more! I left my Little Red Fox Shop empty for a while as I was awaiting new inspiration and to somehow magically cobble together the time to do what I wanted. 

I'll be adding to it (and the other two shops) over the next few weeks but for now we have company coming in over the weekend and I have to get to work on creamy polenta and braised short ribs. I'll be taking pictures of it for the blog--this is one of my favorite all-time meals. I don't eat a lot of meat but I can't really resist short ribs. This is the only recipe I've ever really used but if you have one you recommend I'd love to see it. Always on the look-out. 

Thank you, as alwaysalwaysalways, for stopping by here. As someone who is prone to copious amounts of solitary time, it's always in the back of my head and heart that I have this, and you all, to commune with. Happy spring! I think this is going to be just gorgeous...

 

This is another thing for which we have Thomas Keller to thank. I'd also love to thank him for the mind-and-belly altering meal that was elegant, weird, bizarre and wacky all at the same time that we had the night we got engaged at The French Laundry in Napa Valley. It was pretty unreal. 

But this is also pretty wonderful. And a bit more accessible :)

A ladyfriend pointed me towards this recipe when we were trying to decide what to make ourselves for dinner one night. We were pretty sure it knocked our socks off but there was a lot of champagne happening that night and most everything we said and did seemed pretty magical that night. So I made it a week later when Mr. Wood got back from his trip and it was confirmed--this is utterly wonderful and beautifully simple. 

Everyone loves a roasted chicken and I feel like I've heard as many "secrets" to the perfect one as people who have made one. I've heard smothering it in mayonnaise is the only way to a crispy skin; I've heard that you have to stuff it with xy&z for it to be flavorful; and on and on. I think all those are good--but this one--this is the best one I've ever had. That is a true statement. And you do so little. The secret seems to be just raining generous amounts of salt inside and out and cooking it in dry heat at 400 degrees. I thought it was so strange that you cook it at such a high temperature for so long and it doesn't dry out--but I swear, yall--it doesn't. It's actually a moment of kitchen magic because it is so. Moist. I will say that last time we broiled it for a few minutes once it was done baking to get a richer color and a crispier skin.

He suggests you slather it with unsalted butter so we did that this time. Twist my arm. It's also totally delicious without.  

I've made this once a week for the last month and it's been basically the same: this gorgeous roasted organic chicken with quality dijon on the side for dipping, and a lemon and olive-oil arugula salad. Sometimes we'll have a quinoa something-or-other on the side and this time we had Spicy Cumin Roasted Carrots (cumin, cayenne and olive oil) but you really don't need it. This juicy chicken only needs a bright, peppery salad for the meal to feel complete. Once we're done eating, we strip the rest of the meat for sandwiches and salads during the week and make a stock from the bones. And out of that, a soup later in the week (usually of the bean variety but most recently of the cauliflower variety). I'm not prone to routines of any kind--in that I have almost never ever in my life had one--but this has been so nice having such a productive, easy, fairly inexpensive regular event in our week. Plus you feel like you're in your very own french bistro which is a feeling I can get used to. 

Are you sold or what?? The recipe is here--don't skip the trussing part! He does a good job explaining it and it seems to really make a big difference.  

Love this book. It's so up my alley. It was a gift--a very thoughtful gift--from my sister-in-law a few years ago and the yesterday it occurred to me that I haven't given it enough kitchen-time. We had some cauliflower that needed to be eaten so I looked in the index under cauliflower and found this soup which seemed perfect. Even though this has been the mildest winter ever up here which makes me so happy I want to write a musical about it, it is still winter and winter requires soups. 

For this one you start by sauteeing up cumin seeds, cardamom seeds, red chili flakes and turmeric in olive oil with onions and a carrot and, you get this dark red almost paste-like base for the soup. I have a habit of doing essentially the same thing over and over to start soups so it was so refreshing to do something different. Plus the house smelled amazing and for me that's when the meal starts. 

Her recipe calls for one large head of cauliflower but I only had 2/3 of one left so instead used a large parsnip to fill it out. 

But the best part was that I had made homemade chicken stock a few days before. The recipe calls for basically 6 cups of liquid--so 4 of this was my stock, which, if you can do it, is more than worth the trouble. I like this recipe but do like 1/25 of the amount she does (??). 

I also used my beloved stick-blender to get a smooth consistency, though she only called for aggressive stirring to break up the softened cauliflower. I just love a blended soup. If you prefer a more textured soup, a whisk or a stir would leave you with a chunkier version which would be nice too. Diff'rent strokes. 

I roasted up some pumpkin seeds in cayenne, turmeric and liquid aminos to sprinkle on top. You could easily substitute soy or tamari for the liquid aminos to similar effect. 

The salad was yummy--just greens with a spicy paprika vinaigrette. But again--instead of doing my usual garlic dijon vinaigrette routine--I thought the smokiness and sweetness of the paprika would go nicely with the spices in the soup. It did and it was oh-so pleasant with a reisling we had left over from a curry dinner. We don't often have wine left over but this was one was very...multi-dimensional? and needed an equally bouncy dinner to go with it so the two held hands beautifully. I also didn't have any of the garnishes she mentions on hand but I'd be curious to see how they tasted with the soup. Yogurt isn't something I'm dying to eat a lot of in general.

This is the recipe exactly as it appears in her book The Art of Simple Food.

ALICE WATERS' SPICY CAULIFLOWER SOUP
Makes 2 quarts; 4 to 6 servings

Heat, in a heavy-bottomed soup pot: 

1/4c olive oil 

Add and cook, stirring often, over medium heat;

1 onion, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds, crushed
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp dried chile flakes
salt
fresh ground black pepper

When very soft but not browned, add:

6 cilantro sprigs, coarsely chopped
1 lg head cauliflower, trimmed of green leaves and coarsely chopped (about 6 cups)
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups water

Raise the heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the cauliflower is very tender, about 30 minutes. Stir vigorously with a spoon or whisk to coarsely puree the soup. You may need to add more broth or water to thin the soup if it is too thick. Taste, adust the seasoning if necessary, and serve hot.

Garnish each serving with:

Yogurt
Chopped cilantro or mint
A squeeze of lime juice

Variations: For a richer soup, use all chicken broth. For a lighter, vegetarian soup, use all water.  

 

Stick with me here. 

I need to say that while I lovelovelove to eat healthy and am always open to trying a new food or trend, healthy or otherwise--I am not a vegan nor am I gluten-intolerant (necessarily). I understand that veganism makes the most sense for some people, but it does not for me. I am, before anything else, a person who loves to eat and try new things and when going to a new place I will always ALWAYS participate in and embrace the culture/food first. My preferences come second. But that's just me.

That said--we kinda eat vegan at home. I'll go days before I realize I haven't had any dairy or meat. I think we both prefer vegetables for one, have gotten used to feeling healthy and lighter, plus beans are my favorite food :) And if you're not clear why lots of people who are not necessarily intolerant of wheat products are going gluten-free, you can start here. It's a good thing to avoid when you can, and plus new experiments can always provide kitchen fun! 

So the night before last I had seen this recipe for a kind of 'flat bread' made out of garbanzo bean flour. So we gave it a whirl as an experiment with our dinner that night and loved it. It's a great recipe because its simple and seemed really versatile. Being round and flat, it had a pizza-like appearance, so I figured I could do some riffing and a couple of adjustments and make it even more pizza-like. 

So that was my goal last night. I saw this recipe over on The Queen of Quinoa and it looked yummy beyond yummy. I didn't have quinoa flour and wanted to use what I had on hand so I riffed on her recipe and came up with my own with a mix of both millet flour, garbanzo bean flour and brown rice flour and a couple of other additions and it was--no kidding--ridiculous.

In fact, it went exactly like this:

 

Mr. Wood: (about to sit down with his plate) I mean, let's face it, nothing will ever be as good as a real dough, margerita pizza with red sauce and cheese.

Me: True. But let's just think about this as something different than pizza--maybe just a kind of healthy salad-type thing to eat during the week. 

Mr. Wood: Totally. I'm excited about it I'm just saying...

We dig in and eat in silence for a few minutes. 

Mr. Wood: (a bit wild-eyed) I mean I might never have to have real pizza ever again!

 

I made two crusts so we would have left-overs for lunch today and he basically polished it off!

So, yes. Obviously we will be having real pizza many more times in our lives and this is different than your 'normal' pizza, but--its a total hit with both of us. Not to mention you get an energy burst after you eat and no heavy leadbelly feeling.

I will say it was a lot of trouble. We used every saute pan in the house, plus a cast-iron skillet, a glass pie pan and a bunch of mixing bowls. But you could eliminate some of the toppings to simplify. I do think that one of the keys to this is flavoring every level, so that even the arugula is loaded with wonderful, bright flavor. 

And if the avocado substitution is a new thing for you, a more traditional pesto would also be delicious but--as The Queen of Quinoa says--the decadent creaminess of the avocado is unbeatable and gives a textural reminder of the cheese. And its flavored with Italian flavors so it actually made perfect sense. It really was even better than I expected it to be. Part of it had to be the golden brown crispiness that is the crust--I mean, look at this...

I like a browned, crispy crust on a regular pizza and this seems somehow fool-proof so far.

We topped ours with grilled chicken (which was left over from the night before), caramelized onions, fresh garlic, sauteed mushrooms and zucchini (sauteed with garlic and red pepper flakes), sliced fresh jalapeno, Italian avocado pesto/spread (which you can find here), arugula salad tossed with homemade Italian dressing, more red pepper flakes and a pink Himilayan salt just for fun.

Recipes for the two types of crust and homemade Italian dressing below with many indebted thanks (once again) to the original pizza crust recipe from The Queen of Quinoa :)

 

 

ROSEMARY BROWN RICE GARBANZO BEAN PIZZA CRUST

1/2c Garbanzo Bean Flour
1/2c Brown Rice Flour
1-1 1/4c filtered water
1tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2tsp-1tsp agave nectar 
1 tsp dried or fresh rosemary
1 tsp salt
2 TBS olive oil 

     Preheat the oven to 450. In a mixing bowl, combine the flours and the salt and whisk in the water 1/4 cup at a time until you have a batter not unlike the consistency of pancake batter. Add the vinegar and agave and whisk in to combine well. 

     Pour the olive oil and rosemary into a cast iron skillet (my first choice) or a glass pie pan or any other oven-safe skillet or pan and swirl around to coat the bottom. Put in the oven to heat a few minutes, then remove, pour the batter into the hot oil and rosemary and then put back in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the sides are browned and pulled away from the sides somewhat.

     Top with the avocado pesto and the rest of your toppings, slice and enjoy! 

 

BLACK PEPPER, MILLET FLOUR AND GARBANZO BEAN FLOUR PIZZA CRUST

2/3c Garbanzo Bean Flour
1/3c Millet Flour
1 tsp (or more) fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 TBS (or so) olive oil

(Recipe the same as above, adding the pepper with salt. Rosemary optional.)

 

 

Homemade Italian Dressing

1/2c olive oil
1 TBS red wine vinegar
1 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 healthy pinch Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
1 TBS chopped fresh parsley
squeeze of 1/4 lemon (optional)

Whisk all the ingredients except the parsley together, then stir in the parsley.

• I used a TBS or two of this Italian dressing to flavor the avocado spread, by the way.
• Other ingredients and toppings I intend to try is a sundried tomato pesto or some type of artichoke pesto?? Need to research some ideas but that could be really yummy.
• Eggplant? Some type of capponata? Black olives? Obviously tons of possibilites :) Let me know if you have some other brilliant ideas! We'll be needing them since we decided this is a definite easy week-night go-to.  

Are you watching Portlandia? If you aren't, please consider it. It's hysterical and weird and smart and they are no doubt making as much fun of you as they are of me. I find myself laughing at them and realizing at the same time that I've said/done/thought the exact same thing with equal vehemence and far less self-awareness. It's a good thing (she says desperately)! 

Anyway--if you are watching it--once again I am laughing at myself but only after realizing which particular cultural kool-aid I had sipped. In this case--the pickling phenomenon. (It's a really funny sketch, btw.) I don't love pickles in general because I'm a little creeped out by soggy vegetables. But obviously its popular, and healthy, and a great way to use vegetables you bought but won't be able to eat in time. However, the true story is that the other day we went out to lunch and on Mr. Wood's plate were some really pretty pickled carrots and that's why I wanted to make them. Because they were pretty.

Sometimes when I am having a hard-ish time or feeling a little blue, I get up in the kitchen and have at it. If I was feeling cute, I might call it Kitchen Therapy. Either way I am having such a time and yesterday I got down and dirty in there and made 5 quarts of vegetable stock to freeze (riffing wildly off this recipe), a huge pot of black eyed peas (also to freeze after using them in tacos for last night's dinner), a pint of Ginger Miso Dressing to use over steamed greens and salads, grinding up flax and chia seeds, made these carrots, and also raw pickled ginger for sushi this week. Exercised some demons and a full freezer to boot!

For the carrots, I ended up using this recipe as a base and omitted the anise and dill seeds and instead added peppercorns and whole hot chilis and more garlic than he used. Only two days into the pickling process and they are YUMMY. And an excellent little plate accessory. I like that they have a little crunch still. 

And yes, they are also very pretty :)