Back home for a weekend to show off my city, and what was I most excited to do? Well, eat of course. Starting with a Kramarczuk’s Hungarian sausage loaded with onions and sauerkraut at the Twins game on friday, every meal was a delight from my past.

From lunch at Lucia’s and wine before 3, to Sebastian Joe’s twice in one day, opulence was the word of the weekend. I rediscovered Spoonriver on a long bike ride down around the lakes and along the river. Brenda, of the beloved Cafe Brenda works wonders with the simplest ingredients sourced from around Minnesota.

We started with the Spoon Dips: Preserved Lemon Hummus and Roasted Red Pepper - Walnut Paté, accompanied by a cadre of Vegetables, Olives, and toasted Foccacia.

Here is a riff on the delicious red pepper bowl of love in the photo

Six red bell peppers
1 cup bread crumbs from a baguette or similar bread
1 cup toasted walnuts
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup olive oil

Stem, seed and quarter bell peppers.  Place on a cookie sheet under the broiler skin side within 3 or so inches of the element. Roast, with the oven door closed for about five minutes. Turn the ban 180 degrees then roast for 5 more. Peppers should be blackened and beginning to soften. If too hot to handle (as I frequently feel) place in a class bowl and cover with plastic wrap until skin easily  falls away from the flesh.

When cooled, purée roasted red peppers, bread crumbs, walnuts, vinegar, cumin, chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the sesame oil in a food processor until almost smooth. With the motor still humming away, add in the oil in one slow stream until the whole mixture is smooth.

Garnish with black sesame seeds and enjoy with market fresh veggies. The radishes were my personal favorite.

And then there was my real lunch…..I couldn’t help but feel healthy after eating this plate of perfectly cooked chicken gently swathed in a peanut sauce, cozied up next to some soba noodles. I mean really, look how great this look!

And if chicken and vegetables aren’t your thing, you can always nom on a Sunshine Farm Hamburger with house-made ketchup! (Grass fed and sustainable of course!)

THE DANE COUNTY FARMERS MARKET IS BACK! Finally the vibrant fuchsia center of beauty heart radish graces my plate, tender arugula leaves are passed out as samples by the man who harvested them in the Saturday dawn and bunches of aromatic ramps catch my eye for a spring pesto.

This is undoubtedly my favorite time of the year to be eating. (ok, the lush tomatoes and sweet corn of late summer provide stiff competition). I have an east-facing apartment so on that glorious first-market day 6:15 am rolled around and I was up and at ‘em. With the promise of a pasty and a market dinner later that night, and I cajoled my handsome man to meet me on the capital square.

This week my loot included fresh arugula, Spanish Black Round radishes, fresh salsa and two massive bunches of ramps and young goat feta (In all, we sampled a dozen different cheeses, salsas, and infused oils; we sipped strong black coffee, indulged in chocolate filled croissants, a raspberry oatmeal muffin and I seriously considered bison beef jerky, goodness I love snacks!)

The ramps were far and away the most exiting purchase. For the virgin ramp consumer, a ramp is a wild leek, its’ flavor bridges the gap between an onion and young garlic. Their tender leaves don’t need any cooking before they are incorporated into most dishes, including this pesto recipe. The vibrant green of this sauce coats the pasta in a restaurant worthy elegance.

Seared Salmon with Linguini and Wild Ramp Pesto

1 bunch wild ramps, bulbs and stems thinly sliced (about ½ cup), green leaves reserved and chopped

¼ basil, chopped

1/3 cup grated parmigiano reggiano cheese

¼ cup toasted pine nuts

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, + 1 tbsp for sautéing

Half a lemon

Salt, pepper

½ pound linguini (you can get it fresh at the Dane Co Market!)

2 pieces of salmon, about 6-8 oz per piece (this recipe provides abundant pesto for two people, I used it the next day on a pizza

Set a large pot of water to boil, cover and go about your business.

In a large pan, heat the tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and sauté the ramp bulbs and stems until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer cooked ramps, green tops, pine nuts, cheese and basil to a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until finely chopped and nearing a pasty composure, now slowly with the blade a-spinning, add 1/4 cup olive oil. The oil will emulsify as it integrates into the sauce. The result should be smooth, but toothy.

(Hopefully your pasta water is ready, add linguini)

Heat extra olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper on the salmon and cook, skin side up first about 4-5 minutes per side.

Drain pasta and save a little of the water. Return to the pot and add all but 1/4 cup of the pesto. If sauce is too think add pasta water one tablespoon at a time. Divide pasta between two shallow bowls, top with salmon and smear remaining pesto across fish.

Eat!

Salt, it’s not just a seasoning, it is a sauté pan, a grill rack or a sushi tray; a butter maker, a Carpaccio curer or a beautiful serving tray.

That is, when you’re dealing with Pink Himalayan Sea Salt.  The block is identical to rose quarts– fault lines of salty whiteness zig zag through the 14″ by 10″ block, birthmarks of time and geo-pressure.   This big pink block is perfect for cooking at both hot and cold temperatures.

Because the crystal lattice of this particular “stone” has a very high specific heat, it holds its heat or cold for a long time. For those who only had chemistry in high school (me) specific heat is a measure of how much energy, measured in Joules it takes to raise one gram of a substance one degree Celsius. The higher the specific heat, the longer the substance will maintain its temp.

Ok, so what does that mean? It means that even after removing the block, dining and cleaning up, it was still too hot to clean by hand.

I took it for a test drive for the first time last night. Craving fish and friends, Alex and Mallory joined me for baked whitefish and IPA’s at my apartment.

After cooking on the salt for about 10 or 12 minutes, the fish was flaky and infused from the bottom up with an oceanic essence. Didn’t salt the fish and it didn’t need it, a dash of lemon, a grind of pepper and a little parsley finished it off. The result was quite good, but I am looking forward to trying again.

Image by Savory.tv

The fish clung strongly to the salt and the last bites scrapped away from the block left me craving water, next time I would remove the fish from the stone after about 5-7 minutes resting out of the oven. I would also try a more meaty fish, I’m thinking tuna, the opaque, sushi like center might lend itself well to the flavor. Speaking of sushi, I’m getting a little bamboo mat, gathering some friends and making maki. Sea salt deserves ocean going friends—ahi, yellowtail, yum yum yummmm. Sounds perfect for a summer afternoon with a bottle of sake.

Image by Tiffany

(Salt has played a major role in international commerce, English verbiage and of course flavoring french fries. Read more about it’s historical prowess)

Oscar results are in and the Kings Speech cleans up. Personally, I think it was the safest choice of the 10, a goodie but not a risky decision by the Academy. But that is just my little aside. Speaking of results, I owe you some restaurant week feed back!

If Kings Speech was the compelling emotional film that cleaned up, Sardine stole “best in show” for overall meal experience. Interestingly enough, Madison culinary judges (you guys) couldn’t find an Academy-like consensus for individual dishes. However, let’s relive our best dishes a little. Our favorites included the Sautéed Calamari at Graze, Arugula Salad and polenta at Harvest, and for the meat eaters, Steak and Ribs from Quively’s. In the dessert category, the anything chocolaty seemed to be the winner, and it worked quite well as an aphrodisiac: 60% of our diners enjoyed a different kind of dessert after leaving the restaurant.

While I didn’t create any golden statues for the RW winners, I think the Oscar night meal on Sunday deserves a lifetime achievement accolade. Meatballs, those timeless spheres of love got a makeover with healthy-chic ingredients like young arugula and San Marzano tomatoes. There are many ways to cook meatballs, but simmering them in the tomato sauce creates a velvety texture and adds depth to the sauce itself.

Ingredients

One package whole wheat spaghetti
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
1 8 of 16 oz can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ red onion
4 cloves garlic, minced and divided.
1 pound lean ground turkey
½ cup chopped Italian parsley
½ cup breadcrumbs
½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese plus more for sprinkling
1 egg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 package

First, get that pasta water boiling.

For the Meat: Combine turkey, parsley, two cloves garlic, breadcrumbs, parm, egg and mustard in a large bowl. Grind some pepper over the top and a dash of kosher salt. Now get your hands dirty. Aim for forming meatballs about an inch and a half in diameter or about 3 tablespoons meat mixture. Be gentle, if you compact the meat too much, they will be come dense after cooking. Set aside for now.

For the sauce: Heat olive oil in a large saucepan (aka, pot) and sauté onion and two cloves garlic until softened and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sauce and bring to a simmer. (If you happen to have any red wine open, add a dash along for a deeper, rounder flavor.) When sauce begins to thicken after about five, add the meatballs and simmer until cooked through, about 12 minutes. Add arugula, stirring to wilt.

For the Pasta: Meanwhile, when the water reaches a rolling boil add pasta cooking until aldente (timing will vary, but roughly 8- 12 minutes. Drain and add directly to the sauce. Top with remaining parmigiano cheese, parsley and a grind of fresh pepper.

Serve, enjoy and criticize the worst dresses on the red carpet.

In 2008, I went bread crazy. I think it coincided with the low carb trend as well, and feeling responsible for all the loaves going uneaten, I stepped up my game- baguettes, boules, and bran flakes frequented my kitchen.

I don’t have summer days to while away letting bread rise, but I am going to do my best. Just got a large tub of yeast and the old Russian mother is in the mail. Let me explain, because the previous statement is suspect of human trafficking.

A few people might remember the summer I went crazy and worked at a bakery at 4 am everyday. Well that job turned into an internship which turned into working at (the now closed) Au Rebous restaurant in St. Paul. Jessica Anderson, the free spirited chef and baker from the English countryside was thread that tied it all together and my epicurean inspiration.

Anyway, her parting gift to me was this 110 year old sourdough starter, the “Russian mother.” Well she is currently in my sock drawer, dried and spread thinly on parchment paper. but soon, with a little water, sugar and some love, she will be back in action. As will all parents, the more you call them the nicer they are. in this case the more you use this mother, and feed her (she likes flour) the nicer she will behave in your bread.

In the meantime, continue with the carbs. Let’s make pizza. (at least the dough, topping choice is on you.)

1 3/4 water, 1/2 of that should be warm
2 1/4 teaspoons dry active yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little extra for the bowl
4 cups flour
cornmeal for dusting the pizza peel

In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup warm water and sprinkle with yeast, letting the mixture stand until yeast poofs and dissolves. Add remaining water, both warm and cold, along with the olive oil. In the meantime, pulse flour and salt in the bowl of a large food processor with the blade attachment. Careful, sharp object. Slowly add the water mixture and pulse until dough forms a ball, continue to process until the dough is smooth and satiny. Remove dough, knead it for a little, then pop it into a well oiled bowl and let rise for about 2 hours or until doubled in size.

On a lightly floured work surface, cut the dough into as many pieces as you want pizzas. Working with one piece at a time, shape into little rounds, illustrated below. Transfer to a pizza stone or a heavy baking sheet dusted with cornmeal.

For four mini pizzas in a 400 oven take about 4-5 minute, plus more time depending on the thickness of the cheese. Yum! Now it is your turn– pick a good sauce, pick some delish toppings and throw a weeknight get together.

Well…I’m full. I was hungry all last week, so hungry I ate out four out of five days for Madison’s Restaurant Week.  Starting with Graze on Monday, I munched through a sirloin burger and fries, ceviche at Inka Heritage, a solid fish fry at Quivley’s and finished up with salmon and barley tabbouleh at Fresco. So yeah, I’m pretty damn stuffed.

What did you eat? Where did you eat and more importantly, did you like it? Please share you votes for

Best of Restaurant Week

Take a second and fill out the survey, I’ll share the results early next week! Just click the big fatty link above.

Have fun!