Yes, it’s true.  I suffer from OCD.  That’s Obsessive Cooking Disorder, not that other one.   This past Friday was my first day off in 2 weeks.  (Every mom knows that it wasn’t really a day off—more like a ‘spend the day with Lily and catch up on laundry’ day) That means I wasn’t cooking for Other People, just me.  I got to make us whatever I wanted, and I went a little nuts.  You see, I had just picked up my copy of ‘Good to the Grain’ Baking with Whole Grain Flours by Kim Boyce.  It’s the cookbook that all the food bloggers are discussing right now with rave reviews and I had to have it.   This book inspired me to go to Whole Foods and pick up not one, not two, but five different flours to play around with.  (Oat, Barley, Graham, Buckwheat and Rye, if you must know.)   So, Friday morning, baby on my hip and blender at the ready I made two different batches of crepes.  It’s a good thing that I perfected cracking an egg with one hand years ago.  For those of you not in the know, crepe batter is a marvelous thing; you can make it in the blender and put it in the fridge to use for breakfast the next morning.  Just wake and bake, or griddle rather.   I also made the Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip cookies and—drum roll please—homemade Grape Nuts!  I have never seen a recipe for homemade Grape Nuts before and I was hopelessly intrigued and powerless to resist.  The recipe was fabulously easy and was calling my name.   They were delicious the next morning with Vanilla Almond Milk and fresh blueberries. They tasted just like Grape Nuts, only better.  I also selected the Barley Crepe recipe, with beer and molasses and the Ricotta Crepes substituting Graham flour for the spelt.  (Whole Foods was out of spelt flour—this book must have started a craze!!) Lily and I loved the Barley crepes. This batter was quite tender and a little finicky to deal with.  The crepes broke easily during cooking.  However, they were delicious and I ended up stuffing them with creamed mushrooms and asparagus for dinner.  The Ricotta Crepes were delicious too.  I had to thin the batter as suggested with extra milk, and I served them with butter and maple syrup for breakfast.  The chocolate chip cookies were good too.  I mean really, what’s not to like about a Chocolate Chip Cookie?  Next up, next week: Sand Cookies

This week I am having a love affair with ‘The Secrets of Success Cookbook’ Signature Recipes and Insider Tips from San Francisco’s Best Restaurants’ by Michael Bauer.  I have to tell you that this book is out of print, but is available on Amazon. (Seriously what would I do without Amazon.com?  It’s hard to imagine a world without the internet, isn’t it?) This past week I have made no less than five different recipes, and they are all the ‘make again’ kind.  One of my clients flipped through it and earmarked a bunch of recipes that he would like me to make for him—I love it when my clients do this.  They often choose recipes that are not my first choice and it gives me a great chance to expand my repertoire. (It also takes the guess work out of the daily ‘what am I going to make for dinner tonight’ question that I deal with everyday.

Most of my clients give me free reign with the dinner menu—they say, ‘Oh, make whatever, you know what I like.’  This is in turns deeply gratifying and terrifying.  It really keeps me on my toes. ) The first recipe that I chose to make from this book was the Sesame Spinach Rolls with Soy Lime Vinaigrette from the now closed Hawthorne Lane restaurant in San Francisco.  I have a soft spot for Hawthorne Lane. It was one of the first restaurants that I went to when I moved to San Francisco—I had an amazing duck dish there, and my assistant worked in their catering department for a while, so I have gotten some titillating insider stories from her.

I am always, always looking for new and exciting vegan and vegetarian dishes that look and taste good.  These rolls were perfect served with Teriyaki Glazed Portobello Mushrooms and Brown Rice Pilaf. (Hawthorne Lane served them with Miso Glazed Black Cod—it would be delicious with that too.) I just love the way these look.  The brilliant green of the spinach next to the pale green of the cabbage leaves is just fantastic.  Sometimes I feel like a painter, only I work in the rainbow world of vegetables.  Make sure to season your spinach well with salt and pepper when you make these, otherwise they could be rather bland, and well ‘too spinach-y’.  The vinaigrette is the perfect complement with these rolls and takes them from being just another ‘vegan’ recipe to a crossover dish that will appeal to flexitarians as well.

As Julia would say, ‘Bon Appétit!’

Sesame Spinach Rolls with Soy Lime Vinaigrette

The Secrets of Success Cookbook.  Signature Recipes and Insider Tips from San Francisco’s Best Restaurants.  By Michael Bauer.

Spinach Rolls

2 large Savoy cabbage leaves—I used 3 medium sized Napa cabbage leaves.

Salt

2 Tbsp. plus 1tsp. olive oil

1 shallot, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 (10 oz) bags of spinach, about 5 cups

Pepper

1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, lightly toasted

Vinaigrette

3 Tbsp. Fresh Lime juice (1 large juicy lime or 2 small ones)

2 Tbsp. soy sauce (I used Tamari)

2 Tbsp Rice Wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. Shallot, minced

1 small garlic clove, grated

Salt and Pepper

1/3 Cup Peanut oil

½ tsp. sesame oil

For the Spinach Rolls: Blanch the cabbage leaves in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water until limp.  Drain.  Spread each leaf flat, pat dry and cut off the thickest part of the rib. Set aside.

Heat 2 Tbsp of the oil in a saucepan over medium high heat.  Add the shallot and garlic and sauté to release the aromas.  Add the spinach and stir to coat with the oil.  Cook until the spinach becomes completely limp, just a few minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove from the heat and cool.

Squeeze out all of the liquid from the spinach.  Place an equal amount of spinach at one end of the cabbage leaf and roll up tightly into a cylinder.  Rub the cabbage cylinders with the sesame oil and roll in the sesame seeds.

To serve cut each spinach log into bite sized medallions using a sharp knife.  Cut straight down—don’t saw back and forth. Arrange on plates and serve the vinaigrette on the side for dipping.

The Vinaigrette

Combine all of the ingredients in a container that has a lid and shake vigorously to combine.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I have to admit to being a snob when it comes to fresh seafood.  I grew up on the coast of Maine and my family bought seafood from Harbor Fish Market (harborfish.com) on the wharves of Portland, Maine. Whenever I go home it is a joy to see the pristine seafood that Mainers take for granted on a daily basis. I love seafood.  It is hands down one of my favorite things to eat.  From cod cheeks to lobster and uni, I enjoy it all.  I try to always eat sustainably raised and local fish and seafood.  The Monterey Bay Aquarium offers valuable information about this topic on its ‘seafood watch’ list found at http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch.     Here in California, I initially found it difficult to find really fresh seafood.  Then I found out about Cook’s.  Cook’s Seafood (cooksseafood.com) is located in Menlo Park and has the freshest fish in the San Francisco Bay Area.  My second favorite—and it’s only second because it is in the East Bay, is the Monterey Fish Market in Berkeley. Cook’s has been open since 1928. The building is divided into two parts—the fish market and the restaurant.  The restaurant has a simple menu, but offers excellent fish ‘n chips among other things. The staff in the fish market is extremely knowledgeable and friendly.  I don’t buy fish anywhere else.  I consider fish a specialty item and I feel that  big grocery stores do not give enough attention to the seafood department. When I walk into a grocery store and can smell the fish department I always take it as a sign to stay way!   Fresh fish will never smell ‘fishy’.  If you are buying a piece of fish, it should always be firm—not mushy.   If you are buying a whole fish, look for clear and shiny eyes.   If you are on the peninsula and are in the mood for seafood, or simple but well executed fish and chips, make sure to go to Cook’s.

Sometimes it is not until I write down my menu list for the week that I realize that there is a particular theme to the meals that I have made.  This week was mushrooms.  I couldn’t seem to get enough of them!

Soy Chicken Braised in Coconut Juice, soy sauce and spices

French Onion Soup

Lamb Moussaka

Lasagna

Tabbouleh

Lentil Salad with Vegetables

Grilled Shrimp

Spaghetti and Meatballs

Braised Brisket with dried Porcini Mushrooms

Barley Mushroom Risotto

Moroccan Chicken with Olives and Preserved Lemon

Chicken Korma

Saag Paneer

Lots of Rice Pilaf, Indian Style and Plain too.

Spinach and Sweet Potato Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce and Crème Fraiche

Triple Chocolate Brownies

Crab Cakes

Portobello Mushroom and Bulgur Burgers

Cheese Fondue

Thai Coconut Soup with Swiss Chard and Tofu

Orange Beef

Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

Strawberry Rhubarb Compote (Yay!  Rhubarb is back!)

Some of you may ask what I did today.  My answer is this:

Sausage Class 101

I made sausage.  Lots and lots of dee-lish-ous sausage.    Last month I signed up for a Sausage 101 class with Ryan Farr of 4505 meats.  (4505meats.com)   The class was awesome; fun and hands-on.  Ryan’s sausage making skills are impressive to say the least.  Sausage is one of those things that I simply don’t make at home, but I really appreciate a high quality fresh sausage and it’s hard to find!

Today we made three different sausages and took home about two pounds of each.  (Alert:  Sausage Party at the Schilla House tonight!) The sausages we made were: Maple Breakfast Sausage, Pork and Pecorino Sausage and Chicken and Beer Sausage.   Ryan really made sausage making easy and fun—the hallmarks of a good teacher.   There were 12 students in the class.  Small enough so that we all could ask questions and get our hands dirty and big enough so that the work was evenly divided.

The Maple Breakfast sausage was delightful. It has a slight sweetness from the maple syrup, a hit of pepper, and a whiff of sage.  On a biscuit with gravy it would be absolutely divine.  (Go see 4505 meats at the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market if you want to try one.) Next up was the Pork and pecorino sausage which had an exceptional flavor and mouthfeel—it was saturated with flavor with out being heavy or cloying. The texture and flavors of 4505 sausages make them stand out from the pack.  They all have an ethereal quality to them and are beautifully balanced and textured. Last but not least was the chicken and beer sausage which was so much more than just chicken and beer!  It is enriched with cream and eggs.  Dried apricots lend a sweet note to the savory character of the beer.  This particular sausage would be lovely served with some sauerkraut, sautéed apples and a glass of Riesling on the side (a full bodied Belgian Style Ale would be lovely too).

Ryan also teaches whole hog and whole lamb butchery classes which I’m looking forward to taking later this year.   I’ll let you know how that goes!  Check him out at the Ferry Building Thursday Farmer’s Market from 10 to 2 if you want to try some of the best sausage I have had in recent memory.

It was an exciting week around here!  We have all recovered from the flu that plagued us last week and Lily (and I) are sleeping much more soundly.   I jumped back into cooking for all of my clients this week—everyone has returned from vacation and is ready to start off the new year by eating more consciously.

What I made this week:

Artichoke Soup

Broccoli-Spinach Soup

Grilled Shrimp

Gluten Free Mac and Cheese

Chicken Tenders

Tandoori Chicken

(I made Butter Chicken with the leftovers the next day—so yummy!! I have to remember to make a double batch of Tandoori Chicken next time so I can do this again.)

Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Tonkatsu

Oven Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Vegetarian Stuffed peppers with mushrooms, artichoke hearts and three cheeses

Bulgur Pilaf

Black Bean Cakes, Mango Salsa, Crème Fraiche

Meatloaf

Vietnamese Shrimp Sauteed with Tomato, Fish Sauce and Black Pepper

Black Sticky Rice

Vietnamese Braised Pork Spareribs

Shortribs alla Genovese

Grilled Filet Mignon

Pomegranate and Cumin Glazed Lamb Kebabs

Turkish Chicken rolled in Sumac, Pistachio, Sesame Seeds and Fresh Bread Crumbs

Vegetable Soup

Chili Rubbed Agave Chicken

Thai Vegetarian Coconut Soup with Kaffir Lime

Honey Glazed Baby Back Ribs

Barbecue Pulled Pork

Lots of Pasta, Rice and assorted steamed vegetables.

Ceasar Salad

Fennel, Pistachio and Mandarin Salad with Butter Lettuce

Coffee Cardamom Crème Caramel

Classic Custard for my Lily

Freezer Macaroni and Cheese, from Cook’s Illustrated.  It’s an easy recipe to make and my baby will love it.  (I put 10 portions in our freezer, easy for my husband to pop into the oven when he gets home.)

The most popular cookbook in rotation this month was ‘Best of the Best Cookbook Recipes’, Vol. 12 from the editors of Food and Wine.  It is hands down one of the best cookbooks that I have picked up in ages—all of the recipes have been terrific.  An * indicates that I got the recipes from this wonderful book.  Here goes:

Cardamom Spiced Lamb Riblets (Braise, Daniel Boulud)

Chicken Stew

Thai Style Lemongrass Tofu

Quinoa Salad with Fennel and Shitakes

Several quiches, including a traditional Quiche Lorraine, corn and bacon, spinach and shitake mushroom.

Butter Braised Cauliflower (just okay, a tad too rich for me.)

Butternut Squash Soup

Black Bean Cakes

Brown Rice Casserole

Split Pea Stew with Winter Vegetables

New England Style Dressing with Sausage, cranberries and apple (epicurious.com)

The return of Dungeness crab season.  Crab cakes, crab salad, cracked crab with Meyer lemon aioli.

Potstickers

Truffle Cheesecake

Apple Bread (Dorie Greenspan, ‘Baking from my home to yours’)

Soy Braised Chicken Drumsticks (Excellent!)*

Roast Pork Loin with Maple Syrup and Black Pepper glaze

Sweet Potato and Swiss Chard Gratin (From Smitten Kitchen—loved it!)

Lamb Loin with Dukkah and Pomegranate Molasses

Chicken Soup with Dill*

Grilled Stuffed Filet  Rolls

Fried Chicken with Octo Vinaigrette (Momofuku Cookbook)

Avocado Tzatziki Sauce (awesome on chicken, chips or salmon! Adapted from Bobby Flay’s  Grill It!)

Grilled Corn and Tomato Cracked Wheat Salad (B. Flay, Grill It!)

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Honey, Lemon and Thyme Dressing*

Spinach and Yogurt Dip*

Shrimp Sauteed with Tomato, Fish Sauce and Black Pepper*

Vietnamese Braised Pork Spareribs*

Zucchini Gratin with Fresh Cheese*

Ramen Broth (Momofuku)

Panna Cotta

Lots of Mashed Potatoes, Butternut Squash Puree, Gravy and Roast Turkey

Sizzling Crepes (Into the Vietnamese Kitchen, by Andrea Nguyen)

Multiple Cheese and Salumi Trays

Thai Grilled Coconut-Rice Pancakes

It’s been chilly in my part of San Francisco this week.  A welcome reminder of Fall weather!  The cookbooks that have been in heavy rotation are: Braise, by Daniel Boulud and Melissa Clark, Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan and Mediterranean Fresh by Joyce Goldstein.

Here it is:

• Chicken Pot Pie
• Chicken Braised with Tamarind, Sweet Potatoes and Okra (Braise)
• Chicken Parmesan
• Chicken Tikka Masala
• Portobello Mushroom and Bulgur Burgers

• 

  Chicken Tikka Massala

  Lentil Salad with Mint Dressing (MF)

• Farro Salad with Vegetables (MF)
• Rosemary rubbed filet roast
• Mac n’ Cheese, Halloween Style
• Yummy Mummy Meatloaf –Check out the pic! http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Yummy-Mummy-Meatloaf-355709
• Apple Slab Pie
• Chicken with a Pomegranate and Walnut Sauce (Julie Sahni)
• Cider Braised Pork Chops
• Brisket with Red Miso and Watermelon Radish (Braise)—Pete labeled the sauce ‘Outstanding’.
• Traditional Brisket for my Mom, for watching Lily while I work.
• Butternut Squash Soup
• Chicken and Rice Soup
• Pork Shoulder braised with Stout, Dried Cherries and Sweet Potatoes (Braise)
• Turnips in Miso Butter (Gourmet)
• Vegetable Bolognese
• Black Bean and Sweet Potato Stew
• Thai Chicken and Coconut Milk Soup
• 5-Pepper Spiced Lamb Chops
• Granola
• Chicken Cutlets Stuffed With Tomatoes and Garlic
• Oatmeal Bread (Dorie)
• Pear Shortbread Tart (Dorie)—totally delish and a scrumptious breakfast treat!

Tabbouleh

Corn Salad

Chicken Pot Pie

Chimichurri Sauce

Meatballs (2x)

Mac and Cheese

Ribs

Chicken in Red Chile Sauce for Enchiladas

Beef Tacos

Homemade Pizzas

BBQ Chicken Wings

Grilled Stuffed Pork Loin (apples and cranberries)

Grilled Branzino with Lemon Bread Crumb Crust (Birthday Dinner)

Crab Salad

Teriyaki Glazed Salmon with Rice Bowl and Veggies

Chicken Stew

Meatloaf

Roasted Filet

Turkey Tetrazini (2x)

Corn and Edamame Saute

Beet and Potato Gratin

New England Boiled Dinner

Grilled Shrimp

Frittata with Chicken Apple Sausage, cheddar and fresh tomatoes

Roasted Tomatoes with Basil

A plethora of roasted, steamed and grilled veggies

Gluten Free Teriyaki Beef

Vegetable Minestrone

Asparagus Soup

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

Lamb Stew

Tea Cake with Peaches and Nectarines

Really amazing triple chocolate brownies (for me and Pete, of course!)

This week’s menu rundown:

• Coconut Sticky Rice Risotto with Leeks and Mushrooms
• Meatloaf
• Lamb Vindaloo
• Grilled Pork Tenderloin (2x)
• Kung Pao Chicken
• Carrot Ginger Soup (2x)
• Macaroni and Cheese
• Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Scalloped Spinach Casserole (once with spinach, once with swiss chard)
• Roasted Broccoli with Shrimp (Melissa Clark’s recipe)
• Chicken Cutlets (2x)
• Grilled Marinated Shrimp
• Assortment of steamed vegetables
• Pomegranate and Cumin Glazed Lamb Kebabs (2x)
• Barbecued Ribs
• 5 Pepper glazed Lamb Chops (Riff on Julie Sahni’s recipe)
• Early Girl Tomato Bisque with Ricotta Gnocchi (My favorite dish for the week.)
• Eggplant Gratin
• Spicy Eggplant Stew with Chickpeas

Sweets:

• Indian style Rice Pudding (J. Sahni)
• Strawberry Shortcake (my own)
• Saffron Cream with fresh Blueberry sauce (J. Sahni)
• Mirabel Clafoutis (Chez Panisse recipe)
• Flip Over Plum Cake (with Nectarines, not Plums. Dorie Greenspan Recipe)