Plating Summer

Is it wrong to anthropomorphize a plate of greens?

Is it true that just by looking at a photo of beautiful ingredients, it’s almost as satisfying as eating them*?

After spending an hour with the prolific Chef Jessica Smith this week, it was clear I was in the presence of a true food artist. Drooling over her latest produce-rich Instagram food photos at lunchtime, I could feel my ghrelin levels rising.

Jessica is a passionate culinary adventurer who has innate talent for turning a plate of shaved kohlrabi, golden beets and backyard chive blossoms into an Impressionist painting.  Or as she would say: “. . . just digging around my kitchen and garden to see what’s ready.”  She keeps things as local as possible, especially during the Yakima Valley growing season.  She even smokes her own garlic over cherrywood to make her salad dressing.  (The rest of us can grab some at Fruit City, where much of Jessica’s produce is sourced, and while you’re there, Jessica says the corn has arrived and it is beautiful this season.)

Enjoy a sampling of Jessica’s summer produce-inspired meals!  Dig through your backyard garden, hit a nearby fruit and vegetable stand and try your hand at some of them!

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You can try Jessica’s food at White House Cafe in Yakima, Wine O’Clock in Prosser, or better yet, contact her to cater a private event!  But keep one night open for me. I’m dreaming of making beet gnocchi with her soon.

* www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22240720

 

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Grilled Fruit Antipasti Platter with Local Honey

Too hot to cook?! It definitely is here. Weather like this calls for a Grilled Fruit Antipasti Platter. Local Grilled green & black plums, rival & white apricots, cherries, blueberries, strawberries and honey blaze peaches are the backbone of this platter. All of that beautiful fruit is paired with burrata, cambozola, chorizo panino, hot capicola, prosciutto, local honey & homemade gluten free crackers.

 

 

Kohlrabi Salad

Kohlrabi, Purple Asparagus & Golden Beets. The dressing was a Cherrywood Smoked Garlic & Chive Vinaigrette (I smoked the garlic earlier this week). I plated the veggies on a bed of mixed greens from my garden and garnished with tomatoes & chive blossoms.

 

 

Chive-Piri Piri Fettuccine

This week’s haul from the Farmers Market and @fruit_city_yakima was great. These beautiful pink oyster mushrooms are from J&M Mushrooms in Selah. I made Chive-Piri Piri Fettuccine (made with local farm fresh eggs) with a lemon smoked garlic sauce. All the vegetables were from my garden (tomatoes, chives & oregano) or Fruit City (green beans, corn & sweet onion) The only store bought item was radicchio. Yakima Valley has such an abundance of amazing produce.

 

 

Produce Stand Risotto 

After work today I swung by my favorite produce stand, @fruit_city_yakima and picked up green beans, corn, grilling onions and pea sprouts. I decided to make a delicious Risotto seasoned with Ver Jus from @ancwine, lemon zest & black pepper. The cooking liquid was a corn broth made from the cobs 😍 All of the veggies listed above (except the sprouts) along with peas and oyster & shiitake mushrooms were sautéed with olive oil, garlic & red pepper flakes, the pea sprouts were added as garnish.

 

 

Mushroom & Chive Omelette

Beautiful local mushrooms (lion’s mane, oyster & shiitake) and chives from my garden, local eggs, onion, chilies and a wonderful blend of spices made an amazing breakfast. (from #masalaandmeatballs by @foodfashionparty )

 

 

Stuffed Squash Blossoms and Snap Pea Salad

Meat-free Monday just got kicked up a notch. Lightly fried Thai Shrimp Stuffed Squash Blossoms served with Snap Pea Salad with Ginger-Herb Vinaigrette & Pickled Shallots. The diced shrimp was flavored with ginger, lemongrass, garlic, Thai chilies & a touch of cream cheese to bind.

 

 

Corn & Mascarpone Cappelletti

Cappelletti (little caps) with Meyer lemon, Parmesan, red chili flakes & chives. I absolutely love making pasta.

 

 

Crispy Sweet Potatoes with Tiki Dressing & Sesame Seeds

Grilled sweet potatoes, I used red garnet, gold and purple, (I also added local mushrooms) are tossed in a delicious dressing made of tamari, ginger, garlic, scallions, lime juice, rice wine and I added some garlic chili paste. I served this on a bed of buckwheat soba noodles with arugula and local pea sprouts. (From #anynightgrilling by @pauladisbrowe & @food52).

 

Grilled-Jerk Spice Rubbed side of Wild Sockeye

I wasn’t sure what to serve with this so I raised what I had in the house and gardens. I sautéed kohlrabi, spring onion, 3 colors of carrots, rainbow chard & garlic with red pepper flakes, lemon zest & juice. I also made lemony pink lentils, not pictured. Healthy eating is so much easier in the summer.

 

 

Homemade Saffron Fettuccine with garden vegetables

Homemade Saffron Fettuccine with beet greens, asparagus, spring onions, lemon, green garlic, thyme flowers & brassica flowers. All of the flowers and veggies are either from my garden or sourced locally.