Joie de Vivre
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" ~Mary OliverArchive for August, 2008
163. East of the pond.
Most of you have heard me complain about our lack of good coffee houses on the Eastside. Downtown Kirkland actually has three good choices—Ladro, St. James & Kahili—but the choice in downtown Bellevue is QUITE limited! We have Starbucks, Starbucks, Tully’s, Starbucks, Starbucks, Tully’s, etc. etc. (We love our chains on the Eastside…and by “we,” I don’t mean me.)
Well times have changed my dear readers, and as I mentioned on Sunday, we now have a Top Pot Doughnuts in Bellevue AND it’s close to my condo AND it’s on my way to work. So I have a new morning routine. I take my MacBook to Top Pot, get a short, creamy cappuccino (with a pretty heart swirl on top), and spend a half-hour catching up on news before going into the office. It’s a relaxing & lovely way to start the day!
It also seems we have a couple new restaurants opening soon in Bellevue—Monsoon has announced they will be opening a restaurant in Porcella’s old space…
HERE’S A SUNNY forecast that should cheer food fans in Bellevue: MONSOON is heading east. The popular Capitol Hill restaurant will continue to serve a mix of modern and colonial Vietnamese fare, including one of the most distinctive brunches in the city. Owner Eric Banh said the new place — opening in the fall — will be more a reflection of the direction he wanted to go with the original venue, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary in February.
…and Pearl is opening in Trader Vic’s old space.
Pearl celebrates the foods, people and culture of the region. An upscale, urban and refined dining experience, its airy dining room and bar are comfortably furnished in a warm and inviting surrounding. Its Northwest Contemporary cuisine draws upon Regional American fare complemented by Pan Asian techniques and ingredients. The Pearl Bar will be a stylish, easy going scene featuring classic cocktails, a few signature beverages and a rich roster of Washington Wine; expect some 200 by-the-bottle labels and 50 wines-by-the-glass at Pearl.
Yay! The independents are starting to move in, little by little!
Two more links for you today…
A website for those of you who hate receiving stacks of phone books on your front door step like I do: Yellow Pages Goes Green.
A company who makes some VERY cool umbrellas (which we, in Seattle, seem to be in need of lately): Umbrella Society.
162. SAL
I realized today that I had not yet ordered my tickets for the Seattle Arts & Lectures (SAL) ‘08/09 season. These are some of my favorite events to attend and I actually thought I had placed my order some time back in May…oops! A balcony season ticket is $105 & the special event season ticket is $60. I love that we live in such a literary city and I think you should all get tickets & join me for a drink beforehand! :)
Here’s this year’s lineup:
Richard Russo – Wed, September 17, 2008
Terry Tempest Williams – Tues, October 7, 2008
John Updike – Wed, November 12, 2008
Michael Pollan – Mon, January 12, 2009
Junot Diaz – Tues, February 24, 2009
Mira Nair – Tues, April 28, 2009
And here are this season’s special events:
Annie Leibovitz – Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Scott Simon - Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Shirin Ebadi – Tuesday, May 19, 2009
161. Paris, je t’aime!
The September issue of Gourmet magazine is finally on newsstands! It’s a collector’s issue – Paris On a Budget – and it’s full of fabulous finds and information. Last night, I soaked in a bubble bath forever with a small carafe of wine and read the entire issue, cover to cover. My fingers and toes were like prunes afterwards, but I relived all of the wonderful moments of my trip last Fall!
My street of dreams | I love that Ruth Reichl sings the praises of Rue Mouffetard (the location of my apartment) several times in her “Letter from the Editor.” Ahhhh Mouffe! I miss you!
The proper way to eat | Check out the bottle of wine and the porcelain bowl of soup in the flea market picture on p.145. This, my friends, is exactly how we observed the purveyors eating their daily mid-afternoon meal! Real linens, real dishes, real silverware & ALWAYS a bottle of wine! (Check out p.146 for a list of favorite flea markets.)
Heavenly morsels | Pierre Hermé received a couple notable mentions in this issue. I dragged Mom & Bruce across town to this place when we were there. Their sea salt caramel macarons are to DIE FOR!! Seriously!! And visually, their store is beautiful. They change the color scheme of their pastries often and their displays are stunning! (Check out a sampling on p.60.)
A girl and her dog | “Benedictions” (p.116) is a wonderful one-page memoir and mentions Barthélémy. One step inside the door of this shop & you’ll think you’ve died and gone to cheese heaven!
Small pleasures | “In Pursuit of Happiness” (p.130) is another one-page ode to the many pleasures of Paris—children sailing their boats in the fountain at Luxembourg Gardens, reading a book in the Tuileries, basking in the city’s architecture, footsteps reverberating off the walls of the buildings during your nighttime walk, street orchestras heard from your open window, Poilâne’s fresh-baked breads, vases of fresh flowers, etc, etc, etc. I particularly like this excerpt: “I’ve heard it said, by other Americans, that their idea of paradise would be Paris without the French. What this fantasy fails to take into account is that Paris is the French…Paris is the product of a centuries-long collective endeavor—a society’s accumulated wisdom on the subject of civilization, put into practice…It was the French who alerted me to the fact that pleasure is both something to be discovered, there for the taking, and something to be cultivated through my own efforts. Its pursuit, as it turns out, is not a mindless slide into debauchery but a science, rigorous and exacting, discriminating between the merely good and the sublime. The thing about pleasure is that it immerses you in the moment…There is no better cure for heartache.”
The list grows | The Belleville restaurant mentioned on p.118—Le Baratin—is now on my list to try. (“Traditional French bistro cooking with the flavors of Italy, Spain, and beyond.”) Carena’s recipes for ‘fenouil confit aux amandes, raisins secs, et safran’ (sautéed fennel w/almonds, raisins, and saffron), ‘caille en escabeche’ (quail w/fennel, lemongrass, raisins & cinnamon) and ‘mousse au moka et poive’ (mocha mousse w/Sichuan peppercorns) are on my list to actually make in the meantime. (There is also a–what looks like a wonderful–recipe for Vadouvan, a roasted Indian spice blend, on p.148.)
Now I have a whole new list for Paris. It’s definitely time for a return trip!!!! :)
(One note: Gourmet’s idea of ‘budget’ and my idea of ‘budget’ are obviously a little different since their hotel rooms range from $160 to $620 a night!!! Hmm. Yowza!)
160. Oh Henry
It’s 5pm on Sunday, POURING down rain outside, and I’ve settled in at a table in the new Top Pot Doughnuts in Bellevue (just opened a few days ago on the corner of 106th Ave NE & NE 9th Pl) with a warm mug of milky chai & free wireless (which has stopped working; temporarily I’m hoping). Other than the rain — did I mention it’s POURING! — it’s been a lovely day.
I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast (cappuccino and a slice of quiche w/sweet corn, yellow plum tomatoes, green beans, fontina cheese & pepper bacon) at the bustling Volunteer Park Café, accompanied by the Sunday NYT. My next stop was the Henry Art Gallery at the UW. The museum was quiet & relaxing and I finally saw a couple installations that have been on my ‘to see’ list for awhile: Roman Holiday is a wonderful collection of old photographs (circa 1880) taken in Rome (it’s amazing how little has changed!) and the Matthew Buckingham: Play the Story exhibit is fascinating. My favorite installations were The Six Grandfathers, Paha Sapa, in the Year 502,002 c.e. 2002 (about Mount Rushmore; read here for more info) and Everything I Need (2007), featuring the writings of Charlotte Wolff (German, 1897-1986). Here is a little more info about the exhibit…
Henry Art Gallery website: The Henry is pleased to present Play The Story, the first major traveling exhibition of work by New York-based artist Matthew Buckingham. In his critically acclaimed films and installations, Buckingham investigates history and its narrative representations in order to reveal, as he says, “how we know what we think we know and how we construct stories about the past.” Rather than approaching history as closed off from the present, he reconsiders stories from the past in order to address current realities brought about by globalization, colonialism, racism, gender discrimination, and other biases.
Seattle Art Blog: Matthew Buckingham’s exhibition at the Henry Art Gallery on the University of Washington campus, opening July 12 and on view until September 21, presents three new film installations, each centered on a specific historical figure: Mary Wollstonecraft, an 18th-century woman of letters; Louis Le Prince, a Frenchman who invented a prototypical motion picture projector in the last decades of the 19th century; and Charlotte Wolff, an early 20th-century feminist activist exiled from Nazi Germany. Breaking away from darkened cinematic-like projection rooms, Buckingham creates specific installations for each work, underscoring the social, optical, and intellectual aspects of viewing film and art.
The other current exhibit, The Violet Hour, didn’t exactly appeal to me, but while I was downstairs I also came across the UW School of Art: Commissions Project (only on display Aug 23 & 24), featuring a collection of beautiful custom rugs designed by UW Art students. Worth seeing…
These works were created as part of an innovative course taught by School of Art Fibers Program Professor Layne Goldsmith. The course paired students with art patrons to create custom, artist-designed rugs, which were then hand-woven in Nepal for the client’s specific site.
Last night, Odie and I went to see Frozen River (directed by Courtney Hunt; a little bleak but with strong performances) at the Harvard Exit, and tonight Mom & I are off to see Tuya’s Marriage (directed by Quanan Wang) at the Varsity. Here’s hoping the rain lets up a little…
159. French New Wave
It’s silly, but I love you.
I wanted to see you, to see if I’d want to see you.
– Michel Poiccard in Breathless
Odie hosted a French double-feature last night. We had a lovely Côte du Rhône (what was the vineyard O?), provençale stew and cherry-almond clafouti (need both recipes!), and we watched À Bout de Souffle (Breathless, 1960, directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean Seberg & Jean-Paul Belmondo) and Jules et Jim (1962, directed by François Truffaut, starring Jeanne Moreau). Godard and Truffaut were friends (they actually collaborated on the story for Breathless) and the same cinematographer, Raoul Coutard, shot both of these films. Godard is becoming one of my favorite directors and Breathless is now on my list of top 10 films. I love the time that Godard spends simply watching his characters. Both Seberg (above) and Belmondo are captivating and I couldn’t take my eyes off of the screen. This is Godard’s first full-length film and he created this film “in homage to, and also complete contradiction to, classic Hollywood film.” Godard is a visionary and used techniques (i.e. jump-cuts) which were revolutionary at the time. The entire movie was shot on location in Paris using a hand-held camera and a budget of under $50,000. I highly recommend this film for anybody who loves the art of movies!
As for Jules et Jim, Odie loves Truffaut and picked a perfect match to Godard’s film. This is the first Truffaut film I have seen and while I liked it, I think I was also a little disappointed. I’m not sure why; Moreau is wonderful, as are Werner and Serre, and Coutard’s cinematography is beautiful, but the story left me wanting more. Here’s a great review from IMDb:
Although Jules and Jim was made over 40 years ago and takes place 40 to 50 years before that, the amazing thing is that it barely seems to have dated. Because it focuses on the universal human relationships between its characters, rather than the specific time in which they live, it’s the rare film set in the past that doesn’t feel like a “period film.” And, especially in the first half of the movie, Truffaut’s New Wave techniques lend a remarkable energy and freshness.
The movie explores friendship and love among three semi-bohemian types: Parisian Jim (Henri Serre), Austrian Jules (Oskar Werner), and Catherine (Jeanne Moreau), the beautiful, free-spirited woman whom they both love. She’s the most vibrant character in the movie, and impossible to pin down. It’s never clear who she loves-she contradicts herself repeatedly, and perhaps loves no one but herself-or whether she’s diabolical or simply misunderstood. Moreau nearly steals the movie, if not for the fact that the title reminds us to focus on the relationship between the two men, and that Serre and Werner give good performances too. Even if Jim and Jules aren’t as mysterious as Catherine, they’re complex and interesting characters in their own right.
The story plays out rather episodically, which means Jules and Jim is full of wonderful little moments, often involving the crazy things Catherine does. Some of my favorites include her dressing up as a man and racing Jules and Jim across a bridge; her jumping into the Seine in frustration; and her singing the movie’s charming theme song, “The Whirlpool of Life.” The episodes are linked together by surprisingly unobtrusive off-screen narration, which keeps the film moving along rather than slowing it down.
Jules and Jim does get a little tiresome toward the end, with Catherine continually vacillating between the men in her life, Jim vacillating between Catherine and his old girlfriend Gilberte, and Jules remaining loyally devoted to Catherine despite how foolish this may seem. However, the movie is redeemed by its tragic final scenes, which poignantly contrast with the carefree gaiety of the beginning. Jules, Jim, and Catherine are caught in a destructive spiral, tossed and defeated by the whirlpool of life. Still, the tone of the movie is gentle and human, not pessimistic. Truffaut considered “Jules and Jim” a “hymn to life,” and it is most memorable as a vivid celebration of friendship and youthful possibility, even as it acknowledges how those things can sour.
158. A Friday Five
This has been a very busy week at work, but has also been filled with friends & fun moments…
- Monday evening, Bruce, Mom & I attended Members Monday at the Seattle Art Museum. This was my second time to see the Inspiring Impressionism exhibit and it was just as fabulous as the first time. (Above are a couple of my favorite paintings from the exhibit.) We joined in the docent tour and then explored on our own for a bit. Afterwards, we walked to Txori for dinner and wine. We ordered a bottle of the 2005 Vierlas Guelbenzu (a blend of Syrah, Tempranillo, Merlot, Graciano, Cabernet Sauvignon & Garnacha – loved it!) and a selection of pinxtos (San Sabastian style tapas). My favorites were the ‘calamares en su tinta’ (stuffed squid, ink, fried bread), the special green beans, and the lamb. We also had the saffron-orange flan for dessert, which was amazing!
- B emailed me this incredible picture that was taken by a friend of his during their summit of Mt. Rainier last weekend! I think it looks like another planet.
- Wednesday evening, we all gathered at Mom & Dad’s for dinner. The guest of honor was my old neighbor who I haven’t seen in over 10 years. He is in town visiting family and was joined by his lovely wife and their 2-1/2 year old daughter, Rory, who entertained us all.
- Mom met me at my office today and we walked over to Bennett’s Bistro for lunch. We had their turkey burger followed by a scrumptious dessert: honey lavendar ice cream with toffee-caramel brittle. That’s two FABULOUS desserts this week! Yum, yum, yum!
- During my commute this week, I have been listening to a CD that Dana burned for me. She entitled it ‘Kiss Me, Go Away” and it features songs by Glen Hansard, The Wreckers, ABBA, Dixie Chicks, Ann Wilson, Lily Allen, Sia, Amy Winehouse, Maria Taylor, Feist, 10,000 Maniacs, Gwen Stefani, etc. A great selection and a perfect theme! Thanks D, I love it!
157. Weekend See, Weekend Do
An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth.
– Bonnie Friedman
I worked late on Friday and then Mom & I went to see Woody Allen’s new movie, Vicky Cristina Barcelona. This is Allen’s 41st feature film – his first to be filmed in Spain! This might be one of my five favorite Allen movies, and for those of you who enjoy his humor and dialogue like I do, I think you’ll like it. It’s warm, funny and optimistic, and I had no idea that Javier Bardem was so damn sexy — probably because my last impression of him was in No Country For Old Men and he COMPLETELY freaked me out! The movie also stars Penélope Cruz (who gives a great performance), Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Patricia Clarkson, and of course, several wonderful scenes of Barcelona and Gaudi’s architecture.
Saturday was a lovely day…okay, a tad bit hot, but lovely! Dana & I walked around Greenlake, Odie and I explored the University District Farmers Market, and Mitch and I went to the Mountain Music Fest at Marymoor Park, featuring Westerly, Jackie Greene, Pat Monahan of Train and Brandi Carlile. It was such an ideal evening! The sunset was like a watercolor, the moon was full & glowing orange as it climbed above the trees, and the music was powerful. Monahan belted out a wonderful rendition of Calling All Angels, Brandi sang a lovely duet with her sister, and Monahan and Brandi sang a couple of songs together in fabulous harmony — one of which, someone shot a video of & posted to YouTube…
Sunday, Tina and I enjoyed a relaxing brunch on the patio at Boat Street Café & Kitchen. We shared a large pot of French press coffee, Tina had the baked eggs with spinach and rosemary ham, and I had the chevre & artichoke benedict. Of course, we also couldn’t say no to dessert, so we shared a piece of the plum clafouti. It was all so tasty! Afterwards, we worked off a few calories by walking though Pike Place Market, where they were celebrating their 101st birthday! I bought some organic Chinese spinach (which I just discovered is also known as Edible Amaranth; the leaves are green & purple), green beans and a red chili pepper. Then we hit Sur La Table for a few more goodies.
Tonight, Mom & I are off to Compline at St. Mark’s Cathedral on Capitol Hill. These “ancient nighttime prayers” were mentioned in Seattle Weekly’s most recent “best of” issue…
Best Non-Alcoholic Happy Hour: You just saw a guy with a briefcase and a girl with dreads and about 15 tattoos walk into a 77-year-old church together. “WTF?” you might be thinking. But if it’s Sunday night at 9:30, you should walk in too, because it’s time for Compline at St. Mark’s on Capitol Hill. Wearing old sweats? So what?—you’ll probably be sitting on the floor, and no one cares what you wear here anyway. Just sit back and listen to the church’s 18-member choir party like it’s the year 509. They sing evening prayers the way monks have done ever since there were monks, and they do it beautifully. You’ve never felt this calm in your life, I promise you, no matter what your religious preferences. If you’re lucky, you’ll get the after-hours special—an abbreviated organ concert on the church’s gorgeous pipe organ. Usually this is classical too, but rumors abound of Led Zeppelin and Queen slipped alongside Mozart and Bach in the organist’s music case. And it’s all free of charge.—Emma Breysse
155. Weekend Wrap-Up
Mitch & I had dinner on Friday night at Purple and then went to see The Dark Knight (directed by Christopher Nolan) at Kirkland Parkplace. Boy, was it intense…and violent! I have to admit that I covered my eyes several times and my stomach was slightly tied in knots afterwards. Heath Ledger was FREAKISHLY disturbing as The Joker and Christian Bale was incredibly sexy as Batman. (Morgan Freeman was in the movie as well and I love him.)
Saturday, Mom and I hit the Redmond Saturday Market. I bought an arrangement of sunflowers, some produce (a butterscotch melon, a French orange melon, cucumbers, yellow plum tomatoes and blueberries), and a fabulous print of a painting of Pioneer Square by 17-year old Stephanie Johnson. Todd & I met up a little later to see the first movie in SIFF’s “Godard’s ‘60s” series (running August 8-14), Le Mépris (or Contempt, 1963, starring Michel Piccoli and Brigitte Bardot). It was fabulous (and I’d like to have Bardot’s body please)! After the movie, we explored upper Queen Anne for awhile in the pouring down rain. We ducked inside Chocopolis, where we shared a spicy hot chocolate and Todd bought a couple small boxes of chocolates. (I’m not sure why, but I was the lucky recipient of one containing a Lavender Jalapeno Caramel, Tahitian Vanilla Caramel, Strawberry Balsamic Caramel, and Fleur de Sel Caramel. I do love caramels! Thanks Odie!!!). Next, we ducked into Queen Anne Books, where we found a stack of great books for Odie. (I already have a stack on my nightstand.) Heading down the hill, we were trying to decide whether we should go out for dinner or make something at my place, which is when Odie suggested we stop at Eat Local. What a fabulous space and concept! Their menu consists of over 40 frozen meals, prepared in small-batches with local, organic ingredients. We bought the Manny’s Shepherd’s Pie and Ravioli Lasagna (layered w/squash & spinach). Also, Odie couldn’t resist a small container of Empire’s brown sugar ice cream. We nuked our dinners (both were fantastic!), curled up on the couch with wine, and watched Devil’s Playground (a documentary by Lucy Walker which follows a group of Amish teenagers through Rumspringa, their rite of passage where they discover what kind of people they want to be and whether or not they are going to join the Amish church).
This morning, I met Monica at Bakery Nouveau (she was even able to snag us a table!) for a cappuccino (my first in 3 weeks! HEAVEN!) and a slice of quiche, and then we walked around the West Seattle Farmer’s Market. I bought some Santa Rosa plums, pluots, Concesa green beans, homemade spinach pasta, and cherries. This evening, Kyle, Vanessa, Dad & I had dinner together. Kyle made chicken enchiladas and I baked a Plum & Orange Almond Cake for dessert. Tasty!
Plum & Orange Almond Cake
from “Italian Easy: Recipes from the London River Café”
Plums:
1 pound ripe plums
1 small orange
¼ cup sugar
1 vanilla bean
Cake:
2/3 cup blanched almonds
1¼ sticks unsalted butter
¾ cup sugar
2 organic eggs
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoon baking powder
Topping:
1 small orange
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons muscovado sugar
½ cup slivered almonds
- Finely grate the peel and squeeze the juice of the orange.
- Heat the oven to 350°.
- Halve and pit the plums and put in a baking dish with the sugar and the orange juice and peel. Add the split vanilla bean and bake for 20 minutes. Cool. Scrape in the vanilla seeds.
- Grease a 10-inch round springform pan with extra butter and line with baking parchment.
- Grind the almonds in a food processor. Soften the butter and beat with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one by one. Fold in the flour, baking powder and ground almonds.
- Pour into the pan and push the plums and their juices into and over the cake. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
- For the topping, finely grate the orange peel. Melt the butter and stir in the sugar, peel, and slivered almonds. Scatter this over the half-baked cake, lower the heat to 325° and bake for 1 hour longer. Cool the cake in the pan.
154. A Friday Five
- Last night, Mom, Cheri and I had dinner at a new restaurant in Kirkland, Bin Vivant at Carillon Point. (I think it opened just a couple weeks ago.) The setting & decor are beautiful, the wine list is impressive (80 by the glass, 300 bottles, 1, 3 & 6 ounce pours available), the service was attentive, and the food sounded amazing. Unfortunately, I don’t think it tasted quite as amazing as it sounded. We shared the Vanilla Cognac Scallops w/apricot and spinach puree ($19), the Bibb Lettuce Salad w/pear vinaigrette and rosemary bacon crumble ($8), and the Wild Alaskan Halibut roasted w/butter, thyme, saffron and ginger ($24). Everything just lacked a little flavor. My glass of wine was wonderful however — 2004 Sant’ Antonio Valpolicella Ripassa ($10 for 6oz. pour) — and I’m looking forward to returning for another glass of wine and maybe another try at the food.
- I have purchased two items in the last couple weeks which I am thoroughly enjoying! One is my folding Reisenthel market bag from Sur La Table and the other is this really cool Fit & Fresh lunch container from Storables. The market bag has wheels and it folds up into this nice little square pouch, and the lunch container has an ice block that lays in the middle to keep your food cold. Clever people!
- I finally finished “A Curious Earth” by Man Booker Prize finalist, Gerard Woodward, which I greatly enjoyed. The book’s protagonist is Aldous Rex Llewelwyn Jones, an aging widower and retired art teacher, who is content to sit in his house, drink whiskey, and watch potato vines grow from within his kitchen cabinet from long forgotten potatoes. I found Aldous to be very frustrating, but Woodward’s rich prose kept me enticed and filled with a feeling of hope.
- This week’s edition of Seattle Weekly is the “Best Of” issue and I now have a list of places I want to go and restaurants I want to try. These include (in no particular order): fish & chips (w/fried lemon slices) at Pike Street Fish Fry; visiting Magus used books; Lunchbox Laboratory; strazzapreti at Tavolata; getting my suitcase repaired at Omni; visiting the Open Satellite Gallery in Bellevue; listening to jazz at Egan’s Ballard Jam House; a peanut butter & bacon burger at McCoy’s Firehouse; lunch on the rooftop garden at the SW corner of 4th & University; balsamico e fragolo and basilico truffles from Fiori Chocolates; a torta from Barriga Llena; and dinner at Spring Hill in West Seattle.
- Even nice guys still make you crazy! That is all.
153. Recipes
I have a couple recipes to share with you this evening! B & I met to plan a few details of our upcoming trip to Italy (did I mention I was going to Italy?!!!!!!!!) and I made dinner using some of the produce I bought at the Saturday Market.
Lemon Rosemary Chicken
Serves 4 — from The Herbal Kitchen cookbook
1½ pounds boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1″ chunks
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, cut in half and sliced from root to top
1½ tablespoons coarsely chopped rosemary
½ cup chicken broth
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup dried currants
1/3 cup chopped pitted green olives
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the pan is very hot, add the chicken pieces, spreading them in a single layer. Cook them undisturbed until the bottoms of the chunks brown lightly, about 3 minutes. Scrape the chicken pieces loose with a spatula, stir them around, and cook them another 3 minutes, stirring several more times, to lightly brown the other sides. Slide the chicken out of the pan onto a warm platter.
- Adjust the heat to medium-low. Add the onion and rosemary to the skillet and cook until they become limp, about 3 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth and stir to dissolve the browned layer on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the lemon zest, currants, olives, ½ teaspoon salt, a few grindings of black pepper, and the browned chicken. Cover tightly and cook over low heat for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.
- Uncover the pan and increase the heat to high. Stir in the lemon juice, and cook until the sauce reduces and thickens enough to coat the meat with a glaze, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve while still hot.
Green Beans & Tomatoes
from Italian Easy: Recipes from the London River Café
10 ounces ripe tomatoes
1¼ pounds fine green beans
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons basil leaves
extra virgin olive oil
- Peel the tomatoes, then halve, squeezing out juice and seeds. Cut the stem end from the green beans. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Tear the basil.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a thick-bottomed pan and brown the garlic. Add the tomatoes, season, cover, and cook for 15 minutes on medium heat.
- Boil the beans in salted water until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain, then stir into the tomato sauce. Season and drizzle with olive oil. Add the basil.
Bon appétit!
