my meyer

When we moved into our house a couple of years ago, all the trees and hedges in the backyard were trimmed to a perfect round shape. One small round tree with dark shiny leaves caught my eye. Weeding the flower bed underneath, I saw perfectly ripe lemons hanging down on the inside of the dome shape. It was a secret tree with my favorite fruit: meyer lemons. This was in fact the quintessential California house, complete with the meyer lemon tree.

I have always been fascinated by the tangy acidic flavor of limes and lemons. Some dishes outright call for limes and for that I use the small Mexican limes. They resemble most in flavor the limes I grew up with in Iran called Limoo Amani. One notable difference is that in Iran we consume those limes dry. A big ditch is created around the base of the tree and soon after the lime takes the right shape and color, the ditch is filled with water. The plant is not watered again until all the limes on the tree are dried out, or so legend has it. The resulting flavor is concentrated earthy musky sour with a hint of sweetness. The dried limes, crushed or whole pierced with a knife, are put in hearty lamb stews so the acidity can balance out the richness of the dish and help tenderize the meat.


Compared to the tiny green limes, lemons taste somewhat sweet to me. I can eat a lemon just like an orange although the funny faces I make are notably different. Make it a meyer lemon and the floral sweetness is further enhanced. My first taste of a meyer lemon was in the 90's at Chez Panisse Cafe. Lucky me for having tasted it first at such an institution that believes in letting the fresh natural flavor of ingredients shine. The little gem salad with the light fresh crispy leaves was served with a meyer lemon vinaigrette.


Almost three years after moving to our house, the yard has a more organic look and the trees and hedges look more natural. We still trim the Camellia tree to somewhat of an oval shape but the lemon tree boasts the fruit they're bearing proudly in whatever direction the branches want to go. The fruit is plentiful and my meyer lemons are as ripe as can be. I'll pick a bunch of them to make preserved lemons that I can use in a tagine. And the limoncello is always on hand in the freezer. The rest I've been using regularly in my salads. Adding the meyer lemon zest to a salad after tossing it with a vinaigrette gives it a flavor which reminds me of what I experienced at Chez Panisse over a decade ago.

Little Gem Salad with Meyer Lemon Vinaigrette

ingredients:

Sweet batard bread loaf

2 Tablespoons olive oil for croutons

Little Gem lettuces

One meyer lemon, preferably from your own backyard

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil for dressing

Parmesan cheese (whole piece)

Black pepper

method:

Cut bread into even-sized small crouton pieces, spread on baking sheet, lightly drizzle with olive oil, and bake at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes until crunchy. Watch it carefully as crouton sizes and oven temperatures can vary.

In a bowl, juice the meyer lemon using a lemon juicer and mix with the dijon. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking. Whisk until the dressing has emulsified.

Gently toss the little gem lettuces and plate them. Top with croutons.

Using a microplane zester top the salad with meyer lemon zest and parmesan cheese. Lightly grind pepper on top.

Note: Store the leftover croutons in an airtight container and the dressing in a jar for future salads.

suggestions:

The secret to making a good vinaigrette in one word is to "emulsify". Adding Dijon mustard to the lemon then whisking in the oil results in a creamy texture as the oil emulsifies the dressing. In France, a simple green salad (la salade verte) is tossed with the dressing and is always served after dinner. Tossing a salad is called "fatiguer la salade" as in fat-ea-geh, which literally translates to tiring the salad. But such tossing should be done lightly so as not to bruise the leaves. You may never get tired of this simple refreshing salad.

nothing fishy about vichyssoise

Nothing except for its name of course. Pronounced vishy(as in fishy)-sue-az, this soup is named after its creator's hometown, Vichy, a town in the central French Auvergne region. Vichy was invaded by the Germans in 1942 and occupied by the Nazis until 1944. Today it is a spa and resort town and locals are referred to as Vichyssois, much like the soup. The town's claim to fame is their thermal baths with healing properties, not the Vichyssoise soup which actually originated in New York's Ritz Carlton in the early 1900's.

We are always in search of healing. From the cure to cancer, AIDS, and MS to simpler ailments such as the common daily aches of an aging body, and trauma from psychological events, we look for comfort and freedom from pain in one form or another. In addition to traditional medicine, I use yoga, accupuncture, homeopathic treatments, and physical therapy for my pains. A more integrated healing approach can help the source of the problem and expedite healing. We also often use food as medicine to help with healing.

Aloe vera can help hydrate burnt skin, mint and ginger calm upset tummies, lemon has a cleansing effect on the kidneys, and the list goes on and on. We eat chicken soup when we're sick and there is great debate on whether it has physical healing properties to help with the common cold. But at a minimum we know it warms the soul, brings comfort with memories of our Moms feeding it to us when we were sick, and fills us with something more nutritious when our bodies need rejuventation. In Chinese medicine and coincidentally in my Persian family, foods are known to have hot and cold healing properties, similar to India's ayurvedic medicine. We use foods to stay in balance from both a physical and mental perspective. Overconsuming either type of food will bring digestive discomfort and lack of clarity in thoughts, perhaps even disease.

After years of listening to my body and personal trial and errors, I felt this recent change in season called for eating soup. But the sun is still strong and while the days are ever so gradually getting shorter, the seasons are only in transition. The idea of a cold soup came to mind. Vichyssoise, a puréed soup of leeks and potatoes (leeks are "warm" and potatoes are "cool", resulting in a balanced neutral meal), is traditionally served cold which is the perfect hybrid solution to having soup on a warm fall day. In my imagination, perhaps a cold puréed soup was what the aristocrats traveling to the Vichy thermal baths needed. Instead of puréed, I chose to eat my soup chunky, adding extra zucchini to the soup for its cooling effects ... a perfect complement to an early October sunny day.

Until I can plan a trip to Auvergne to use the Vichy thermal baths and steal a few bites of Bleu d'Auvergne cheese, I will savor tastes of my cold October soup. For dessert, I have fresh black mission figs poached in port that I serve on a piece of baguette with a Point Reyes Original Blue Cheese. I can almost feel the steam from the thermal baths. I think I'm healed.

ingredients:

2 leeks, white and green parts sliced thin

5 small zucchinis, sliced in rounds

3 medium new potatoes, peeled and cut in rough 1/2-inch squares

1 Tablespoon salt

1/2 Tablespoon cracked pepper

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon olive oil

4 cups vegetable broth (I use one 32 oz. box of Trader Joe's Organic Hearty Vegetable Broth)

dollop of crème fraîche

basil florettes

method:

Sautée the leek, zucchini, and potatoes in the butter and olive oil for five minutes. Add salt & pepper, stir, and cover with lid over the heat for another five minutes until the leeks have caramelized. Add the vegetable broth and simmer the vegetables covered until the potatoes are tender but still have their shape, about 30 minutes. Serve cold with a dollop of creme fraiche and basil florettes.

suggestion:

As in the traditional recipe, you can purée the soup in a food processor and add 2 tablespoons cream to the cold soup prior to serving. Or serve the soup hot. Whichever is more healing to you.

where to buy:

For more information on Point Reyes Blue Cheese and to buy it online, visit www.pointreyescheese.com

zaza Zazu

Gimme a "Z"! Gimme a vowel! Gimme another "Z"! Gimme another vowel! What does it spell? Is it Zazu, Zazi, or Zuzu?

All interesting names for a restaurant if you ask me. But which one is owned by the brother of this guy at one of the wineries I would frequent? I used to walk in and go the member's desk and time after time, say, "Hi Bob, how are you?" And Dan would smile, pour me as much wine as I wanted to taste, and never let me know that I had his name wrong. This went on repeatedly for several years until one day I realized I had him mixed up with someone else at the winery. One day Bob, I mean Dan, told me about his brother's tapas restaurant in Napa. I meant to stop in during one of my visits to the wine country.

A couple of years ago, we made reservations to stay in Sonoma for Winter Wineland, bought our wine tasting glasses, and headed to the Russian River, Dry Creek, and Alexander Valleys for the weekend. I was thrilled to see Zazu was not far from our wine tasting event and reserved a table for dinner. I couldn't wait to go back to my favorite winery and tell Dan all about it. We drove on Guernville Road until we ran into a locally sourced roadside restaurant with a garden out back. It was winter and the menu was pig opulent. While the menu changes nightly all specials are printed but I overheard a server tell the regulars at the table next to us that a duck confit with braised cabbage was one of their limited quantity specials not on the menu. Somehow I managed to order the last leg and devoured every lovely bite.

The next day on the way back to San Francisco, we stopped at my favorite winery and I bragged to Dan that we had finally visited his brother's restaurant, only to find out we had dined at the wrong one, or so I thought. If I got Dan and Bob mixed up, no wonder Zuzu and Zazu were the same to me, especially since originally Zazu had been named Zuzu but had to change their name. Zazu got its name based on advice given to the owners from Mario Batali that a restaurant's name should not be more than two syllables. And its even more confusing that Zazu's cuisine reminds me of my other favorite restaurant with two syllables, Zuni.

Since our first meal there, Zazu left something so memorable in my mind we go back every chance we get. Zazu supports local, diverse, and sustainable agriculture. The chef's garden behind the barn and the menu filled with local ingredients is evident of their practice. Every meal there is fresh, distinguished, comforting, with balanced flavors, and masterful creations that are bursting with flavor. We always start with one of their housemade black pig salumis. In addition to the red wine copa, last night we also had the eggplant caponata with cocoa nibs, currants, and pinenuts. As if the caponata needed any help, it was served with the most delicious grilled bread with olive oil, salt, and the smoky flavors of a well seasoned grill. That's just it.... every bite has layer after layer of earthy flavors. None of the "starts" or "mains" on the menu has ever disappointed. Last night my choice was to start with the backyard tomato + farmer wendy's melon salad with backyard shiso and prosciutto di parma. The shiso leaf added an unusually pleasant cinnamon-basil flavor that allowed the melon-prosciutto blend to work with the tomatoes. We followed the salad with petit poussin al mattone with grilled bread panzanella, chicories, sultanas, and pine nuts. I saved half of the little chicken to be able to savor the flavors again the next day on a salad. Tough to do but I had to leave room for another of their signatures: the housemade gelato. When the peanut butter scare was going on, I didn't hesitate to order the peanut butter gelato with a scoop of the Scharffenberger chocolate. And we still go back each time hoping to steal another taste of the savory oilve oil gelato followed by the Flying Goat espresso.

Surrounded by farms, in a little red converted farmhouse on the side of the road, Zazu with all its rustic charm is a culinary experience not to be missed!

suggestions:

Zazu means it when they say, "Bring Home the Bacon!" For $10 you can take back a 12 oz package of their heritage pork antibiotic and hormone free bacon from the owners' Black Pig Meat Company. You can also order the bacon online.

Scharffen Berger Cocoa Nib Caponata (Recipe from Zazu's website):

ingredients:

2 eggplant, diced 1 inch

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

28 ounce can peeled tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 1/2 ounces, semisweet chocolate, chopped small

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

5 stalks celery, diced

1/4 cup raisins, plumped in boiling water

1/4 cup toasted pinenuts

1/4 cup capers

1 tablespoon cocoa nibs

1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped

olive oil,
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

method:

In a large saute pan on medium high heat, saute the eggplant in single layer batches until golden and soft, about 7 minutes. Set aside. In the same pan, open up the garlic in a little oil until fragrant, about a minute. Add the tomatoes and chocolate and stir until chocolate is melted. In a mixing bowl, combine eggplant, garlic, tomatoes, balsamic, celery, raisins, pinenuts, capers, cocoa nibs, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

where to find:

Zazu Restaurant & Farm

address: 3535 Guerneville Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95401

phone: (707) 523-4814

www.zazurestaurant.com

poor man’s caviar

Lentils are my top choice for legumes. Found primarily in Mediterranean, Middle-Eastern, Indian, and French cuisine, they cook faster than most other kinds of beans, are packed with complex earthy flavors and are high in iron and protein in nutritional value. My favorite kind are the lentils du puys -- pronounced like "pwee" -- (or “lentilles du puys” in French) which are small with a dark blue-ish and green hue. They can stand up to stronger flavors for pairing and keep their shape when cooked.

As a kid I didn’t like to eat too much meat and loved it when my Mom made lentil-rice. While my parents ate it with a side of braised lamb cooked in allspice, mine was always served with a spoonful of sugar on top sans the lamb. A kid’s delight! Unfortunately we didn’t eat it often because lentils reminded my parents of hard times when meat prices were higher than their budget in their early years of marriage and they had eaten lentils way too often as they are known to be poor man’s caviar. It was no longer special to them. Since we ate it seldom as I grew up, lentils are a treat I savor with very special memories of my childhood when I want to feel rich.

ingredients:
4 cups lentils du puys soaked several hours in cold water
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
salt and pepper to taste

method:
Sautee onions in olive oil until golden brown. Add turmeric and stir one minute. Rinse soaked lentils and add to the onion mixture. Turn the heat to high and sautee while stirring often for 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add enough water to cover 1 inch over the top of the lentils. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook covered until lentils are semi-soft, about 10-15 mintues. Add tomatoes, cumin, coriander and water as necessary and cook covered on medium-low for another 10-15 minutes until all the water has evaporated and the lentils are done.

suggestions:
Either serve the lentils with rice for vegans or let it become a flavorful bed for serving roasted salmon. Alternatively pair lentils with duck or lamb cooked using either French herbs or Moroccan spices respectively.

where to find:
Lentils du puys (also known as French lentils) can be found in bulk for $1.88/lb. at Rainbow Grocery.

truffle salt & scrambled eggs

A foodie friend mentioned truffle salt. This led to my obsessive quest one morning to the Ferry Building Marketplace, earlier than the shop would open. Home to the San Francisco Farmers Market, the building boasts many exquisite shops... a foodie's delight. Some vendors open early to feed coffee and sweets to the ferry commuters. While fungi is not on an average commuter’s morning list of foods to consume, I was on my way to a meeting downtown and the delightful little morsels of truffle were clearly on my mind. It was worth risking a parking ticket to pull over at a white zone and run in. I must have looked like a dog trying to chase its tail as I paced back and forth in front of the shop’s closed gates, staring at the shop owner, wincing and almost howling, hoping to get my treat. Eventually the stares worked and I scored my very first jar of Truffle & Salt. The legitimate exchange of credit card for the delicacy occurred through practically closed gates, making it feel somewhat like a forbidden deal. With truffle salt in hand, I could hardly wait to go home and pop open the jar for a whiff of the black specks among the white sea salt sand dunes. I whipped up some soft and moist scrambled eggs to top with sprinkles of truffle salt and I was in heaven. It was my passion and the journey to find this tasty delicacy along with its memory imprinted on my taste buds that inspired this blog to be born.

ingredients:
3 eggs
¼ cup non-fat cream
½ tablespoon unsalted butter
salt (used very sparingly to taste)
truffle salt (to taste)

method:
Whip eggs with cream. Add a tiny amount of salt and half of the butter. Leave the butter as a chunk in the mixture. Melt the remaining butter in a hot non-stick pan. Add the egg mixture and using a wooden flat spoon stir gently until almost done and eggs still look moist and fluffy. Plate scrambled eggs and sprinkle truffle salt on top to taste.

suggestions:

Serve with plain multi-grain toast and darjeeling tea. Wishing you a memorable morsel and bon appétit!

where to find:
Click on shop for information on where to find truffle salt. Happy Shopping!