Spring Crostini

Walking through the Pike Place Market a few weeks ago I picked up some fava beans and English peas for a splendido spring crostini. Back at home, I had some cannelini beans soaking for another favorite crostini of mine. These are quick, cheap, and totally satisfying. They are usually served as a starter or a side, but they can also be the main event. 

For the fava bean and English pea crostini, you need to shell a good handful of each. Along with a glug of good olive oil and some fresh mint, use a mortar and pestle to mash them up or give them a whirl in a small food processor. Add a squeeze of lemon, some more olive oil, some grated pecorino or parmesan cheese, and a little dash of salt and pepper. Then spread it on toasted crusty bread of your choice and top with a little more pecorino and fresh mint leaves.

For the cannelini bean crostini, cook your cannelini beans (if they are not of the canned variety). Saute a few cloves of chopped garlic in olive oil and add a couple handfuls of the beans to the pan. Using the back of a fork, mash up the beans and garlic, adding more olive oil if needed and a good swig of red wine vinegar until it forms a nice consistency. Season with some salt and pepper. Beforehand, make a rosemary olive oil by smashing some fresh rosemary and a pinch of salt into the oil. Spread the beans on some toasted, crusty bread and spoon on the rosemary olive oil. This will be our last post for a while as we travel to Italy for a couple weeks. I'm sure we'll return with many items that gustato come un buon!! Until then, here is part one of a great Italian film, Divorce Italian Style.

Emerald City's East Coast Pie

We didn't quite know what we were in for when we visited one of Seattle's top rated pizza joints. Usually a lot of hype sets me up for a major disappointment. Ballard neighborhood's Delancey is a wood-fired pizza place that (on most weekends) has people lined up outside and sometimes waiting an hour for a table. We arrived on a Saturday around 6:00 p.m. and waited to be seated for only 15 minutes, which allowed us to have a drink with friends at a small table near the entrance. They have an area for outside seating, and you would think that in June they would have tables set up, but it hasn't exactly been speedo weather yet in Seattle. 

I figured the pizza would be decent, but nothing prepared me for phenomenal pies that were just as good as some of the best in New York City. I was actually in shock after the first bite. We started with the Sausage, which was ultra tasty with lots of fennel seed -- exactly the kind of Italian sausage that I love on pizza. The crust was near perfection -- nice and charred, crispy and chewy -- and the cheese-to-sauce ratio was as it should be. 

Next up, we ordered a Margherita -- with homemade coppa -- and a Hot Salami. Each of them tasted like a good! I couldn't even say which was my favorite, but Regan loved the Hot Salami. Delancey uses great ingredients, and I'm sure every pizza combination could make you weep with joy. This was the best pizza I've ever had outside of New York City. It even reminded me of my all time favorite, John's of Bleecker Street (the legendary coal-fired brick oven pizza that I talked about in my NY pizza post). It turns out that the owner of Delancey, Brandon Pettit, is from Brooklyn and frequented DiFara and John's. (The co-owner is Brandon's wife, author Molly Wizenberg, who writes the popular food blog Orangette.) His love for these places is apparent, and his attempt to recreate that love is so successful that if Delancey was in New York City, it would be right at home. Those of us in Seattle are lucky as pie to have a slice of East coast perfection in our Emerald City.  

Between four of us, we shared three pizzas, and it was plenty. We definitely wouldn't have left hungry if we had only split two. This is one of our new favorites, and I really can't wait to go back. If you've never been to New York, and you live in Seattle, trust me -- this is the real deal! Unfortunately, if you want delivery pizza, Delancey is dine-in only. For a home slice, I recommend Pagliacci. It really is the best delivery you will ever get. Try the Parma Primo! They use high quality ingredients, including Salumi products on several pies. Next week, we head to Rome for another slice! Ciao!

The Dutch Baby & the Greek Egg

Good Morning, Good Morning! This weekend, we awoke with sweet dreams still in our head. We had a hunkering for a different kind of Seattle breakfast -- one that didn't involve frozen blueberries, almond milk, and chia seeds. Regan wanted pancakes, and I'd heard about these Dutch babies at Tilikum Place Cafe, a downtown spot we have been wanting to check out. Regan was charmed by the tiny shortbread cookies served on spoons with our French press coffee -- a nice touch that makes this place unique.

They had two versions of Dutch babies, sweet or savory. We split the savory one with ham and English peas. It came with a side of maple syrup to sweeten it, making a delightful treat. It was really well-executed and something I probably would never make at home, so I totally enjoyed it. A Dutch Baby is reminiscent of Yorkshire pudding (a light and fluffy pastry-like creation usually drowned in gravy -- a staple of English Sunday lunch). I love Yorkshire pudding, but Regan isn't too keen on it. She was hoping for something a bit more pancake-like. She would've probably preferred a tall stack of McFlapjacks!

We also split an order of Greek-style baked eggs that was so good it put hair on my back. (Regan says the hair was there before, but I don't believe her). Served in a cast iron skillet, the eggs were baked with tomatoes, peppers, olives, feta cheese, and toasted breadcrumbs. It was a small portion and could have come with a side. I would've liked to dip toast in that jazzamundo or roll a few roasted potatoes in that sauce-atronic. This is still a solid place for brunch, and the rest of the menu looked like it tasted like a good. I would like to go back for dinner some time and see what they can do with a chicken wing. Bawk Bawk Bgawk!

Havana Affair

Today we set out for a Havana affair, venturing over to Ballard at the less crowded location of the insanely popular Paseo.

Most days if you drive by their location in Fremont, you will a see a line that stretches down the block. The Ballard location is usually not as busy and has plenty of outdoor seating and beachside appeal. You don't have to stand on the sidewalk and try to eat a sandwich that requires both hands, a table, and 50 napkins. In the past, I've enjoyed Paseo's sandwiches -- mostly the Caribbean roast, the grilled pork, and the sauteed prawns.  It's been a long while since I've had the sandwiches, because the last few times we've gone there, Regan and I have opted to just share a dinner plate. After revisiting the sandwiches today, it is safe to say that I highly prefer the dinner entrees. With the entree, you get whatever meat or fish you like, served with a side salad, a portion of beans and rice, and corn on the cob. This easily serves 2 or 3 people and you have less a chance of leaving with a mayo and grease stain on your trousers.

This afternoon, I had the prawn sandwich, which was nearly impossible to eat. The bread was much too hard, and upon first bite everything inside the sandwich fell out. I was not thrilled with it. I got the sauce -- which appears to be mayo with pickle relish, garlic, and some other seasoning -- on the side. It is basically tartar sauce, but it does pair nicely with the intense caramelized onions and succulent pork shoulder. They do tend to over slather it, which is why I always get it on the side. You can order the shrimp on a spicy scale of 1-5. I chose number 3. It was decent enough, but everything combined just didn't make a very good sandwich. 

Regan wanted to try something different, and I suggested the Paseo press, which sounded more like a typical Cuban sandwich. It was basically the Caribbean roast with a slice of ham and melted cheese. She thought the deli slices of ham and cheese were totally unnecessary and a gut bomb, but liked the addition of the banana peppers. She wasn't over the Havana moon for it. It was also impossible to eat as a sandwich, and she felt a softer bread might've held the contents together better.

The black beans and rice are fine but certainly not extraordinary. The beans were a bit too sweet for my liking, and the rice is just plain ol' white rice. This place has a crazy following in Seattle and is often rated as one of the best sandwiches in the city, but I would never wait in the line down the block for it. In reality, it's mediocre, and I think my days of eating there have almost come to a close. In the future, I may return to split a dinner or try their scallops but will search elsewhere for a better sandwich, or roast my own pork -- in the same amount of time it takes to wait in line at the over-hyped Paseo.