Recipes
Arabic Chicken Kabsa
Kabsa is thought of as the national dish of many Arab states. Consisting of rice, meat, spices and often vegetables, all the ingredients in Kabsa are traditionally cooked in a single pot. The protein often varies by region, and can include beef, goat, or even camel. Chicken is among the most common, though, and it's what we've stuck to here. We'll save the camel for next time.The spices are the star of the show in these Middle Eastern dishes, which use varied seasonings to create wide arrays of amazing flavor. Black lemon, or loomi, makes this simple chicken and rice version a standout. We toast the spices and pan seared chicken thighs to enrich the broth for the rice. The resulting Kabsa has many layers of flavor and makes an amazing one-pot dinner for a large group or family!
Learn more
DIY Amaretto
Better than store-bought, this liqueur boasts a rich caramel flavor embellished with toasted spices, almonds and apricots. Not for immediate gratification, this process takes a month to complete but the outcome is well worth it. Toasting the spices and caramelizing the sugar make for a sweet, rich flavor that can't be beat. Enjoy it in your favorite cocktails and toddies for over the top flavor. Whether you make a bottle to stock your bar or divvy it up for gifting, it is a fun liqueur to make.
Learn more
Herbes de la Garrigue
Herbes de la Garrigue is similar to the more famous herb blend from Provence but with the hearty additions of rosemary, fennel, mint and Turkish bay leaf. Try it on grilled meats, to flavor home baked breads, in a pot of soup, or anywhere you'd like some of the rustic flavors from southwestern France.
Learn more
Curried Beef and Tendon with Turnip
We love the use of spice and combining of textures in this curry dish from fascinating Macau cookbook, The Adventures of Fat Rice by Abraham Conlon, Adrienne Lo, and Hugh Amano.From the Author: "In Macau “turnip” usually means daikon, or another large radish, so technically, there’s no turnip in the original version of this dish. At Fat Rice, we mostly follow tradition, but run with the turnip thing and garnish with crunchy raw turnips, radishes, and their greens. Don’t be scared to work with the tendons—they do require long cooking, but add great texture. Try grilling the rubbed beef; it adds a great smoky dimension."
Learn more
Buddha Bowl
This Buddha Bowl from "a modern way to cook" by Anna Jones is chock full of good-for-you things and a rich curry, fragrant with a homemade curry paste and peanuts, all served over over brown basmati rice, then topped with freshly pickled carrots, crispy kale, and toasted seeds. From the Author: “This all comes together in 45 minutes, but you do need to stay on top of a few things at once. The list of ingredients may look long, but I promise this is simple to make. You can also make a double batch of the paste and freeze some.”
Learn more
Japanese Chicken Curry
The Flavour Principle: Enticing Your Senses With Food And Drink contains recipes from around the world, focuses on the fundamentals of flavor and suggests pairings to complement the unique tastes of each dish. This Japanese curry recipe which balances sweet and spicy flavors for a wonderful, balanced taste, and has become a staff favorite.From the Author: "You can buy Japanese curry powder but it’s just as easy to make your own with our recipe. Serve the curry with rice or udon noodles and Japanese pickles (recipes follow). The grated apple gives sweetness to the sauce.This curry powder gets its traditional deep yellow colour from the turmeric. It is not a hot curry; it is more textured, with layered flavour."
Learn more
Chef Andrea's Cardamom and Olive Oil Cake
This delicious cake is complements of Pastry Chef Andrea, and was served at dearly departed Lecosho, one of our favorite after work restaurants.The Ranier cherries that she serves with it are at the end of their season now, but don't let that stop you from attempting this cake! Try a few slices of Northwest pear, poached in wine and sugar, or a few cubes of caramelized pumpkin, roasted until soft to garnish. This cake is heavenly with freshly ground cardamom, but is also a brilliant vehicle to feature any number of exotic spices- try pink peppercorns, saffron, fennel (or fennel pollen!) or anise seed, paired with a different flavors of gelato. A word on the recipe itself: "Real deal" bakers and pastry chefs weigh their ingredients, much like we weigh our spices here in the shop. Weighing provides far more consistent and accurate measurements, which is why we choose to sell our spices that way, too. I left Chef Andrea's original weights in the recipe in case you're in possession of a gram scale, but also translated them to the more commonly used volume measurements for the average home cook, too.
Learn more
Saffron Penne With Sausage and Arugula
Thanks to its luxurious ingredients, this Sicilian-inspired pasta is fancy and decadent enough for special occasions, but is simple enough to be thrown together quickly. Rather than an elaborate sauce, the pasta is dressed with cream flavored by all of the dishes' components. This makes for a rich-tasting effect that feels far lighter than a traditional cream sauce. It's worth noting that this is one of the few recipes in which I advocate not toasting the pine nuts, because it is my experience that the toasted flavor doesn't complement the Saffron and actually competes with it. You can use any shape of pasta, of course, but I find that penne rigate - the penne with the little ridges - holds the perfect amount of sauce. Each element in this pasta represents one of the tastes detectable by your palate, so the result is a beautifully balanced, crave-worthy dish.
Learn more
Piment d'Espelette Fish Stew
This hearty stew hits it on all notes, the high acid of the tomatoes and wine play against the sweetness of the deeply caramelized onion and fennel, the brine-y olives render the seafood right at home, and the Piment d'Espelette... oh, the Espelette! The perfect balance of heat and complexity that clarifies this bounty of flavor, and unites it all in delicious harmony. If my fish-monger has them, I'll often throw in a few oily little fish, too, like fresh anchovies or sardines... Just sear them whole, skins and all, in a bit of olive oil and add to the serving dishes.
Learn more
