How did you learn to cook?

(Port Orford, December 2010, from the left, me and Joyce at Redfish Restaurant)

Up until the 80's we never went out to eat at Italian restaurants. Hubby would go off with his work mates now and then and fill up on pastas and specialties he liked, would drag me to the same and ask me how I liked the food. "I can do better!" I thought, and meant it. Up until the 80's restaurant fare was adequate, but not  very good.

Then, Wolfgang Puck started his cafes in upscale neighborhoods. Well, the quality of the dishes and the surprising presentations sold me.  I began to appreciate  food prepared by great chefs.  Wolfgang Puck's minestrone tasted even better than my mother's, back in Italy!

I learned to cook from my mother. By the time I left Italy, I could prepare everything she prepared, except home-made pasta.

If you want to learn to make home-made pasta, visit Eleonora's blog,
http://agliooliopeperoncino.blogspot.com/

Tell her Rosaria sent you.

Visit your best restaurants and appreciate the talents of your chefs. I know that since Redfish Restaurant opened here in Port Orford, I've been grateful that french cuisine and northwest products can come together and satisfy us beautifully. 

New food, new art.

This is the Hawthorne Gallery, right next to Redfish, the new restaurant owned and operated by the same family of artists, the Hawthornes.
I've tasted some yummy stuff at Redfish, and some I never had any where else.
When I looked up the recipe for Salmon Rillettes, something I tasted and loved at Redfish, I was surprised on how simple they were to put together.

Here is the recipe, easy and quick, adapted from Susan Loomis's, via David Leibovitz's web site.

Ingredients:

6 oz of cooked salmon, flaked
5 T butter
1Tfresh lemon juice
3T minced chives
2T olive oil
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

Procedure:
Soften and mash the butter with a fork, until no lumps appear, add lemon juice, mix well. Add oil, mix well. Add the salmon, chives and salt and pepper. Mix. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight, covered.
Serve the spread on toasted points or your favorite country bread.

Happy New Year!

Here I am with Joyce, my best friend on this coast, celebrating her 87th. Birthday   at Redfish Restaurant. She has had a long life and can teach us a thing or two about living.

Here are the rules I can deduct from Joyce's long life:

1. enjoy your dessert; there will be time when  you won't be able to.

2. taste everything; you may miss out a new favorite.

3. share with your friends; they may not be around too long.

Food Rule Number Seven: Support Local Purveyors.

Yes! Eating at Redfish ,overlooking the bay in Port Orford, has become one of our weekly excursions. Their offerings change almost weekly, and use  local products. Valley Flora  Farm (where I picked my berries for the cobblers in my previous post) provides the greens. Sweet Ranch provides the meats. The wines come from many sources, including many Oregon wineries.

If you want to continue to eat great food, served in great surroundings, you need to support these businesses. The local chefs depend on you. So, make a point to support and encourage local talent.

Hubby and I tend to eat out on a regular basis for two reasons. One, I like to try new things. Second, I get inspired when I see what talented chefs prepare.  My cooking improves; the business stays solvent; my mood and stomach appreciate the change of pace.

So, go on out and splurge, now and then! Chefs spend many years honing their skills; they, in turn, develop relationships with local purveyors, the ranchers and farmers that provide the meats and greens that are served to you. Everyone benefits!