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"Marea"

It was one of the most memorable meals we've ever had. Part food, part experience and part occasion - our 12th Anniversary.

It all started with a chilled glass of Prosecco as we were browsing the menu (although she didn't I know I read that menu about 10 times as I was prepping for this special dinner). And after a few minutes, we decided to order the four-course-prix-fixe. My wife's first course was grilled polpo; a crusty yet tender octopus on a bed of roasted fingerling potatoes, pickled onions and tonnato sauce. You all know how hard it is to cook octopus, but this one was certainly perfect. On the other side of the table, I was delighted with my gambero rosso, a prawn cooked slightly translucent with a light aioli, chopped sopressata and fried chick peas. It was the perfect combination of texture, flavor and beautiful plating. As the night went by, we got to know our server who lived in Sicily for a while and who didn't have any problem adding commentary to our meal - it certainly made our dinner even more special. Not to mention the crisp Vermentino that arrived as our first course ended.

Take two was pasta, ahh! I can still smell it. My wife ordered Gramigna prepared in a Sicilian style. The pasta, a short curly one with amazing texture, was dressed with preserved tuna, tomatoes, capers and raisins. My mushroom Risotto was creamy and aromatic. The only thing that would have made it better - truffle shavings. After we started dreaming about going to Sicily, stimulated by great flavors memories of our last trip to Italy, more inspiration showed up to our table. Hers, roasted bay scallops with chestnut ragu and porcini; mine, a perfectly grilled swordfish. A demi-glass of nero d'avola was our best friend right before we went to dessert lane.

Our new friend offered us the perfect sweet ending to the meal, a glass of brachetto, a slightly sweet and sparkling wine from Piemonte. The first sip made me pause and reflect about the great flavors we had experienced that night. The second sip was happily interrupted by two great desserts: a rosemary panna cotta with roasted fig ice cream and a gianduja with hazelnut chocolate and fior di latte ice cream.

Sometimes food is like a play, where every act has a purpose, where there's a main character that blends it altogether. In this 'play' the protagonist was...everyone's intention. Everything that night had a purpose just like if all the parts were in sync to celebrate our anniversary.

"Venere"

Dark foods are not for everyone. However, there are some that are just succulent. Like Venere rice, a rare variety product of a combination between Chinese black rice and Italian rice, that renewed my love with 'wild rice'. The taste is nutty, aromatic; the texture, with a soft crunch. I prepared it by chopping a shallot, a clove of garlic, and olive oil before adding water/stock, then cooked it for 40 min.
If you see it, get it and give it a shot!

"Summer Stopped By"

Tonight, for some reason I felt like preparing a pasta dish that reminded me about summer. Light, lemony, fresh tasting. I just julienned zucchini and mixed it with the cooked pasta, added olive oil, salt, lemon zest and oregano. Super fast and tasty!

"Purplicious"

Purple is not only a color of this season, it is a color that you can include in your diet. Whether it is red cabbage (actually purplish), Kalamata or Gaeta olives, and even cauliflower. And it is exactly this last one the one I want to talk to you about.

First of all, look how beautiful it is. It not only has great taste and texture but it is also packed with flavonoids that give it that amazing purple color.

So, go ahead and get a couple of these beauties; break them apart and remove the core in order to get the florets ready to be roasted--Yes, we are roasting these guys. Toss these in olive oil and salt while you pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees.

Once oven is ready, put cauliflower florets in a baking sheet, preferably on a layer of foil or parchment paper. Roast them for about 20 min, until they brown from the bottom. While that is going on prepare any citrusy dressing of your choice. One of my favorites is below:

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1`medium garlic clove
5-6 Pitted Olives (Gaetas or Kalamatas)
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Juice of half a tangerine
1/2 tsp of lemon or tangerine zest
1 Tbsp of (finely) chopped parsley
1 Tbsp red Wine vinegar or sherry vinegar

Heat olive oil over medium heat, add the garlic a few minutes later making sure it doesn't get too warm, add the garlic clove and enjoy the aromas in your kitchen...toss it around and remove after 2 minutes or so; add in the olives and turn it off. Remove from heat. Mix in all remaining ingredients and adjust to taste - salt, pepper, more vinegar, etc.

Once you remove the cauliflower from the heat, put it on a serving dish and pour in the dressing. The dark purple, the aromas of the dressing are delicious, 'purplicious' actually.

"A Cultural Treasure"

This week, UNESCO declared Mexican Cuisine a cultural treasure --Patrimonio de la Humanidad - como decimos en Mexico. I read it on twitter, on newspapers, then, I felt the need to share it with my friends...and tonight I realized that even though I did not need a reminder, it made me feel proud of my country, and my roots.

And although, for many people Mexican food equals "cheesy" and "creamy" dishes; it is certainly more than that. When I see both of my kids eating home-made tamales and beans like there is no tomorrow - I feel awesome; I see myself in them.

So, whatever your favorite dish, go ahead and try something new; something that perhaps you have never tried. Or something that you don't try so often. My current 'affair' is with beans. Yes, beans - think beyond pinto. The nuances in texture, aromas and flavor are incredible. It all started when I was at the Ferry Building in San Francisco a couple of years ago, and I saw a kind of bean that I had never seen before, Ayocote Morado. It had a dark purplish color and was bigger than pinto or red beans. When I cooked them, I discovered a delicious creamy texture; and a very thin bouillon that reminded me when growing up I would dip bread into the bowl (en el caldito).

So next time you want to eat beans, give new beans a shot.

"El Camion en Seattle"

Today, my teammates from Seattle took me to a place called "El Camion". A traditional Mexican street food place in Seattle's SODO neighborhood. http://www.elcamionseattle.com/

Their menu is pretty broad for the space in which they operate. From a variety of tacos, mole, chipotle shrimp and even tamales to a nice variety of salsas including habanero and salsa verde.

It is exciting to taste authentic Mexican food, no matter where it is. If you happen to be in Seattle and want to experience something close to what you have had in Mexico, definitely stop by.

My lunch was such a treat; 2 tacos de carne asada, 1 taco de lengua y una mulita de puerco - a quesadilla concoction with avocado and pork. Ahh, delicioso.