Culinary Adventures with Camilla

     This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of  St. Supéry . Complimentary wine was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links. However, all opinions expressed here are my own.   After working with  St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery * for #MerlotMe last autumn, when I shared  Lebanese Lubyi, Turkish Bazlama, and 2016 St. Supéry Rutherford Merlot , I was invited to join them for a series of collaborative posts  throughout 2021. What fun! Their #InJoy series started this month, but I was late to the party so I missed the first week when  they tasted the 2016 Dollarhide Elevation with Spring Vegetables and Lamb Loin . Still, I had the wine, so I decided to make the salsa verde recipe from Estate Chef Tod Kawachi and use it on a roasted rack of lamb for our anniversary dinner. Happy twenty-first to me and Jake! I am actually loving these shelter-in-place celebrations of the past year. St. Supéry's Dollarhide E...

     This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of  St. Supéry . Complimentary wine was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links. However, all opinions expressed here are my own.   After working with  St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery * for #MerlotMe last autumn, when I shared Lebanese Lubyi, Turkish Bazlama, and 2016 St. Supéry Rutherford Merlot , I was invited to join them for a series of collaborative posts throughout 2021. What fun! Their #InJoy series started last week, but I was late to the party.  For March and April, the theme is 'My Wine, My Garden' with Estate Horticulturist Brianne Hoover. Last week, they tasted the 2016 Dollarhide Elevation with Spring Vegetables and Lamb Loin. This week, we chatted with Hoover;  Emma Swain, CEO;  Michael Garcia,  Viticulture Manager;  Brooke Shenk, Winemaker; and  Tod Kawachi, Estate Chef. And we sipped the  2019 St. Supéry Dollarhide Es...

  This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Quail & Olive . Complimentary product was provided for this post and this page may contain affiliate links. However, all opinions expressed here are my own. Quick pickles are almost always on my holiday table because they are easy to make, they are delicious, and they add a lot of color to a plate. Because I know that I'll be eating these this week, I skip processing them in a water bath and just put them in the fridge. But you can process them and keep them in your pantry...if you can wait that long! I tend to pick a variety of colors and do a batch of three of four at a time. These will all be used during the first course of my Thanksgiving dinner this year. I used different seasonings and slightly different preparations for each jar. I picked up fresh, organic carrots, including these Cosmic Purple Carrots from local-to-me Serendipity Farms . And I was inspired by the Villa Jerada Dukkah spice that I picked up the las...

I have seen this spelled a couple of different ways - dukkah , dakka , duqqa . However you spell it, you must try this versatile spice blend. I'm going to spell it the first way. Dukkah is an Egyptian spice blend, consisting of herbs, nuts - usually hazelnut -, and spices. The word is derived from the Arabic word for "to pound"; the mixture of spices and nuts are pounded together after being dry roasted. The actual ingredients of the spice mix vary from cook to cook though there are common ingredients, such as sesame, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper. I changed it up a little with some sweetness and used pistachios because I liked the color.   Ingredients makes about 1 cup 3 T coriander seeds 1 T black cumin seeds 1 t cardamom seeds 1/2 t green peppercorns 1/2 C shelled raw pistachio nuts 1/4 C white sesame seeds 3 T unsweetened shredded coconut 1 t sea salt Procedure Toast coriander, cumin, cardamom seeds, and green pepp...

I had never baked meatballs - until I did a book review of The Bengali Five Spice Chronicle . Now it's one of my favorite ways to cook meatballs. I whipped up a double batch for Riley's birthday picnic and served them with a sheeps' milk yogurt from Garden Variety Cheese in Royal Oaks. They were a hit! Meatballs 2 pounds ground turkey 2 eggs 1 C cubetti (diced pancetta) 1/2 C ground almonds 2 T diced shallots and garlic, sauteed in butter until softened and beginning to caramelize 1/2 t ground cumin 1/4 t ground coriander dash of paprika freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper Mix all of the ingredients together well. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil. Form tablespoon-sized meatballs - or larger if you like - and place them on your baking sheet. They will shrink, so you can place them fairly close together. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Yogurt Sauce 1 C sheeps' milk yogurt 1/2 t crushed garlic 1 T dukkah* 2...

This is fast, portable dish that's perfect for a picnic on the beach. Everything is made ahead of time and simply assembled on-site. Meatballs 1 pound ground meat (I used a combination of ground turkey and ground beef) 1 egg 1/4 C ground almonds 1 T crushed garlic 1/2 t ground cumin 1/4 t ground coriander dash of paprika 2 T dukkah* freshly ground salt freshly ground pepper Mix all of the ingredients together well. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil. Form tablespoon-sized meatballs - or larger if you like - and place them on your baking sheet. They will shrink, so you can place them fairly close together. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Yogurt Sauce 1 C Greek, whole milk yogurt 1/2 t crushed garlic 1 T dukkah* 2 T fresh herbs (use whatever you have on-hand, I used cilantro) 1 T fresh lemon juice Mix everything together in a bowl. Chill until ready to serve. * Dukkah  is an Egyptian spice that you can whip up easily and it keeps for a l...

Lettuce is usually relegated to salads. Usually. Though, when I lived in Rome, I do remember Maria teaching me how to make Zuppa di Lattuga e Fagiolini (Lettuce and Bean Soup). Don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with salad; I love a crisp salad at the end of my dinner. But I wanted to flex my culinary muscles and do something a little bit more creative with the two Little Gems lettuce heads I had left in my Fogline Farm box this week. Lettuce Get Creative! But as I was short on time - mid-schoolweek and music lesson day for the boys - I decided to sear the lettuce. 2 Little Gems lettuces 1 T butter splash of olive oil 1 T dukkah* freshly ground sea salt freshly ground pepper In a large, flat-bottom pan, heat butter and a splash of olive oil. Tossed in 1 T of dukkah  and heat until the seeds began to toast and pop. Cut the Little Gems in half, lengthwise, and place them cut-side down in the hot pan. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook until the cut s...