Right along with the mashed-potato revolution, meatloaf is now as popular as ever. Especially in these anxious times, we become more needy for good ol’ home-cooking—”just like Mom’s.” I like simple and tasty meatloaf with maybe an outside wrap of bacon or a brushing of barbecue sauce or ketchup. And a big sandwich of thick slices of leftover loaf piled high on mayo-slathered, squishy white bread is still an American classic.

But I can really become quite inspired creating fun variations. Regular ground beef can be paired up with ground veal, pork or sausage. Or, for a lighter version you can use part ground turkey or chicken. Meatloaf can be quite dressed up with goodies such as wild mushroom sauce or roasted corn salsa. One of my favorite twists is Green Chile Meatloaf with Spicy Tequila Tomato Sauce. It will warm up your menu with some real south-of-the-border heat.

The perfect tools for mixing meatloaf are your own (clean) hands. It’s like making mudpies when you were a kid! But while you’re having all that fun mixing meatloaf, don’t over-handle it; and when filling the baking pan, be sure to pack the corners and get the air bubbles out, but don’t compact the mixture too tight.

Most meatloaves can be shaped either by packing in a loaf pan or ring mold, or by placing the meatloaf mixture in a jelly roll pan or sided baking dish then patting into a free-form oval, round or rectangle. Cooking time will vary depending on the shape; a good instant-read thermometer is your best guide. In general, loaf pans and other compact shapes will take a bit longer to cook than flatter, more free-form shapes. Also, individual size meatloaves made in mini-loaf pans or muffin tins take only about 30 minutes to bake.

Whether you choose a classic or a newfangled style, meatloaf can be a welcome comfort food to offset the winter blues!

GREEN CHILE MEATLOAF WITH SPICY TEQUILA TOMATO SAUCE

Makes 6 – 8 servings

Meatloaf

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 pound ground pork

3 eggs

1/2 cup fine, dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup chili sauce

1 small can (4 ounces) diced green chiles

1 tablespoon minced garlic

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

Sauce

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 cup 1/4-inch-chopped onions

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 cup tequila

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes in puree

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh or canned jalapeños (taste for heat—they vary a lot!)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 350°F. Pan-spray a 9-inch round cake pan and set aside.

Mix meatloaf ingredients together until well combined. Place mixture in pan and pack in well, rounding and smoothing the top. Then rap pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Cool meatloaf for 10 minutes then drain off grease. Loosen from sides of pan with a knife and remove loaf from pan.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Heat olive oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté onions until translucent, about 2 – 3 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and sauté about 1/2 minute more; do not brown garlic. Add tequila and tomatoes, stir well and bring to a boil. Stir in jalapeños and salt, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until liquid is reduced and sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 – 7 more minutes. Remove from the heat and fold in sour cream and cilantro.

Cut meatloaf in thick slices, and serve with the sauce.

Chef’s Note: For a quick variation, serve meatloaf with salsa instead of making the sauce.

©Copyright 2009 by Kathy Casey Food Studios®

This past weekend I was invited to judge the Ocean Shores 3rd Annual Razor Clam Festival Clam Chowder Cook-Off, and I jumped at the chance! I love any activity that involves foraging for you own ingredients: picking huckleberries, hunting mushrooms, and of course, digging for razor clams! We started the day with a 7:30am dig on the beach and then headed to the festival where there were over 12,000 razor clam enthusiasts in attendance. At the festival there were tons of booths full of art, educational information, baked goodies, books, and all sorts of other clam-related items.

My sous-chef Travis and I helped judge the Non-Professional Chowder Competition Cook Off, and let me tell you – it was stiff competition! After much deliberation, Ocean Shores resident, Tra Eang, took home the First Place ribbon, with DeeDee Bass and Don Toon in a close second and third, respectively.

As for the Professional Chowder Cook Off, the Clam King, Rob “Otter” Augustus, helped me pick the winner, Home Port Restaurant of Ocean Shores, who also took home the People’s Choice award that day. Second place was Emily’s at the Quinault Beach Resort and third was Front Street Cafe at Seabrook.

All in all, it was a clam-tastic day full of great food, fun items, lovely people and, of course, lots of clams!

Hard at work tasting all of the chowders!

Half Moon Bay Bar & Grill in Westport, WA has, hands-down, “Washington’s Best Bloody Mary” garnished with shrimp, celery, pickled green bean, pepperoncini, salami stick, cheddar cheese cube, lime, pickled onion, cherry tomato. Located at 412 E Neddie Rose Drive, Westport, WA 98595 Tel: (360) 268-9166

Clam Cookie (it’s a girl!) from Suzie’s Cakes in Hoquium, WA

Glass Razor Clams from Avalon Glassworks in West Seattle

King and Queen of the Clam Festival, Rob “Otter” and Roberta “Orca” Augustus

This fun festival kicks off on Friday evening, March 27^th, at the Shilo Inn. Beginning at 7 pm, you can dance the night away at the “Clam Dance” to the sounds of the Johnny Ray Band and cheer as King & Queen Clam are crowned. This evening also features a pasta & salad bar—all for $20 per person. Tickets are available at the Ocean Shores/North Beach Chamber of Commerce, and various other places around the area. Call (360) 289-2451 for information.

Then on Saturday, March 28th, you can start the day with a Pancake Breakfast prepared and served by the Ocean Shores Fire Fighters—just $5 buys all you can eat! And there’s lots to entertain you throughout the day—an Artisan Marketplace, featuring more than 40 Northwest artists and crafters; a Kids Fun Zone, with arts and crafts for the whole family to enjoy; live music; a chance to sample competing clam chowders and vote for your favorite; a beer & wine bar; an auction of decorated clam shovels and clam guns; and an Amateur Chowder Cook-off Contest.

On Saturday at 2:30 PM, I’ll be the celebrity judge at the 2009 Razor Clam Festival & Chowder Cook-off where I will start sampling clam chowders from participating restaurants throughout Grays Harbor County—and render my judgment. The winner of the 2009 Chowder Cook-off will have boasting rights for the Best Chowder on the Washington Coast for an entire year!

And it’s a razor clam digging weekend, too! Check for more info on the weekend’s dig and don’t forget your clam license!

Looking for a great place to stay while you’re at the Razor Clam Festival? Check out Seabrook, just up the coast from Ocean Shores.

Razor Clam Diggin’ and Some Great New NW Razor Clam Recipes

You would think that as a total Northwest gal I would have been razor clam digging at some time! But this is one Northwest activity for which I had my “first” last spring.

Here’s the story of my last year’s dig …. Ultra-outdoors friends and foodies Scott Surdyke and Darwin Longfox and my husband John and I made the trip to Ocean Shores. It is about a 3-hour drive from Seattle. On the way we stopped at the Westport Wal-Mart to pick up our clamming essentials: a clam license, clam guns, fishing gloves (we were pretty happy we spent the $1.98 on these!), clam nets to gather our booty and a light for illuminating our early morning foray. (Be sure to also bring a hat, rain gear, warm clothes and rubber boots … I have fun red polka dot ones.)

We headed out early and the weather was spectacular, no rain and barely breezy, which is RARE on the Washington ocean—as only the day before it was hailing! The tide was low and the beach busy with clammers making their sand piles in search of the prized razor clams. Clamming went great and it was a ton of fun. The beach was loaded with clams and we all made our limit of 15 per person.

We rinsed our clams and then put them in our ice chests to chill out till we headed home. A lot of the motels have “clam cleaning” stations but we opted to wait till we got home. Cleaning the clams is a bit tricky if you haven’t done it before—and instructions online are a bit vague. I liked the video demo that you can watch on YouTube.

When we cleaned our clams, we also saved the shells, boiled them to get any guck off and then cleaned them well. Then we soaked the shells in water with a tiny touch of bleach to get any remaining smell out. We then dried them to use for garnishing and/or as a serving vessel for sashimi that we would make out of the clam necks.

The “belly part” of the clam we kept separate from the body part. I like to take the tougher neck part of the clam and slice it in lengthwise strips; sometimes I even lightly pound this part of the clam. Though many government Web sites recommend not eating clams raw, we enjoyed the tougher neck portions sliced paper-thin on a bias and eaten sashimi-style with a little ponzu and soy. Lovely presented in the cleaned shells.

When we looked on the internet for recipes, we were shocked to find a plethora of Ritz cracker-breaded preparations and other heavy breaded variations. Though a light dip in egg and panko or cracker crumbs is a tasty classic preparation, we all wanted to try something more interesting and less “fried” with our clam bounty. So on the drive home we stopped at the Asian grocery emporium Uwajimaya and picked up some ingredient inspiration. I made two recipes with our clams and both turned out really tasty. They are also very fresh-style preparations on the lighter side. I hope you will try these new recipes the next time you have a lucky clam dig!

Pacific Rim Razor Clams with Lemongrass
I like to serve this dish with steamed jasmine rice. If you like it spicier, serve red chili paste, such as sambal olek, on the side … just be sure you don’t use too much and cover up the delicate flavor of the sweet clam.
Serves 2–4

4 large Northwest razor clams

Pacific Rim Herb Paste
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh garlic
1 small stalk fresh lemongrass, end cut off, trimmed and finely minced
1/2 teaspoon chili paste (sambal olek)
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
——————————————
2 teaspoons canola oil
3 green onions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 small red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 teaspoon Asian fish sauce
1/4 cup light coconut milk (or use regular)

Garnish: 5–6 large cilantro sprigs, coarsely chopped
1 lime, quartered, or 2 tiny Key limes, halved

Clean the clams and separate the belly from the neck part of the clam. Cut the neck part into bias strips.

Make the herb paste: Combine the ginger, garlic, lemongrass, chili paste, oil and salt together in a small bowl. If you have a food processor, then give it a quick pulse to combine. Toss with the clams.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high/high heat. Cook the belly part of the clam for 1 minute, turning as needed. Then add the remaining clam strips, green onions and bell pepper and sauté for about 1 minute more, moving ingredients around the pan as they cook. Add fish sauce and coconut milk and cook about 1/2 – 1 minute until heated through. Sprinkle with cilantro, and serve with limes for squeezing. Serve immediately. © 2009 Kathy Casey Food Studios—www.kathycasey.com

Razor Clams with Ginger, Black Beans, and Asparagus
Serves 4

4 razor clams
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 large bunch of asparagus, woody ends cut off and spears sliced on the bias (about 2 cups prepped)
1 cup thickly sliced sweet white onion
1 red jalapeño, thinly sliced (seeds removed)
1–2 tablespoons Asian fermented black beans, rinsed well and finely minced
1 tablespoon finely minced ginger
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon cornstarch

Clean the clams and then separate the belly from the neck part of the clam. Cut the neck part into bias strips.

Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat. Add the asparagus, onion and jalapeño to the pan and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add the belly part of the clam and cook for about 20 seconds then add the remaining clam strips, black beans, ginger, and garlic and sauté for about 1 minute or until clams are lightly cooked. Meanwhile, mix the lemon juice, soy and cornstarch together in a tiny bowl and then add to pan and quickly stir to thicken the dish up. Serve immediately. © 2009 Kathy Casey Food Studios— www.kathycasey.com

Grapefruit—tangy, sweet, white, pink, ruby—has its fans and not-fans. I have always been a fan for it; I love the tart-sweet and bitter flavor of this juicy citrus fruit. And it’s an excellent source of vitamin C and fiber.

Grapefruit is much more versatile than its glass-of-juice form. You can eat it just naked and on its own for a refreshing and bracing breakfast starter or go totally the opposite, topping it with a splash of Campari liquor and allspice-scented sugar then broiling till bubbly, for a sophisticated breakfast or brunch.

When thinking up other recipe ideas, we thought grapefruit could be a great stand-in for lemon, so my tasters and I tried it in Chicken Piccata with Grapefruit, Pine Nuts and Capers … and loved it. This dish has grapefruit juice in the sauce reduction and also has fresh wedges squeezed over the finished dish, giving it a bright flavor pop.

So whether you usually take your grapefruit on the rocks in a Greyhound or eat it straight, remember that it’s good for you. And if you haven’t considered eating a lot of this citrus since the ’70s Grapefruit Diet craze, try this recipe and get zesty with it!

Chicken Piccata with Grapefruit, Pine Nuts and Capers

Makes 4 servings

2 tablespoons milk

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/3-inch thickness

4 tablespoons salted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3/4 cup fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 teaspoons finely minced grapefruit zest

2 tablespoons capers, drained

1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

4 grapefruit wedges for garnish

In a small, flat bowl, mix together the milk and eggs. In another flat dish, mix the flour, salt, and pepper.

Dip the chicken pieces into the egg mixture and then into the flour mixture. Coat each piece well, then shake off the excess.

Meanwhile, in a large, shallow, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and all the olive oil. Add the coated chicken pieces to the hot skillet, and cook until the chicken is golden on the outside and no longer pink on the inside, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Drain chicken on paper towels. Keep warm. (Keep the pan to make the sauce—don’t wash it.)

In the chicken cooking pan, add the garlic and stir around for a few seconds, being careful not to burn. Add the grapefruit juice and white wine. Increase heat to high, bring sauce to a boil, and let reduce by half. Immediately remove pan from the heat and whisk in the grapefruit zest, remaining butter, capers and parsley.

Transfer chicken to a warm platter and spoon sauce over each piece, then sprinkle with the pine nuts. Serve with grapefruit wedges for squeezing over chicken. Serve immediately.

Copyright ©2009 by Kathy Casey Food Studios®

A nice thing about pasta is that it can be super-quick and easy to make—especially in the summer, when fresh ripe tomatoes and fragrant basil are abundant in the garden. But in the greyer months, there’s a whole other realm of pasta options, my favorite being the hearty, slow-simmered sauces which are so rich with flavorful reductions. These types of sauce are typically made with meats and poultry that are “still on the bone” as the long, leisurely braising of the bones helps give the sauces that incredible flavor and body.

As with all these gently braised, robust dishes, the ragout tastes even better the next day. And that’s a nice thing about slow-braised pasta sauces; you can make them up to three days before serving them or even freeze them for later enjoyment!

I have included a recipe for slow-cooked lamb sauce—because we’re all busy and sometimes just need to load up that slow-cooker and head out the door. But, hey! You get to come home to a house that smells soooo good and a spectacular dinner that was cooking away while you were off working.

Tender chunks of lamb shoulder cook with a touch of orange peel, balsamic vinegar, onion and garlic, mushrooms, tomato paste, red wine, and fresh sage; the ingredients meld into a robust meat sauce—perfect paired up with chunky, rigatoni pasta. And to finish the dish, I like to crumble soft goat cheese over it. Add a fresh arugula salad, crusty bread, and a big glass of red wine. What more could you ask to come home to?

Hearty Slow-Cooked Lamb & Mushroom Sauce with Rigatoni

Serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil plus more as needed

2 pounds lamb shoulder arm chops, fat trimmed off and each chop cut into 3 pieces

1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more as needed

1/4 teaspoon coarse-ground black pepper

1/2 cup diced onion

1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

1/8 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes

2 teaspoons minced orange zest

1/3 cup tomato paste

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup red wine

1 cup canned low-sodium beef broth

3 fresh sage leaves

3/4 – 1 pound dry rigatoni pasta

2 ounces soft chevre (goat cheese)

fresh sage leaves for garnish

To make the sauce: In a large nonstick pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Season lamb on both sides with 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper. When the pan is very hot, add half of the lamb and brown for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side or until well browned. Continue with remaining lamb. As lamb is browned, transfer it to a slow-cooker.

In the same nonstick pan, saute the onion and mushrooms, stirring often, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, chili flakes, orange zest, and tomato paste. Stir in well and cook this mixture for about 2 minutes. Whisk in the vinegar and wine. Cook the mixture, reducing it for about 2 minutes. Add the beef broth and sage leaves. Bring to a boil and then immediately pour the mixture over the lamb in the slow-cooker. Be sure to scrape in all the goodies. Cover the cooker and cook for about 6 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.

To serve: Turn off the cooker. Remove bones from the lamb and break up meat into the sauce. Cover the sauce while cooking the pasta.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, and cook the pasta per package directions until just al dente. Drain (but do not rinse!) and place the well-drained pasta back into the cooking pot. Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with some salt. Toss well.

Divide pasta among serving bowls and ladle sauce over pasta. This sauce is very brothy, so be sure to divide broth among bowls also. Crumble goat cheese over pasta and garnish with fresh sage leaves. Serve immediately.

©2009 by Kathy Casey Food Studios®

People all over the world delight in eating them roasted, raw and ground. We enjoy them out of hand and in a wide variety of sweet and savory foods; from breakfast to snacks to dinner to desserts.

Nuts are dry fruits or seeds that generally consist of an edible kernel enclosed in a shell. Nuts are sold with and without shells, in a variety of forms, blanched or not, raw, dry- or oil-roasted, with or without salt, chopped, sliced, ground as in butters or flours, and pressed to make oils. You’ll want to store nuts in cool, dry conditions, in airtight containers and away from light. Because of their high fat content, many benefit from storage in the refrigerator or freezer to deter rancidity.

Nuts show up in a variety of ways. As nut butters and nut flours, or as nut oil, long associated with “gourmet” salads. And of course, as whole or pieces- raw or toasted. And there are a plethora of different kinds of nuts to enjoy. Almonds, which have the largest share of the nut trade worldwide, are a great source of quick protein when just eaten out of hand. Walnuts shine in baked goodies. Cashews seem always to be the first to disappear from the party nut mix! Pistachios which are a little more on the exotic side are lovely toasted and sprinkled over a fruit salad. Hazelnuts are fantastic to crust a lovely piece of fish with.

And then there is the ever-loved peanut. Not really a “nut;” actually a legume that buries its “peas” underground – but we all consider it to be in the “nut family”. The classic combo of peanut and chocolate combine in the following recipe for Chocolate Peanut Fudge Cakes with Peanut Butter Cream  —  Yum!

CHOCOLATE PEANUT FUDGE CAKES WITH PEANUT BUTTER CREAM
Makes 6 individual cakes.

Cakes

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 1/2 sticks butter (6 oz. wt.)
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
4 large eggs
1/2 cup flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped (unsalted)

Cream

1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the cakes: Combine chocolate, butter and peanut butter in a metal bowl and place over a pot of just simmering water, or use a double boiler. Stir till chocolate and butter are just melted. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl mix eggs, flour, sugar and vanilla extract until glossy, about 2 minutes.

Mix in melted chocolate and butter mixture until just combined. Then stir in peanuts.

Lightly, pan-spray and flour over-sized muffin pans (Texas Style). Divide batter into the 6 cups.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 34 minutes. Cakes will be slightly gooey in the center. Let cool in pans for 8 minutes then unpan and cool right-side-up on a wire rack.

To make the cream: Place cream, peanut butter and powdered sugar in a bowl and whip until just soft peaked.

To serve cakes: Serve cakes while still warm, or totally cool them and individually wrap in plastic wrap until needed. (Cakes keep this way for up to 4 days.) Serve at room temperature or warm just slightly in microwave for about 20 – 30 seconds on high power or until just warm. Serve topped with a dollop of the peanut cream.

©Copyright 2009 by Kathy Casey Food Studios®

Nancy Cook at My Home Cook N Blog wrote a fantastic Valentines dinner post that included my recipe for Crab and Artichoke Stuffed Potatoes – complete with step by step photos ! Very fun – check it out. Thanks Nancy – you are more photo ambitious than I am!

Beer isn’t just for sipping, slurping, chugging and drinking … it’s great for cooking, too! But have you tried it with chocolate? Well, there’s no time like Valentine’s Day to present your sweetie with a fabulous new indulgence!

Of course you’ll need to experiment a bit to find your truly favorite pairings but let me save you a little trial and error by pointing you toward more complex lagers with rich caramel notes. Just keep trying different combinations until you really like the way the tastes blend on your palate.

To get you started, here’s a recipe for Negra Modelo Espresso Fudge Cake with Modelo Cream, an incredibly delicious, fudgy rich dessert I created using Negra Modelo beer. The cake is easy to make at home and will definitely say, “I love you,” to the beer and chocolate lover in your life. It was recently featured in PR News Wire.com article, click here to check it out!

Negra Modelo Espresso Fudge Cake with Modelo Cream

    3 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
    1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbsp.) butter
    2 Tbsp. Instant espresso granules or instant coffee
    3 eggs
    1/3 cup Negra Modelo beer
    1 1/2 cup sugar
    1/2 cup flour
    1/4 tsp. salt
    1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

    Modelo Cream
    1/2 cup whipping cream
    1/4 c. powdered sugar
    3 tbsp. Negra Modelo beer