I know my blog posts have been quit short as of late. I’ve been wanting to make pictures for you and share recipes, but I’ve been busier than usual and just haven’t had the time to sit down and write a proper post. What’s been going on? Well, if you don’t already know this about me, one of my gigs is staff photographer for Eater PDX, a groovy food and nightlife website that you’ll find in most major cities. We’ve been building our photo archives up so whenever my editor needs a quick picture of a restaurant, we have a beautiful shot to choose from, rather than borrowing one from Yelp or using a shaky picture from someone’s camera phone. Click here and here for an idea of what I’m talking about. The past couple of weeks have been packed with shoots like those and the next couple of weeks will be the same. Love it!
We also do a segment called Chef in the Kitchen and I was thrilled to find myself in the kitchen on Thursday with none other than the great Vitaly Paley! Can you believe it? Winner of the James Beard Award, Iron Chef America winner and one hell of a guy. The segment isn’t up on Eater yet, and no spoiler alert here, but I will share that after the shoot I had the privilege of sitting with Vitaly and sharing his lunch over conversations about, well food, of course. He also sent me home with a generous bouquet of dried fennel stocks. Soon to make an appearance in a blog post, so stick around! Needless to say, I was pretty high the rest of the day.
I’ve also been honored to do some seasonal photography as of late for New Seasons Market here in Portland. If you take a look at their website, slide two, you’ll see an Easter Brunch spread. Also, pop over to their bakery site (click on “hot cross buns”) for a glimpse for a Hot Cross Bun shoot I did for them. I really love shooting for New Seasons. They are warm and generous folks and definitely one of my favorite new clients! Here’s one of my favorite shots that I did for them that was featured on their Facebook page.
I also did another shoot for 1859 Magazine. Yes! Just love them :) A tiny shoot of likely the tiniest bathroom I’ve ever been in one of the most beautiful historic Craftsmen homes I’ve ever been in. Check out their current issue for a peek.
So, that’s where I’ve been folks! Phew!
Cheers!
Oh! Last but not least, Adam and finally found our wedding rings! They’re vintage, turn of the century and totally our style…I know our wedding is still two months away, but my ring is so pretty that I really want to start wearing it now!
Spring Roasted Vegetable Pappardelle with Carrot Top Pesto and Meatballs
I found inspiration for this meal in the pages of this month’s Sunset Magazine.
The carrot top pesto was something of an epiphany, I mean, who would have thought?
Definitely don’t skip the pesto. As you grind it in your food processor, it smells like freshly
shorn grass. Just like spring.
Ingredients:
For the meatballs:
1 lb grass-fed beef
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
A couple of generous pinches of salt
A couple of generous grinds of fresh black pepper
Zest from about half a lemon
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 large egg
For the roasted vegetables:
4-5 cipollino onions, peeled and cut in to eighths.
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 lb small yellow potatoes
1/2 lb carrots, cut in to thirds, and then each third cut into half or quarters depending on the size of your carrot
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup dry sherry or dry white wine
Zest from about 1/2 a lemon
1/2 cup roughly chopped flat leaf parsley
For the pasta:
8 oz pappardelle pasta
1/2 cup frozen peas
For the pesto:
One bunch carrot tops
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup lightly toasted walnuts
salt
olive oil
~
For the meatballs:
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine all of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your hands.
Roll mixture into 1-2 inch balls and place on baking sheet.
Cover with plastic wrap and set the pan in your fridge to chill as you prepare the other ingredients.
For the pesto:
Toss all of the ingredients except the olive oil in to your food processor and process until finely ground.
Slowly drizzle olive oil, while processing, until desired consistency is reached.
For the roasted veggies:
Remove the baking sheet with the meatballs from the fridge and toss the shrink-wrap.
Preheat your oven to 425.
Toss all of the veggies in a large bowl with the olive oil.
Gently spoon the veggies onto the baking sheet with the meatballs and bake for about 30 minutes. Until the meatballs are cooked through and the veggies start to turn golden.
Remove from oven and pour the dry sherry over the veggies and meatballs.
In the meantime, place the papardelle in a large pot of boiling salted water.
Toss the peas in and give it a good stir.
Cook pasta according to the package directions.
When al dente, drain all except about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
Place the pasta and peas back in the pot and pour the pasta water on top.
Stir the meatballs and veggies in with the pasta.
Add the lemon zest, salt and pepper, chopped parsley and pesto.
Serve with a generous squeeze of lemon and a side of pesto in case the pasta needs a bit more.
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