Washington State: A Dining Destination Worth Seeking Out by Ruth Paget
As I read through Dishing Up Washington: 150 Recipes that Capture Authentic Regional Flavors by Jess Thomson, I thought that the employees of Microsoft, Boeing, Amazon, Starbucks, and Costco, whose headquarters are in the state, all eat very well.
Very good recipes are amplified with the addition of choice ingredients like saffron, Dungeness crab, and cognac. However, the recipes stretch these choice ingredients to flavor humbler ones like Idaho potatoes and carrots to make these recipes a tasty good deal.
The following selection of recipes all prove what I just wrote. Even the zucchini ganoush, sesame seed paste flavored dip made here with zucchini not eggplant, judiciously uses tahini to make a healthy chip and vegetable dip for many people.
I would plan a trip to Washington state just to try the following dishes and later make them at home with Dishing Up Washington:
-saffron clam chowder
-smoked salmon rillettes – a buttery spread
-grilled prawns with curried dipping sauce
-zucchini ganoush
-watermelon gazpacho
-northwest Dungeness crab chowder
-roasted carrots with mustard and dill
-prime rib with cognac-roasted vegetables and crunchy greens
-green curry mussels
-pale ale oven-roasted clams
-classic brasserie sole with brown butter and herbs
-espresso brownies -banana pancakes (with maple syrup, of course!)
I think cooks with some experience might enjoy making the recipes in Dishing Up Washington: 150 Recipes that Capture Authentic Flavors by Jess Thomson to expand their culinary skills in working with expensive ingredients.
By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
