Ward Street Bistro

Maple-Orange Granola

I've been making homemade granola since the 1970's when I was literally a granola-munching (and vegetarian) college student. Over the years, my granola recipe has evolved, but now it's settled quite nicely into this maple-orange version. And I eat a lot of this stuff--almost every morning, in fact--with yogurt and fruit.

I'm posting the recipe now because I think granola is a tasty and healthy food gift for the holidays--an alternative to all the sweets and other rich food.  Just pack it up into a pretty container or wrap it up in some decorative cellophane. You could include the recipe on a hand-written recipe card.

You can go directly to the printable recipe--or I'll show you how to make it step-by-step...

Pasta with Roasted Radicchio

I love the warm and cozy flavors of Fall, which I think come together perfectly in this pasta with roasted radicchio, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives. To complete the meal, I serve it with classic baked acorn squash.  The flavors are a study in contrasts: the slightly bitter radicchio, the sweet tomatoes and acorn squash, the salty olives. To top it off, the pasta is garnished with Parmesan cheese, toasted pine nuts, and some fresh basil.

You can go directly to the printable recipe or I'll show you how to make it, step-by-step...

Potato Focaccia

As the weather turns cooler, I'm loving the chance to get back to baking, which I normally limit during the summer (except for pies; pies are always the exception!). And nothin' says lovin' like focaccia in the oven. I make it in a 9x13 pan, which I prefer to a round or larger, thinner rectangular shape. This gives me the flexibility to cut it into squares, which I can split for sandwiches--or cut it into narrow strips (breadstick-like). One of my all-time favorite meals is square lamb-burgers served on homemade focaccia.

I make a potato focaccia because I am particularly found of soft and moist potato yeast breads.

You can go directly to the printable recipe or I'll show you how to make it step-by-step...

Carrots with Olives and Garlic

I'm not sure why it took me so long to post this recipe. If I prioritized writing posts according to recipes we make the most, this might well be in the #1 slot. It's a recipe adaptation from one of my culinary heroes, Patricia Wells. Carrots are braised with olive oil, garlic and olives until everything is butter-tender. You've got the sweet carrots playing of the salty, briny olives plus sweet, tender slivers of garlic. We had these recently nestled up against Linguine with Shrimp Scampi--but they are fantastic with just about any meat or poultry. They are served warm or room temperature, which makes them a great make-ahead option.

You can go directly to the printable recipe or I'll show you how to make them, step-by-step...

Gazpacho

In the Pacific Northwest, tomato season is a late-arriving affair with a sometimes iffy harvest. Our lack of sustained hot, sunny days is the primary challenge. Still, towards the end of summer decent local tomatoes can be had. We've been enjoying some beautiful heirloom tomatoes from our local food coop - some of which made it into this gazpacho.

This particular gazpacho leans towards chunky side because I've hand-chopped the ingredients. You can do the chopping in a food processor which is quicker--and it's easier to get a very fine chop if that's your preference. The only downside to a food processor is that sometimes the vegetables seemed a bit bruised and battered in addition to being chopped. But either way is delicious.

You can go directly to the printable recipe or I'll show you how to make it, step-by-step...

Corn Fritter Casserole

Some time ago, Cooking Light published a lightened version of the classic "Jiffy Mix" corn casserole. If you're not familiar with this side dish it is really tasty. But the original version - which contains Jiffy Mix corn muffin mix, sour cream, eggs, canned corn and a stick of butter - packs on the calories. Fine if you're Paul Deen (her version, BTW, adds cheddar cheese), but not-so-fine for the weight-watching head chef here at the Bistro. (That would be me.)

So, I gave the Cooking Light version a go and Drake loved it. I, however, was a bit bothered about the Jiffy Mix. The mix is is loaded with hydrogenated fats and it uses de-germinated corn meal, which has less flavor (and less fiber) than whole grain. To top it off,  Jiffy Mix is quite sweet, which made the casserole very sweet - tasty - but a bit too sweet to my taste.

So, I re-worked the recipe into a healthier, "from scratch" version that's less sweet than the original and with richer corn flavor. I'm quite happy with my variation, and it passed the hubby test with flying colors. Served along side some BBQ it's a hard-to-beat summer side dish.

You can go directly to the printable recipe or I'll show you how to make it, step-by-step...

Lemon-Pepper Potato Salad

Grilling season is upon us in the Pacific Northwest--so it's time to dust off the potato salad recipes! I have a number of favorite potato salads, including this simple, brightly-flavored version. As its title indicates, it features lemon (finely grated zest) and pepper (in the form of pepper-crusted bacon).  Fantastic with grilled beef, lamb, pork, or chicken.

You can go directly to the printable recipe or I'll show you how to make it step-by-step...

Savory cheese and sesame pastries

Are you thinking about setting out a little appetizer for Easter (or other special) dinner? Consider these savory cheese pastries. The recipe is from my dear Aunt Amy, who was an elegant, gracious lady and a fabulous cook. What's nice is that they provide just a small bite of something--not too much--before a grand meal. And though I'm showing these as an appetizer, they also make a festive garnish for a entree or starter salad.

You can go directly to the printable recipe--or, I'll show you how to make these, step-by-step...

Dive into... red pepper-hazelnut dip

This red pepper-hazelnut dip meets all my requirements for the perfect appetizer: quick, easy, delicious. And, by the way, it pairs very nicely with the artichoke and mushroom lasagna. The dip requires only a few simple ingredients and a food processor.

I'll take you through making this recipe, step-by-step...