Nopi’s Lamb Meatballs with Warm Yogurt and Swiss Chard

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Meatballs bathed in a rich, warm yogurt sauce.

Meatballs bathed in a rich, warm yogurt sauce.

 

A great meatball is a fine thing.

Especially one bobbing in a rich, creamy sauce that transports you from the first indulgent taste to a faraway land.

That’s what you’ll get with “Lamb Meatballs with Warm Yogurt and Swiss Chard.”

It’s from the new cookbook, “Nopi” (Ten Speed Press) by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ramael Scully, of which I received a review copy.

Ottolenghi, of course, is the masterful owner of a slew of restaurants in London and the author of several cookbooks that pretty much land on the best-seller’s list every time he publishes one.

Scully is his head chef of Ottolenghi’s fine-dining establishment, Nopi.

Nopi

The book contains more than than 120 recipes, combining Ottolenghi’s Middle Eastern roots with Scully’s Malaysian heritage.

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Pique — Taste the Newest Revolution in Tea

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A new way to enjoy tea.

A new way to enjoy tea.

 

Pique will definitely pique your interest and taste buds.

Imagine brewing a cup of tea — without any loose leaves or tea bag involved.

Pique makes it possible with its genius tea crystals.

Simon Cheng, who grew up in Hong Kong and California, founded the San Francisco company. A lifelong tea aficionado, he wanted to find a better, more convenient way to enjoy a cup of tea.

So, he brewed tea, then removed the leaves, before distilling it into crystals that are packed into individual one-cup packets.

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Tear Into Meyer Lemon & Thyme Hearth Bread

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Here's what to do with all those Meyer lemons.

Here’s what to do with all those Meyer lemons.

 

These days, cutting back on carbs is such a thing.

In that regard, I am decidedly unhip.

Because I love bread, pasta and rice — and would never give them up unless I absolutely was forced to do so.

After all, few things are as blissful as tearing into a rustic slab of warm bread drizzled with good olive oil.

That’s why “Meyer Lemon & Thyme Hearth Bread” caught my eye.

It’s from the new cookbook, “Citrus: Sweet and Savory Sun-Kissed Recipes” (Ten Speed Press) by Valerie Aikman-Smith and Victoria Pearson, of which I received a review copy.

Aikman-Smith is a former cook at Greens restaurant in San Francisco, and Pearson is a food photographer, whose images have graced Food & Wine and Martha Stewart Living magazines.

CitrusCookbook

The book is all about what to make with citrus, which is at its prime in winter. Enjoy everything from “Rosemary Lemonade” and “Tropical Granola with Candied Lime” to “Grilled Sardines with Orange Polenta” and “Pomelo & Basil Granita.”

With a dwarf Meyer lemon tree in my yard, I’m always looking for ways to use its fragrant fruit, which is a cross between a regular lemon and a mandarin, rendering it less sharp tasting. In this recipe, the lemons get sliced thinly and fanned over the top of the bread.

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Pulling Up A Bar Stool At Harvest Table in St. Helena

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Smoked trout at the Harvest Table.

Smoked trout at the Harvest Table.

 

That’s exactly where I planted myself.

On Super Bowl Sunday.

While the rest of the Bay Area congregated in San Francisco for all the hoopla or Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara for the actual game, I headed to St. Helena.

Not to escape the hubbub, necessarily. But since I had to be in Wine Country bright and early the next day, I decided to stay the night before. It gave me the perfect excuse to check out Chef Charlie Palmer’s new Harvest Table at the venerable Harvest Inn.

Palmer took over the property a year and a half ago. He added a restaurant last spring, taking what was once just a reception area and building it out, though, keeping the ornate staircase and massive fireplace already there to add interest to the modern, clean-lined space.

The grounds have a Mediterranean-country feel with towering trees and a stone courtyard.

The grounds have a Mediterranean-country feel with towering trees and a stone courtyard.

The neatly appinted bar.

The neatly appointed bar.

He installed Executive Chef Levi Mezick, formerly of Restaurant 1833 in Monterey, and he hired Culinary Horticulturalist Laura McNiff to tend the fruit trees and herbs growing on the property.

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Amanda Freitag’s Pop’s Beer-Braised Bold Beef Stew and Smashed Yukon Gold Potatoes

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Freitag's favorite dishes growing up -- her father's beef stew.

One of Amanda Freitag’s favorite dishes growing up — her father’s beef stew.

 

In the winter, there are few things as comforting as tucking into a big bowl of beef stew and creamy mashed potatoes.

It’s a stick-to-your-ribs — and everywhere else — kind of dish that fortifies on a long, dark night like nothing else.

So when I spied “Pop’s Beer-Braised Bold Beef Stew,” I was game to give it a go, not only because of the two bottles of dark beer in it, but also the half bottle of red wine. How good does that sound, right?

The recipe is from “The Chef Next Door: A Pro Chef’s Recipes For Fun, Fearless Home Cooking” (William Morrow) by Amanda Freitag with writer Carrie King.

ChefNextDoor

You probably know celebrated New York Chef Freitag from her many TV appearances as a judge on the Food Network’s “Chopped” and a competitor on “Iron Chef America.”

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