Chorizo, Red Pepper and Potato Gallette with Argula

Well that title is a mouthful, but i guess it fits the dish itself which is ridiculously filling and delicious. it all started when i got my new sunset magazine and i was pleasantly surprised by their savory pie section. I love savory pies. i made a butternut squash one in the fall and was very happy with the results. so this one, (though it doesn't seem in line with a seasonal theme, i probably would rather have had it in the fall,) is even better. when i saw that it had chorizo, one of jacob's favorites, i knew it must be made. so i used the smitten kitchen pie crust recipe. and my new pie crust cutter upper, made it so much easier, i love tools. and got to work.

unfortunately this is probably not a dish that promotes my ideology that cooking at home is cheaper or healthier. chorizo and manchego cheese are pricey people, but for a weekend splurge or week day pick me up its perfect, i just wanted you to know what you were getting into.

i would normally just link you to the recipe online but was shocked to find that they did not have the pie section of the magazine on the internet, its like they want you to buy their paper copy or something. so here it is, your welcome.

13 inch round pie crust( see link above or they suggest pillsbury refrigerated pie dough)

1/3 lb or manchego or other basque-style sheep's-milk cheese, thinly sliced

3 ounces spanish style chorizo, thinly sliced

1/2 lb cooked and thinly sliced yukon gold potatoes

1/2 cup thinly sliced roasted red bell peppers patted dry

2 cups baby lettuce

(your favorite salad vinegar, i used white balsamic, they suggested sherry vinegar, and oil)

Roll out pie crust, leaving a 2inch border.

layer the filling ingredients. i did 1/2 of the potatoes, then cheese, then chorizo, then more potatoes, so that the cheese melted down and through everything.

fold the dough around the filling, then bake until crust is golden 20-25 minutes.

toss the lettuce with vinegar and oil, you can place it on top for a nice contrast, but i just served mine on the side.

there are no pictures due to poor lighting and hunger, but if you are confused about the folding issue here's a pic of the butternut squash gallete i mentioned earlier. its very rustic looking. nothing too complicated i promise.

also this says it serves four to six, they must not have meant people with any appetite or tastebuds or are assuming its all dieters because i made us stop eating it 2/3rds of the way through due to the afore mentioned health issues, cheese/chorizo/ and pie crust need i say more? but we could have easily finished it just the two of us.

i would bring this to a potluck dinner or serve it with a larger salad next time.

enjoy!

snow

i loved our silent snowy walk by donner lake in tahoe this weekend. snow is one of the best atmospheres for thinking.

farm city

Jacob and i want goats and a garden and while we recently read that this was possible in urban areas we didn't really think it happened. until we read farm city. novella writes about her experiences as an urban farmer in oakland. she is very open about her struggles in an excellent show of humor. there are many highs and lows, even the title of urban farmer took her awhile to grow into but i think she earned it as she raised many types of fowl, rabbits, and heirloom vegetables while struggling with ethical and urban problems. she shares many tales of her delicious meals as well as the work it took to get them to her table. i was impressed and challenged while laughing my head off. thanks novella.

change

spring is a season of change, and i feel that jacob and i are swept up in that feeling right now. the feeling that things aren't the same and won't be same and that life is always shifting. we have a lot of ideas and options and some might say talents(ahem, jacobs music...)

we've been reading lots of books about farming and we've done a lot of cooking and wandering and picture taking.

its been a good time but i think i'm feeling confused because i thought that if we took this year and explored options and attempted new things that when the time came we'd have an answer, a direction. and while we still have time for that to fall from the sky it's looking like that's not going to be the case. that we're once again going to have to make a choice based not on certainty but on chance. that we're going to risk again and hope that the things that are most important fall into place. but knowing us and knowing me, we're not going to be staying where we are, though its good and i'll miss it. and we probably won't choose a place that makes everyone happy or that makes us not miss any of our other options. we're definitely going to gain certain things but we'll lose certain thing as well. and that's the rub.

it will mean that we are following a path and a goal that is important to us and not muddling around wishing we could have it all. because you can't and you won't and you definitely won't be happy if you try to have it all. i think that we will find something good though and i can't wait to see how our life develops.

flickr

i just started my account, click on the photo to go to the site. i hope to be able to share the photos that don't fit on my blog. enjoy!

furr family fun

it was wonderful to have the furr family here. we had a blast hanging out and exploring the city. they are so precious and sweet to have in our lives and especially in our city. with jacob's birthday and concert it was a pretty eventful week.

my favorite, wind blown trees in point reyes

the buddha in the japanese tea garden

queen wilhemina's windmill in golden gate park

a bridge in the japanese tea garden

we're so glad they could visit!

the furrs

i love this photo and this guy, more furr family visit photos to follow.

blooms

the flowers are showing up for spring. i'm still in love with ranunculus and so i filled up my outdoor flower box with them. hopefully i'll be able to keep them around for a while. spring makes me want to exercise my green thumb.

rambling

i love wandering through the city and so instead of riding back with jacob (he had to get back to work) i walked back through north beach and down lombard. i used to walk through the neighborhood often and it was nice to visit the old haunts. i checked out al's tailor shop, which had expanded to a new bigger shop down the street and discovered the hat shop that i'm going to take jacob back too. i love seeing the world on foot.

north beach

north beach has always been one of my favorite neighborhoods and on tuesday jacob and i played hooky on the grocery store and set out to explore. Behind Coit tower are the filbert steps. the gardens and homes are beautiful, and feel very secluded from the rest of the city. we ate foccacia bread that we grabbed from a 100 year old foccacia shop, complete with a stereotypical italian family who wrapped up our onion bread in paper and twine. it was wonderful to have a mini vacation from our responsibilities in our own city.

bazaar cafe

jacob played at the open mic last week and i practiced taking photos for his concert on Monday, the 14th from 7-9pm. its a very interesting space with artwork from around the city and is very welcoming to live music. it was fun to mess with the light and exposure. i can't wait for the real deal. i hope to see yall there!

notes

"Don't let Ginger out. thanks~ Fred"

i thought this was pretty cute, assuming that Ginger is a cat of course.

photo adventure

as i've been learning more about the camera jacob and i have been intentionally going on photo adventures. its been a really fun way to enjoy the city and i'm pretty happy with these results.

delarosa

i love the lighting in delarosa. its beautiful and relaxing and a bit of a throwback with their lightbulbs. i enjoyed trying to capture it on film.

burger time

a burger was the perfect thing this weekend. i love living close enough to walk to dates.

new and old

a new shot on the muni and a familiar place in a different light. happy weekend!

the office

this is a behind the scenes look at jacob's recording studio*

he's been in here alot lately working on a new ep that he's going to debut at his concert, March 14th at bazaar cafe.

*(sometimes my film pictures won't rotate, if anyone has any clues about this i would appreciate it)

"photography is easy, photography is difficult"

this essay is a beautiful description of the questions and conondrums, that i think face many artists, but especially photographers. i like being a part of these questions and answers. i was asked the other night if i thought of myself as a photographer, i don't, but what if i did and why don't i? just some thoughts to ponder