Lana Turner's Hat and a Ribeye Steak

"Remind me to be with you the next time you pick out a hat."
"Don't you like it?"
"No.  Too much of it."

Clark Gable commenting again on Lana Turner's hat choice in the 1942 movie, "Somewhere I'll Find You.  It was rather an odd hat, kind of out of proportion.  In the 1940's they got into a pilgrim look, the hats with the tall cone shaped crowns.  This one was like that and as Clark Gable said, "Too much of it."


The cut of a hat is everything.  It has to fit the head properly, flatter a face and never be too much.  A hat can be a magnet for attention but should stop short of getting all the attention.

My attention last night was gotten by a very nice cut of meat, the ribeye steak.  About once a month my husband and I share one and it is the just the right amount of meat.  This one was especially tender and went really well with Lotus Foods Forbidden Rice.  I have a very reliable method for cooking a perfectly medium-rare ribeye steak.  We do have to open all the windows doors and turn on a fan but it is worth the end result.

Ribeye Steak

1 12 oz. grass-fed ribeye steak
olive oil
1/2 cup wine
1 tbs. butter


Pat the steak dry and coat on both sides with a little olive oil.  Let come to room temperature.  Heat a cast iron skillet on high for 4 minutes.  Lightly salt the steak, lay salt side down in the hot pan and cook for 5 minutes on the first side.  Keep the heat on high.  Salt the other side and turn, cook for 4 more minutes.  Remove to a board to rest, cover with foil.

Reduce the heat to medium-high, pour in the wine to deglaze the pan.  Let the sauce reduce stirring a little.  Add any of the meat juices from the resting steak.  When the sauce thickens and is reduced to a couple of tablespoons turn off the heat and swirl in the butter.  Slice the steak across the grain and pour over the sauce.

The perfect amount of ribeye steak.  Not too much of it.


To see the latest collection of Zazu & Violets' hats, please visit our on-line Etsy shop.
  

Hedda Hopper and Dinner for Two, Steak with stuffed Pasilla Peppers

"I can wear a hat or take it off, but either way it's a conversation piece." -Hedda Hopper, a columnist famous for her hats.  

She is right about how a hat can start a conversation.  Men in particular love to comment about a hat.  But, ooh la la, what does she mean about taking it off?  That sounds like the beginning of a romantic evening.  How about dinner for two? 

Dinner for Two, Steak and stuffed Pasilla Peppers

1 1 1/2" thick rib-eye steak
2 pasilla peppers
6 oz. goat cheese
zest and juice of 1 small lemon
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup monterey jack cheese, grated

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Pat the steak dry with a paper towel, drizzle with olive oil and salt both sides.  Set aside to come to room temp.  

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and through the stem, making sure you cut leaving the biggest pocket for stuffing.  Clean out the seeds and ribs.  Place in a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and let cool while you prepare the filling. 

Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees.


Mix together the goat cheese, lemon zest and juice, cilantro, cumin, salt and olive oil.  Beat with a wooden spoon to fluff the mixture.  Fill the cooled peppers 1/2 way with the goat cheese mixture.  Fill the rest of the way with the jack cheese.  Bake uncovered in the top rack of the oven for 35-45 minutes until golden and bubbly.


After the peppers have been in the oven for 30 minutes, pre-heat a cast iron pan on the stove top for 4 minutes on high.  Cook the steak on the first side for 4 minutes, turn and put the pan in the hot oven on the bottom rack for another 4 minutes.  Take the steak out of the pan and let rest covered with foil on a board.

Put the pan back on the stove top on medium high heat and de-glaze with 1/4 cup of wine, whatever you have, red, white, rose, they will all make a quick nice sauce.  Reduce the wine and pan drippings to a thick sauce, turn off the heat and swirl in 1 tbs. butter.  Slice the steak and pour the sauce over.  Serve with the stuffed peppers.

This makes a lovely dinner for two, with a side salad of butter lettuce and buttermilk dressing. 

To see the latest collection of Zazu & Violets' hats, please visit our on-line Etsy shop.

Twelve Hats and Dinner Guests

"I myself have twelve hats, and each one represents a different personality.  Why just be yourself?"

This quote is from the writer Margaret Atwood.  She is right, every different hat you wear represents a different personality.  As simple as a fireman's hat to that flirty little number that you wear to a cocktail party.  Or the hat with the big brim that you can wear as a disguise with sunglasses.  Think Audrey in "Breakfast at Tiffany's".  There was the time I was on vacation with my kids at the beach and my favorite hat was my son's baseball cap with Sylvester on the front.  It was also the last time I could beat him in a foot race.  The cap helped.

Last night we had dinner guests.  I felt I wore many different hats during the day.  It started with my milliner hat while I filled an order for a customer, my writing hat (this blog), then I was a prep cook, cleaning lady, the cook and finally hostess.

By the time I put on my hostess hat I was happy.  We sat down to a delicious meal, skirt steak with tomatillo sauce, baked black beans, fingerling potatoes, green salad and for dessert, Teff pudding.

Tomatillo Sauce

You have to start here because it is an ingredient in the baked black beans.

2 tbs.olive oil
1 1b. tomatillos, diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. sugar
zest and juice of 1 lime

Cook the tomatillos with a little salt in the olive oil for about 10 minutes until they change color and look like pulp.  The color will go from vivid green to olive green.  Process in a blender or small processor until the skins are chopped up, don't overdo it, you want to see the seeds.  Return to the pan on a low heat and add the rest of the ingredients.  Cook the sauce for a few minutes until it thickens a little, taste for seasoning.  If too tart add a little more sugar, it might need more salt and you should taste just a hint of the cumin.  Done, set aside.

Baked Black Beans


Serves 2-4 people depending on your portion size, this was perfect for the 4 of us.

1 cup dried black beans
2 tbs. chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp. cumin
2 tbs. brown sugar
4 tbs. tomatillo sauce


Cover the beans with 2 cups water, boil for 1 minute, turn off the heat and let soak for 1 hour.  Drain, add fresh water to cover by about 2".  Add the rest of the ingredients and bake in a 300 degree oven for 2 hours, stirring every 1/2 hour, and adding more water if needed.  Season with salt to taste at the end of the cooking time.  Turn off the heat and keep in the warm oven.

Fingerling Potatoes for four

15-20 small fingerling potatoes
2 bs. butter
2 tbs. chopped parsley
good sprinkle of Maldon sea salt

Cook the whole potatoes in boiling salted water until easily pierced with a knife.  Drain.  Put the 2 tbs. of butter in a warmed bowl.  When just cool enough to handle peel the potatoes and drop them into the bowl.  Mix in the parsley and salt and keep warm in the oven with the baked beans.  If you want to visit with your guests for more than a few minutes, turn the oven on to 200 degrees.

Skirt Steak for four


2 lbs. skirt steak, cut in sections to fit the pan.  I used 2 big cast iron skillets so I could cook it all at once.  Heat the pans for 4 minutes until they are HOT. Drizzle the steak with a little olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt and place in the hot pans.  Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until browned, but still a little rare.  Remove to a board to rest, one that can catch the juices.  For the sauce, deglaze the pans with 1/4 cup red wine in each pan, combine sauce in one pan.  Add 3 tbs. of the tomatillo sauce and swirl in 1 tbs. butter.  Slice the steak against the grain and return the steak and its juices to the pan with the sauce.  You can do all this with the heat off, the pan will still be hot enough.  Toss the steak in the delicious sauce and turn out onto a warmed platter.


Serve this meal to your dinner guests buffet style with more tomatillo sauce on the side, followed by a butter lettuce salad with creme fraiche dressing. 


Teff Pudding for dessert, or since our friend is English, teff pudding for pudding.  (Recipe for Teff Pudding is in blog archive from March 1st))


To see the latest collection of Zazu & Violets' hats, please visit our on-line Etsy shop.

Make a Living and Mung Bean Noodles

"Do you really think you can make a living making hats?"

That question was asked of me numerous times in my millinery life.  It was also asked of Coco Chanel when she started to make hats.  She made a better living than me, but I fed the children and paid the rent.

I used to overhear comments in the alcove of my shop while people were looking in the windows, when it was closed.  They spoke freely since they were not aware I was in the shop.  One day a couple were looking in and the woman said dreamily, "Just imagine, behind this door someone is making a living making hats."  The man with her answered sarcastically, "I can imagine what kind of a living that is."  Mean.

Like I said, I fed the children and paid the rent.  They ate a lot of pasta, salad and vegetables.  Yes, I could not afford expensive cuts of meat or fish, but they always ate good food.  I wish I had known about mung bean noodles when they were young.  My new favorite gluten free ingredient.

Mung Bean Noodle Stir-Fry 


serves 2 people


1-2 packets of mung bean noodles
3 tbs. olive oil
1 baby fennel sliced thin
3-4 baby rainbow carrots, cut into lengthwise strips
1 orange bell pepper, cleaned and cut into strips
1/2 lb. cooked skirt steak cut into strips against the grain
juice of 1 lime mixed with any steak drippings
1 tsp. fish sauce
3 tbs. tomatillo sauce
chopped fennel fronds
cilantro leaves

Soak the noodles in hot water for 15 minutes.  Drain before adding them to the stir-fry.  If you are hungry, make both packets.  

Heat the olive oil in a wok on high heat.  Add the fennel and carrots and stir-fry until they wilt.  Add the bell pepper and continue to stir-fry.  Add a sprinkle of salt.  When the vegetables look just cooked, about 10-15 minutes, add the steak and lime juice mix, fish sauce and tomatillo sauce.  Stir-fry 3-4 minutes, add the drained noodles and mix until they soak up all the sauce.  Mix in the fennel fronds.  Serve in big bowls, garnish with cilantro leaves, and eat with chopsticks.

The mung bean noodles have a nice texture and almost sweet flavor.  I hear you can deep fry them for those piles of crunchy thin noodles.  I will make them for J.J., the next generation I am now feeding.  I am still making a living making hats and feeding the children.

To see the latest collection of Zazu & Violets' hats, please visit our on-line Etsy shop.

Up at the Villa and Gluten Free Tacos

"Give a plain woman a hat and a pretty woman a book.  Isn't that the idea?"- Up at the Villa, W. Somerset Maugham,(1941 novella)

The assumption here, made in 1941 is that a pretty woman doesn't think much and a plain woman can be made more attractive by wearing a hat.  I am glad times have changed.  Women can be smart AND attractive.  We can all read books and wear hats.  And run our own businesses, have careers and raise families.  Just takes some juggling.  Not always easy.  That is why I like tacos.  They are easy and the family loves them.

I got some organic pasilla peppers at the farmer's market.One of my favorite vendors grows all kinds of ingredients for Mexican food.  Usually these peppers are only available from Mexico.  I like to stuff them with a goat cheese mixture, top them with Monterey Jack cheese and bake them.  They are a delicious side dish for skirt steak and tomatillo sauce.  Because I had also gotten little corn tortillas, I made tacos with the baked peppers.  They were very tasty vegetarian tacos.

You can prepare the fillings ahead of time for tacos, then it is just assembly, which is great after a long day.

Baked Pasilla Peppers

Serves 4 people

2 pasilla peppers
4 oz. goat cheese
2 tbs. chopped cilantro
zest and juice of 1 small lemon
1 tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
12 small corn tortillas


Cut the peppers in half lengthwise so you have the biggest pockets for stuffing.  I cut right through the stem and leave it attached.  Carefully clean out the seeds and membranes.  Place in a baking dish cut side down and drizzle with olive oil.  Cover the dish with foil and roast for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.  Turn the peppers over, recover with the foil and roast for another 15 minutes.  Let cool.


While the peppers are roasting, combine the goat cheese, cilantro, lemon zest and juice and the tablespoon of olive oil.  Spread 1/4 of the mixture in the bottom of each pepper.  Top each pepper with 1/4 cup of the grated cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until the cheese is lightly browned.  They can be served as a side dish or saved and re-heated when it is time for tacos.  One pepper will fill 3 small taco shells.


To make the tacos; fry the tortillas on both sides in a little butter until they are cooked but still soft.  Fill with slices of the cheese-stuffed pepper, sliced avocado, tomatillo sauce and a dollop of yogurt mixed with some tomatillo sauce.  Finish with baby lettuces or micro-greens.


Tomatillo Sauce

2 tbs.olive oil
1 1b. tomatillos, halved or quartered
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tbs. sugar
zest and juice of 1 lime

Cook the tomatillos with a little salt in the olive oil for about 10 minutes until they change color and look like pulp.  The color will go from vivid green to olive green.  Process in a blender or small processor until the skins are chopped up, don't overdo it, you want to see the seeds.  Return to the pan on a low heat and add the rest of the ingredients.  Cook the sauce for a few minutes until it thickens a little, taste for seasoning.  If too tart add a little more sugar, it might need more salt and you should taste just a hint of the cumin.  Done, set aside, use it for tacos, sauce for steak or chicken, or in baked beans.  I make a batch of this sauce every week when tomatillos are in season.


To see the latest collection of Zazu & Violets' hats, please visit our on-line Etsy shop.

Coco and Fish and Shellfish Stew

"The women I saw at the races wore enormous loaves on their heads, constructions made of feathers and improved with fruits and plumes; but worst of all, which appalled me, their hats did not fit on their heads. (I have mentioned that I wore mine pulled down over the ears.)"

With this statement Coco Chanel went on to change the fashion of women's hats.  Along with freeing them from the corsets and hobble skirts of the day, she made hats that stayed on their heads and served a purpose.  Hats that you could go out walking in, worn with clothes borrowed from a man's wardrobe.  Her great love, Boy Capel, took her to his tailor and had certain items of clothing copied for her.  The trend of women wearing clothing inspired by mens fashion is still popular today.

You had to have a mass of hair piled on your head to secure the elaborate creations she was talking about.  Personally I could not have done it, my personal style is in agreement with Mlle. Chanel.  Her description of those hats reminds me of a brimming pot of fish and shellfish stew.  When you lift the lid the mussels almost come spilling out.

Fish and Shellfish Stew

Serves 6 people

2 tablespoons butter + 2 tbs. olive oil
2 shallots, chopped fine
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 small fennel bulb, or 1/2 a large one, sliced
1 cup white wine
1 quart chicken stock
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
pinch of saffron
1 tsp. salt
1 halibut steak, boned and cut into 1 “ pieces
1 red snapper fillet, boned and cut into 1” pieces
1 salmon steak, boned and cut into 1” pieces
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1 lb. mussels, rinsed and sorted
3 tablespoons parsley, chopped
juice of 1 lemon + 1 lemon

Saute the shallots, celery and fennel in the butter and olive oil until soft.  Add the wine and cook for a minute, then add the chicken stock, pinch of saffron,salt and the potatoes.  Simmer until the potatoes are just cooked, about 15-20 minutes.  Start adding the fish, first the halibut, then the snapper and salmon.  Simmer 3 minutes, add the shrimp and simmer 2 more minutes, then add the mussels and cover the pot tightly with a lid.  Cook until the mussels open, about 4-7 minutes.  Uncover and sprinkle in the parsley and lemon juice.  Serve in wide bowls with a batch of my gluten free buttermilk biscuits.  Garnish with lemon wedges.


This fish stew looks like a big extravagant hat, but it has none of the silly characteristics.  More is better in this case.


To see the latest collection of Zazu & Violets' hats, please visit our on-line Etsy shop.

Hats and/or Food and Baked Beans

"It can't be hats and food.  It has to be hats OR Food."

I asked a good friend of mine if she ever read this blog.  She said she had once and not again because it had to be hats OR food, not both.  I was surprised. She likes hats, we go out, she likes food.

So, the other day I had just started a pot of black beans for baked beans, when my neighbor called.  She had a lot of friends in town and they wanted to come and look at some hats.  I never say no if I can accommodate and they came over.  While all that was going on I suddenly smelled the beans.  I hadn't turned them off for soaking.  So I went from showing hats to running to the kitchen to attend to the beans.  Hats AND food.

Baked Black Beans

serves 4 people


1 1/2 cups dried black beans
3 cups vegetable, chicken or beef stock
1 fennel bulb, chopped, sautéd in butter until tender
1 small bunch of cilantro stems, tied with string
3 tbs. sugar
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 cup tomatillo sauce

Put the beans in a heavy soup pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, boil for one minute, turn off the heat and let soak for one hour.

Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees 

After 1 hour, drain off the water and add the rest of the ingredients.  Bring to a simmer on top of the stove, put in the oven and let bake at a slow simmer for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes and adding more stock if needed.  Salt to taste at the end of the two hours.  The beans should be sweet and tender and the sauce should not be too thick.  

Stir in 1/4 cup chopped cilantro before serving with skirt steak and rice, or pork chops and potatoes.

While the beans are baking, I usually work on making hats...because I like to think about both hats and food.

To see the latest collection of Zazu & Violets' hats, please visit our on-line Etsy shop.    

A Red Pen and Forbidden Rice

"I used to carry a red pen with me when I went shopping.  I would keep the sales tag on after I bought a hat, but mark the price down myself before I showed the new purchase to my husband.  I was able to by more hats that way."  -Anonymous quote from 1000 Hats

I never went to such lengths to fool my husband, but I admit to rounding down when relating a price.  When I had my hat shop women would tell me all the time that they never told their husbands what they really paid.  One woman said everything she bought cost $50.

Most of these women earned their own living but found that their monetary values were not the same as some men.  So instead of the hat, handbag or pair of shoes becoming a forbidden purchase, they adjusted the price tag.  It leads to a longer happier life.

As does eating forbidden rice.  Forbidden rice is the black rice from China.  Many years ago it was reserved for only the Emperors to eat because it was thought to enrich health and ensure longevity, making sure they would live long and healthy lives.  It is high in antioxidants and rich in iron and other nutrients.  It is also nutty and delicious, and a beautiful, dark purple color when cooked.


Forbidden Rice Pilaf


serves 4 people


1 shallot, diced
2 tbs. olive oil
1 lemon, zested, peeled and supremed
1 cup Lotus Foods forbidden rice
1 1/4 -1 1/2 cups water, or chicken stock
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbs. chopped parsley


In a small saucepan with a lid, sauté the shallot until soft, add the lemon supremes and rice and stir together for a couple of minutes.  Add enough water or chicken stock to cover the rice by 1".  Cover with the lid and keep on a low simmer for 25-30 minutes until the rice is cooked.  Turn off the heat, let stand covered for 15 minutes.  When ready to serve, uncover, add the lemon zest and parsley and fluff with a fork.


Serve the forbidden rice pilaf with a perfectly cooked rib-eye steak and baked black beans.

Not forbidden anymore.

To see the latest collection of Zazu & Violets' hats, please visit our on-line Etsy shop. 

Mom's a Milliner and Calzones

"My mother was a milliner in Wales.  I often had to dress up in her creations and parade up and down the street in front of her shop, as a sort of advertisement."  -Ellen Punnet, 1000 Hats by Norma Shephard

My daughters have been my biggest influence as a milliner.  I started making hats and named the business after them when Zazu was 9 years old and Violet was 7 years old.  I would fashion a hat and try it on their heads.  This was before I had hat blocks.  They considered it a form of dress-up.  I never made them parade up and down in front of my shop, but occasionally they would pose as mannequins wearing hats in the display windows.

Now, they have grown into young women and they do wear their mother's creations.  Another thing I make that they are fond of are calzones.  I started by making big ones, but found the single size portion was everyone's favorite.  The calzones freeze and re-heat perfectly.  An easy lunch or dinner courtesy of Mom and thanks for all the hat modeling.

Calzones

2 gluten-free pizza doughs

Calzone Filling

Makes 16 single portion calzones

This recipe is enough to fill two pizza doughs.  The filling has a better consistency if prepared a day ahead.

1 16 oz. package of frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
1 16 oz. tub of ricotta cheese
1 8 oz. ball of mozzarella, cut into small cubes
1/2 ham steak.cut into 1/4 cubes, or 3 sweet cooked Italian sausages cut into cubes
zest of one lemon + juice
3 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped fine
2 tablespoons fresh lemon thyme leaves
1 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients for filling and refrigerate overnight.  When your dough is almost risen bring the filling to room temperature.  Punch the dough down and knead briefly.  Divide each dough into eight balls and keep under a kitchen towel while forming the calzones.  To form, roll each ball into a 5" circle, mound filling on one half and fold dough over filling and seal.  I roll the edges over and crimp like a pie crust.  Bake 8-10 minutes on a pizza brick in a 500 degree oven until the crust is golden brown.

Eat while piping hot, or cool and wrap in freezer paper to freeze.  To re-heat, unwrap, place the frozen calzones on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

To see the latest collection of Zazu & Violets' hats, please visit our on-line Etsy shop.