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After the beans and vinegar have cooled, cover the container and refrigerate for at least 24 hours (the flavor improves after 48 hours). The beans will keep in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

quinoa cakes with smoked trout and chive sour cream

⅔ cup quinoa, rinsed and

drained

1⅓ cups water

Salt

¼ cup minced shallots

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

¼ cup all-purpose flour45

¼ cup feta cheese (I like Israeli

or French sheep feta)

¼ cup chopped fresh Italian

parsley

1 egg

1 egg yolk

Freshly ground pepper

High-heat vegetable oil, for

frying

¼ cup plain Greek-style yogurt

or sour cream

2 tablespoons finely snipped

fresh chives (reserve chive

tips for garnish)

4 ounces smoked trout, smoked

salmon, or smoked char (see

page 131 for instructions on

how to smoke fish at home)

Quinoa is the grain that makes you feel wholesome just pronouncing it correctly. It’s fun to say—try it with me: keen-WAAAAA. It cooks up in fifteen minutes and has more protein than any other grain. It’s easy to find good-quality smoked trout in most markets. This recipe is great as an appetizer but also makes for an unusual brunch if you make the cakes bigger and then poach or fry an egg and put that on top.

MAKES APPROXIMATELY 32 ONE-INCH CAKES

Add the quinoa, water, and ½ teaspoon salt to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer gently until the quinoa has absorbed the water, 12 to 15 minutes. Spread the quinoa out on a sheet pan to cool. While it cools, cook the shallots with the olive oil and a pinch of salt in a small skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, or until the shallots have softened. In a large bowl, gently mix the cooled quinoa with the cooked shallots, flour, feta, parsley, egg, and egg yolk. Season with pepper.

Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Lightly wet your hands. Scoop out a small amount of the quinoa mixture, press lightly into a ball, and then flatten into a cake. Fry the cakes until the bottoms are golden brown and crunchy, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Fry additional batches as needed.

In a small bowl, combine the yogurt and chives. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place a small piece of smoked trout on each quinoa cake and garnish with a dollop of chive cream and a chive tip.

PAIRING: A vinho verde, such as Casal Garcia Branco White 2009, Portugal, or a brut champagne or sparkling wine.

stuffed trout with nettle-almond butter

For the nettles:

¾ cup packed nettle leaves

For the nettle-almond butter:

½ cup whole almonds

Zest of 1 lemon (about 2

teaspoons)

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 large clove garlic

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground

pepper

For the stuffing:

1 carrot, peeled and then

shaved into thin strips with

the peeler

¼ cup fresh Italian parsley

leaves

1 teaspoon fresh marjoram

leaves

1 tablespoon roughly torn

fresh mint leaves

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive

oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the trout:

4 (1-pound) whole trout, head

on, deboned46

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 lemons, cut into 12 thin

slices

Toothpicks, to secure trout

2 tablespoons high-heat

vegetable oil

I’ll probably never be rich, but I’m lucky enough to be rich in friends, many of whom are chefs who feed me really, really well. I often take my work to some favorite restaurants and sit at their bars typing away and chatting with friends while eating some of Seattle’s best food. The seat closest to the open kitchen at Tilikum Place Café’s bar is one of my favorite perches. Chef Ba Culbert generously contributed this recipe, which I tweaked just a small bit. Ba’s food is deliciously understated, showing perfectly executed technique. Her food reflects her personality: humble, balanced, and nurturing.

SERVES 4

To prepare the nettles, bring a large pot of water to a boil. While the water heats, fill a medium bowl with ice water. When the water is boiling, using gloves, carefully add the