Treat your palate to recipes from around the state

‘A TASTE OF WASHINGTON: FAVORITE RECIPES FROM THE EVERGREEN STATE’

BY MICHELE MORRIS (FARCOUNTRY PRESS, $29.95)

Quick look: Apples, asparagus, lentils, Walla Walla sweet onions, wild mushrooms, Dungeness crab, oysters, clams, salmon – this cookbook spotlights them all in entrées, sides and desserts from some of the state’s best inns and eateries.

What’s inside: Chef, sommelier, writer and photographer Michele Morris calls Washington’s food scene “one of the most exciting in our country.” And in his foreword, wine writer Andy Perdue says her cookbook “does a beautiful job of capturing the amazing breadth and depth of Washington’s agricultural bounty from a culinary point of view.”

Morris includes recipes from throughout the state, not just Seattle. Contributions come from Aberdeen and Quinault on the Olympic Peninsula to Spokane and Walla Walla in Eastern Washington.

Look for Blueberry Morning Glories with Warm Blueberry Sauce from Run of the River Inn and Refuge in Leavenworth, Yogurt with Fig and Date Compote from Cherry Chalet Bed and Breakfast in Kennewick, Shrimp Étouffée from Whoopemup Hollow Café in Waitsburg, and Crispy Fried Walla Walla Sweet Onions, Beet Gazpacho and Buttermilk Fried Quail with Asparagus Rémoulade from Whitehouse-Crawford Restaurant in Walla Walla.

Closer to home, there’s Callebaut Chocolate Tart from Wild Sage American Bistro and Roasted Rosemary Brunch Potatoes and Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque with Dungeness Crab from Luna, both in Spokane.

Morris also includes her own recipes for Balsamic and Rosemary Roasted Grapes, Warm Cinnamon Applesauce, and Asparagus and Brie Soup.

Recipes – there are 120 of them in this 208-page hardcover book – are organized by meal and food type: breakfast and brunch, appetizers and snacks, salads and sides, soups and stews, mains and desserts. One of the most interesting desserts comes from The Herbfarm Restaurant in Woodinville, where fir and spruce tips are used to make Christmas Tree Sherbet.

Although some are quite small, color photographs accompany each recipe, giving home cooks a likeness to which to aspire.

Also helpful: a source list for specialty ingredients at the back of the book, along with addresses, emails and websites for all of the inns and eateries that contributed recipes.

What’s not: The historic Marcus Whitman Hotel in Walla Walla shares several recipes, including Artichoke and Summer Squash Quiche with Gruyere Cheese, Red Wine Poached Pear Clafoutis and Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée. It would have been nice to also see a recipe or two from Spokane’s historic Davenport Hotel.

Below is the recipe for Lentil and Sausage Soup from Joseph’s Grainery in Colfax.

Lentil and Sausage Soup

From Joseph’s Grainery in Colfax via “A Taste of Washington: Favorite Recipes from the Evergreen State” by Michele Morris

Most of the wheat and barley Bill Myers grows on the Palouse is barged down the Snake and Columbia rivers to commercial overseas buyers.

But the fifth-generation farmer holds back the best 1 to 2 percent of his crop to sell regionally through his small, family-run grain operation. He began selling his grains and legumes directly to consumers just over five years ago. His daughter, Kelli Collins, is his chief recipe developer.

This thick, hearty and healthy soup comes together quickly and is particularly warming and comforting on a dark and icy winter’s eve. And it’s one of four recipes featured in a photograph on the cover of the cookbook.

I used Italian-style chicken sausage – instead of pork – when testing this recipe. I also used fresh instead of canned tomatoes and added a few other vegetables that I had on hand: yellow and orange bell peppers and celery.

I served the soup not only with the grated Parmesan the recipe calls for, but – on different nights – crumbled chèvre and a dollop of sour cream. Each added a texture and creaminess to the soup, which is filling without also being heavy and rich – and great for leftovers.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 red onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 pound mild Italian pork sausage

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

2 cups lentils, rinsed

5 (14.5-ounce) cans beef broth

1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 cup packed fresh spinach

Salt and pepper, to taste

Grated Parmesan, for garnish

Heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is browned. Add the carrots and cook for 3 more minutes, and then add the lentils.

Cook the lentils for a few minutes, and then add the beef broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, rosemary and oregano. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the spinach and simmer for 10 more minutes, adding more broth or water if the soup becomes too thick, and season with salt and pepper. Serve soup with grated Parmesan and some nice crusty bread.