Welcome to the Rhododendron Cafe~
We are featuring the cooking of the Mediterranean - including Italy, Greece, Middle East, North Africa and more.
We will also be open Tuesday ~ February 14th, for Valentines Dinner from 4 pm ~ 9 pm. We do take reservations on all holidays for parties of 2 or more (normally just for parties of 5 or more). Please call 360-766-6667 – Wed – Sunday for a reservation!
Following is our Valentines Dinner Menu for this year ~ Click on the menu for a look at the full version.
Here is our Valentines Dinner Menu
This classic is served daily as part of our menu and is a favorite of our many returning diners.
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This is one of my favorite dishes and is not only easy to prepare but can have many variations which makes it very cook and eater friendly. This could even be eaten for breakfast as the main ingredients besides pasta are eggs, ham, and bacon – and in fact we are offered a egg scramble variation for brunch. Enjoy!
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This recipe from our Spain and Portugal Month is a fantastic stew-like dish using just a few ingredients. It was one of our favorites when we travelled through Spain and the featured cheese – “Cabrales” is actually named after the town it is made in – a beautiful mountain village in Asturias – in the very north of Spain.
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Ingredients
3/4 cup onion, julienned
1 cup – diced butternut squash
4 large links Cooked Italian sausage – cut lengthwise and 1/2 “ slices
1 Apple or Pear (cored and diced)
1/2 cup toasted peeled and broken hazelnuts
1/2 cup chicken stock
Parmesan cheese
fresh sage for garnish
fresh or dried pasta – cooked al dente just before serving
Preparation:
Saute onions in olive oil
Add Butternut Squash pieces, Italian Sausage, garlic-sage butter (see recipe below)
Stir in hazelnuts, Apple (or pear) pieces, chicken stock.
Season with dash of salt & pepper
Toss with pasta,
garnish with Parmesan cheese & fresh sage
Garlic Sage Butter
4 oz butter, softened
1/4 cup minced garlic
2 Tbl fresh sage minced
1/4 cup dried parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
Combine in Mixer
Bon Appetit !
Marinade:
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tbl lime juice
1/2 minced jalapeno pepper (reserve remainder for peanut sauce)
1 1/2 tsp minced ginger
1 1/2 Tbl brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbl minced garlic
1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
Spicy Peanut Sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbl lime juice
1 tbl minced cilantro
remaining half of the minced jalapeno
2 tsp grated ginger
1/4 ccup brown sugar
3/4 cup peanut butter
6 oz coconut milk
1/4 tsp salt and a dash of cayenne
Marinate the chicken breasts for 1/2 hour then grill when ready for Lunch
Serve on good quality burger bun or bread of choice – spread with mayo or aioli as desired. serve with lettuce, tomato, and onion and Spicy Peanut Sauce.
Bon Appetit !
This recipe hails from the Northwest coast of France – An apple region just like Washington State! This is great with either pork or chicken and you can use the traditional Calvados (apple brandy) or substitute brandy and apple cider.
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This recipe is easy to make and you can “stew” any combination of fish and shellfish in the broth. Serve with crusty French bread and with any starch – roasted potatoes, rice, or Pasta! Enjoy!
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This is a very simple recipe for Fried Fish from Egypt. The ingredients and preparation are straight forward and delicious.
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Our very popular “Italian Custard Dessert”. It is the most asked for Recipe in our arsenal.
A little background is that the dessert is a semifreddo which is: Italian for “half cold,” semifreddo culinarily refers to any of various chilled or partially frozen desserts including cake, ice cream, fruit and custard or whipped cream.
