'Dames' of Seattle's food scene honor moms in an array of dishes

YOU'D THINK that a group of highbrow women who earn their living in the food, beverage and hospitality industries would have strong family-dining traditions. But last March, during a monthly meeting of the Seattle chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier, whose broad mission is "education, advocacy and philanthropy," we quickly realized that our mothers were talented in many ways, but some not so much in the kitchen.

Each of us was asked to bring a favorite dish we remembered our mothers making. One Dame unabashedly showed up with a Pagliacci pizza. Another brought "Not Quite My Mother's Waldorf Salad."

I brought a Mrs. Smith's Pumpkin Pie and a can of Reddi-wip. Mom loved Mrs. Smith's products so much, she even served the pie to us for breakfast. Not that my mother didn't make a mean Soft-Shelled Crab Fry, Standing Rib Roast and Southern-Fried Chicken on occasion. But, like many children reared in the '70s, I also ate my fair share of Spaghetti-Os and Swanson TV dinners.

Diana Dillard, culinary arts instructor at Shorewood High School in Shoreline, brought Creamed Eggs on Toast. "My mom was a single mother of five who was going to school and working full time, so she was also fond of this dish because it was so simple to make," Dillard says. The main ingredients were chopped hard-cooked eggs, diced sweet onions and green peppers, dry mustard, salt and pepper, and just a little heavy cream, all brought to a simmer and served over toast. Occasionally, Dillard's mother would sprinkle on a bit of fresh chopped parsley. Whoo-hoo!

The more exotic Chicken Yakitori — chicken thighs marinated in an Asian sauce, skewered with fresh veggies, then grilled — was a recipe Cynthia Nims' mother often made from the time the family was stationed in Japan.

The prolific cookbook author and food writer admits she isn't sure where the recipe came from, "but part of the joys of Navy life was all that cultural interaction, both where the family lived and where other Navy friends had lived and recipes they exchanged."

Food professional Jane Morimoto brought Ozoni, a traditional Japanese New Year's soup. Its homemade chicken-stock broth was enhanced with chicken and daikon cubes and dried shiitake mushrooms.

"Coarsely chopped mizuna and unsweetened mochi were added just before serving so they would not be overcooked," Morimoto explains. "Like many dishes that are served on special days in Japan (or China), words that sound alike are served for good luck. Mochi or rice cakes are always in the soup. The word mochi means to have, so the rice cake symbolizes wealth."

Several Dames short-circuited their mothers and went straight for their grandmothers' creations. Wild-mushroom expert Patrice Benson brought a pot of her Polish grandmother's Haluski — Mushrooms with Cabbage and Dumplings.

"The dumplings were made meatless on Fridays using button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus). I use wild mushrooms in the dish, chanterelles or boletes mostly."

Martha Marino, a dietitian with the Washington State Dairy Council, updated her Grandmother Jorgensen's Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs) with heart-healthy substitutions, but kept the traditional spices: nutmeg, allspice and cloves.

For dessert, food consultant Linda Burner Augustine prepared a traditional frosted sugar-cookie recipe that her mother, one of 10 children who grew up on a farm in North Dakota, made on special occasions.

Food professional JoAnne Naganawa brought one of the most popular dishes. She describes Layered Finger Jell-O Ribbons as "extra-firm Jell-O made with extra gelatin added to the original mix. It's not as sweet, and very refreshing. And you can pick it up with your fingers to eat it; no mess, no spoons to wash."

From Chicken Yakitori to Layered Finger Jell-O Ribbons, cheers to all our moms and their unique culinary traditions.

Braiden Rex-Johnson is the author of "Pacific Northwest Wining & Dining." Visit her online at www.NorthwestWiningandDining.com. Ken Lambert is a Seattle Times staff photographer.

Grandma Jorgensen's Frikadeller

(Danish Meatballs)

Martha Marino suggests serving Frikadeller with red cabbage, boiled new potatoes and lingonberries instead of beef gravy. Lingonberry jam (from Ikea, of course) will do in a pinch.

1 cup dry breadcrumbs

1 cup nonfat (skim) milk

2 large eggs

1 ½ teaspoons table salt

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground allspice

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 ½ pounds extra-lean ground beef

½ pound lean ground pork

1 tablespoon salted butter

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the breadcrumbs and milk. Let this mixture stand for 10 minutes.

2. Add the eggs, salt, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and flour. Beat for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add the beef and pork; beat on low speed just until combined. Do not overmix.

3. Shape the meat mixture into meatballs about 2 inches in diameter, using about 3 tablespoons of the meat mixture for each meatball. (A small ice-cream scoop may be used for consistent portions.)

4. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Place the meatballs in the skillet and flatten slightly (frikadeller aren't perfect orbs). Cook until the meatballs are browned on both sides and no longer pink in the middle, 8 to 10 minutes. Depending on the size of the skillet, the meatballs likely will need to be prepared in batches. Place the cooked meatballs on a platter and keep them warm.

Cook's hint: Leftover frikadeller can be placed in a zip-top food-storage bag and frozen for a future meal.

— Recipe courtesy of Martha Marino, reprinted from "American Dietetic Association Cooking Healthy Across America" (Wiley, $45)