It comes as a welcome surprise that our nation’s capital is also a foodie mecca.

Here are some of our Traveling Gourmet’s favorite recipes from his First City Travels.

The Dabney
Chef Jeremiah Langhorne
122 Blagden Alley NW.
Tel: 202-450-1015
TheDabney.com

Cucumber Salad with Scallop Crudo, Yogurt, Lime, and Lemon Thyme (Serves 4)

Contributed By: Chef Jeremiah Langhorne The Dabney, Washington, D.C.

Ingredients
10 live scallops, shucked and pat dry
1 cup Greek yogurt
4 limes (zested, 2 quartered, 2 whole)
2.5 teaspoons lemon thyme, individual leaves picked
4 English cucumbers (thinner the better)
1 large yellow onion, cut into thin half-moon slices (julienne)
4 cloves garlic
½ cup very high quality chardonnay vinegar (I like Virginia Heritage Vinegar)
½ cup organic evaporated cane syrup sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt (I like Diamond Crystal)
¼ cup (about) very high quality olive oil
2.5 teaspoons Amagansett sea salt

Method for Cucumber Salad

Using a mandolin or a very sharp kitchen knife, shave cucumbers into coins that are 1/8th of an inch thick,. Repeat with peeled garlic cloves, slicing as thin as possible.
Toss the onion, garlic, and cucumber in a large mixing bowl. Season with kosher salt, then toss very well. Transfer the mix to a colander and allow it to drain for 1 hour.
After, gently press down on the mixture to make sure they’ve drained as much liquid as possible. Remove from colander and place in a mixing bowl.
Add the vinegar and sugar and mix thoroughly. The sugar will dissolve and the cucumber salad should have a nice sweet and sour flavor profile.

Method for Assembly

Slice the scallops into coins about ¼ of an inch thick.
On a serving platter, layout the scallop slices down in a single layer covering the plate. Season the scallops with a pinch of sea salt, a squeeze of lime, and about half of your lime zest.
Arrange the cucumber salad down on top of the scallops shingles. Garnish the salad with the yogurt, evenly spacing the yogurt in dollops.
Squeeze over fresh lime and sprinkle zest on top, add a drizzle of olive oil, then sprinkle with prepped lemon thyme.

Zaytinya
Chef José Andrés
701 9th St. NW.
Tel: 202-638-0800.
zaytinya.com

Spring Pea Tzatziki (Serves 6)

Zaytinya Pea Tzatziki

Ingredients:
6oz. Greek Yogurt
6oz. Labne, strained
2 cloves Garlic, roasted and pounded to a paste
1 cup. English peas, shucked
½ cup Pistachios
4 oz. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbsp. Fresh Mint, minced
2 tbsp. Fresh Dill, minced
Salt to Taste
Extra Virgin Olive Oil to Taste
Freshly ground White Pepper to Taste

Method:

Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of iced salted water.
Cook the peas until tender, 1-5 minutes, depending on size, growing conditions, time of year, etc. Alternately, use frozen peas which are actually quite sweet.
Roast the pistachios in a 300F oven until fragrant, about 8 minutes.
Whisk together yogurt, labne, and garlic. Slowly incorporate extra virgin olive oil, continuing to whisk.
Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
Push this yogurt sauce around the bowl and decorate with the peas, pistachios, dill and mint.

Good Stuff Eatery
303 Pennsylvania Ave SE.
Tel: 202-791-0168.
goodstuffeatery.com

Cherry Blossom Shake (April Shake of the Month)

#20 IGF sweet dark chocolate (Us Food)
6 oz granulated sugar (Us Food)

Procedure:
Thaw cherries, combine #20 with 6oz sugar, blend until fully mixed with stick blender.

Making the shake:
For small:
9 oz vanilla custard
2 oz cherry puree
1 oz milk

For large:
15 oz vanilla custard
3 oz cherry puree
2 oz milk

Method:
Combine 1.5 oz for small, 2 oz for large cherry puree and custard, blend until incorporated.

Apply .5 oz for small, 1 oz for large, cherry puree to inside of cup for color/garnish.
Add custard into cup, add whip cream, garnish with a little cherry puree on top.

Red Hen
1822 1st St NW.
Tel: 202-525-3021
TheRedHenDC.com

Mezzi Rigatoni with Fennel Sausage Ragu & Pecorino Romano (Serves 4-6)

(if you’re making your own pasta)
—Mezzi Rigatoni

200 g semolina flour (Red Mill)
200 g ‘OO’ flour (Antico Molino Caputo)
200 g durum flour (General Mills)
160 g water

In an extruder well, mix the flours until well incorporated.
Slowly incorporated the water. The texture of the dough should be like wet sand when ready to extrude.
Switch the machine to ‘extrude’ with the rigatoni dye. Cut to desired length.
Refrigerate pasta, then freeze.

Fennel Sausage:
3 T fennel seed, toasted and ground
5# ground pork (preferably fresh local)
3 T garlic, minced
2 T salt
2 T sugar
2 T black pepper, ground
2 T paprika, Spanish smoked
1 T fennel pollen
1/4 c red wine vinegar
1/2 c ice water

Paddle the ground pork with spices until well incorporated. Add in the vinegar and water and paddle on high until sausage becomes sticky.
Place on a sheet tray and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes, turning once.
Chill the cooked sausage. Once cool enough to handle, crumble the sausage into bite sized pieces.

Rustic Tomato Sauce:
1 cup EVOO
4 ea garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 qt canned tomatoes, whole (San Marzano tomatoes are best)
1 bunch oregano, fresh

In a sauce pot, heat the olive oil and garlic together. Once the garlic begins to brown on the edges, add the canned tomatoes and oregano.
Reduce the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes. Remove the oregano and puree.

To finish the dish:
3 cups mezzi rigatoni
4 T EVOO
2 ea garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 c rustic tomato sauce
2 c crumbled fennel sausage
6 T butter, unsalted
3 T parmigiano reggiano, grated
3 T Pecorino romano, grated plus more for garnish
1 t fennel pollen
Salt and pepper, to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Season with salt until it tastes like the ocean.
Heat a sauté pan with the olive oil and garlic. Once the garlic begins to brown, add the tomato sauce and sausage.
Heat through for 3 minutes.
Add the butter, Parmigiano, Pecorino and fennel pollen. Emulsify in the ingredients until well incorporated and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Place the rigatoni in the boiling water. It will take 45 seconds to one minute to cook. Once al dente, add to the tomato/sausage mixture. Toss well to coat.
Place the pasta evenly throughout 4-6 bowls. Top with grated Pecorino Romano and serve immediately.

Sweet Home Café
1400 Constitution Ave NW.
Tel: 844-750-012
nmaahc.si.edu/visit/sweet-home-cafe

Vegan Collard Greens
4 Bunches of Collard Green
1 (Large) Onion Diced
4 Garlic Cloves crushed
2 Tbsp Seasoning Salt
1 Tbsp Brown sugar
1 Tbsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Garlic Powder
½ tsp Yellow Mustard
1 pinch red chili pap flake
4-5 Tbsp Neutral Oil (Canola, Grape seed, Avocado)
½ cup Water
2 tsp Vinegar (White or Apple Cider)

Method:
Soak Collard Greens in a large pot or a clean sink. Allow time 20-30 minutes for any soil to fall to bottom. Remove Collard Greens from water. Discard water. Clean Collards by removing the stem and cutting into medium ribbons and set aside.
In large pot heat oil (medium heat). Add onion and garlic to cook until translucent. Add dried spices, mustard and water. Add Greens, allow to wilt. Once Greens have wilted they will give off water for potlikker (about half liquid to Greens). Add brown sugar. Cook for 30 minutes or until greens are tender. Taste potlikker. It should not be sweet. Adjust seasoning (i.e. salt) finish with vinegar for a bright finish. Serve with Corn Bread.