Paula Nemzek
Claim to Foodie Fame: Executive Producer, KCTS 9 Cooks
Quote: I think I’d invite Queen Elizabeth [to Thanksgiving dinner], then cancel the day before because my oven wasn’t working. Being the gracious person that she is, she’d invite me to the palace to dinner. The food would be fabulous, I could catch up on all the royal gossip, and I wouldn’t have to do the dishes! I’m not completely shameless – I would bring a big batch of rhubarb crisp for dessert.
What is your earliest memory of food? I remember in elementary school first seeing what an egg looked like before it was cooked. I was horrified!
What is your idea of comfort food? Breakfast for dinner, always a family favorite! Scrambled eggs with the works (yes, I got over the egg thing), grilled potatoes, homemade cinnamon rolls, and some nice fresh fruit. Maybe some locally made chicken sausage. Yum!
Food or meal you would happily die eating, or, what is your last meal and testament?
You’d have to have lived in Seattle a long time to remember this, but the Upside-Down Chicken from Saleh Joudeh’s old Avenue 52 restaurant in the U-District. I bought a cookbook just to get that one recipe. It’s an amazing dish — and it uses most of the pots and pans in our kitchen when we make it at home.
How did your family honor food traditions in your household? Growing up, we had a lot of traditions — meatless Fridays, roasts on Sundays, and pretty much all the same dishes every holiday. Turkey at Thanksgiving, baked ham at Easter — the usual. It’s still hard to break with those traditions. Everyone complains if something that’s always been at the holiday table is missing, and when you have additions to the family, we’ll get multiple versions of cranberry sauce and side dishes.
Who first taught you how to cook? I am ashamed to say it, but Shake and Bake! (Let’s just say I am a late bloomer.) I have learned an amazing number of things from our Cooks specials over the 15 years we’ve been doing them. There are so many talented cooks and chefs in the area who are happy to share their knowledge. I can now make a sauce out of anything!
Who do you credit with inspiring in you a love of food and cooking? Even though I stayed out of the kitchen until I was almost out of college, my mom was my inspiration. She was a good cook, and more than that, she made sure we always came together as a family at the dinner table. My dad also cooked a lot. Of course he was king of the grill, but he also made a great Sunday breakfast.
Share an example of one of your family food traditions.
Every Christmas Eve, we have a dinner I adapted from one of our Cooks shows, Pacific Northwest Potatoes. Packed with smoked salmon and cheesy goodness, it’s delicious comfort food that everyone enjoys. We leave one end salmon-free for the vegetarians. A no-fuss meal that lets us spend more time with family, it helps get everyone in the holiday spirit.
What is your favorite dish or meal to cook?
Grilled cheese sandwiches. On the panini grill or in the frying pan, we love trying out different kinds of cheeses and breads, loading them up with different veggies, from avocado to eggplant. We’re not vegetarians, but the majority of our meals are meatless.
If you could invite anyone to your holiday dinner — living, dead, or imaginary — who would it be?
I think I’d invite Queen Elizabeth, then cancel the day before because my oven wasn’t working. Being the gracious person that she is, she’d invite me to the palace to dinner. The food would be fabulous, I could catch up on all the royal gossip, and I wouldn’t have to do the dishes! I’m not completely shameless – I would bring a big batch of rhubarb crisp for dessert.
Paula Nemzek's Favorite Recipe: Pacific Northwest Potatoes
Cook's Note: Adapted from a recipe in KCTS 9 Cooks Potatoes, by Robert Jacobsen of Issaquah. One of my favorite Cooks recipes; we have it every year on Christmas Eve.
Serves 8
Ingredients
9-10 medium-sized red potatoes
2/3 cup milk
2/3 cup sour cream
1 pound Tillamook sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8-10 ounces smoked Pacific Northwest salmon
1 bunch green onions, chopped, including some greens
Preparation
In advance, prick the potatoes with a fork (keep the skins on) and cook them in the microwave just until tender, 8 to 10 minutes, depending on size of the potatoes and your microwave. Cool and slice.
In a saucepan, combine the milk, sour cream, cheddar cheese, mustard, salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Cook over medium heat just until the cheese melts. Do not boil. Sauce may look lumpy, but it will cook out just fine.
In a well-greased 9 x 13-inch casserole dish, add the sliced potatoes. Sprinkle salmon bits and green onion over the potatoes and cover with the sauce. Bake uncovered in a 350-degree oven for 1 hour.
See the full post online at KCTS.
