Piedmont Review of Food

Perfect Fried Chicken

2012-01-15T12:32:00.000-05:00

I've been trying for a while to find a fried chicken recipe that works for me, with mixed results - until now. The solution came from the fantastic Bill Neal's Southern Cooking - every recipe I've used out of there is fantastic - and a slightly modified version follows below.

Ingredients

1 chicken (3-4 lbs.), cut into 9 pieces [I used four thighs and four drumsticks, instead]
1 c. buttermilk [no buttermilk available - I used 1 c. whole milk with 1 tbs. lemon juice, let it sit for 5 min. to curdle]
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper [I also added 1 tsp. red pepper]
1 c. lard [yes - this is important. Duck fat or schmaltz can also do][see also more on LARD]
1 1/2 c. peanut oil [I used corn oil instead]

Procedure

Put the chicken pieces in a glass or stainless steel bowl and toss with the buttermilk - marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours [next time I may also add 1 tbsp. hot sauce to the buttermilk for spicier chicken]
Combine flour, salt and pepper(s) in a large paper bag
Preheat lard and oil in deep cast iron skillet on medium-high heat to 375F (190C)
Drop the chicken pieces into the paper bag, shaking well to coat evenly with the seasoned flour
Add dark meat pieces to the skillet first, skin side down, followed by white meat pieces
Reduce heat to medium, cover, and fry for 15 min.
Remove cover, turn each piece, and fry for another 10-15 min.
Remove chicken and let drain in a second paper bag
Serve and enjoy! (preferably with biscuits and greens)

Warm pasta salad with rainbow chard, pomegranate and pistachio sauce

2011-10-02T16:12:00.007-04:00

I don't like pasta. There. I said it. I basically overdosed on it while I was playing ultimate, and the last straw was when I lived in Bologna--please don't tell the Bolognese about this. As it turns out, one can live without pasta, and I've found that I actually live much better without it. My problem is, the Slovak loves it, and not only did he learn how to cook it while in Bologna, that's still almost the only thing he can cook (we are working on correcting this). There are days I end up so tired I can't even lift a wooden spoon, so he'll offer to cook, and I just have to hang my head and resign myself because I know what's coming.

On the other hand, I'm passionate about legumes. It's in my genes, to me they are as essential as brushing my teeth. All sizes and shapes and colours, there a sure value for the money and prepared properly (soaked overnight with wine vinegar, cooked with garlic and herbs and a piece of kombu), they are delicious, nutritious and reliable. I'll put the pressure cooker on at least twice a week with those little pearls. The Slovak, however, does not share my enthusiasm for beans; sometimes he'll even-gasp!-boycott them altogether.

Tonight we weren't our usual tired, and we'd had a big lunch (it's goose and young wine season here in Slovakia), so we had some time and energy to get into a not-too-big dinner, but something special nevertheless. I was in the mood to be conciliatory. I offered the Slovak to meet halfway, and to prepare a dish that would include beans and pasta. He agreed with a silent nod, not lifting his eyes off his Blackberry.

I went to my usual source of inspiration, 101 Cookbooks, and just plugged into the search bar 'pasta'. I'd tried none of the recipes that came up, of course. But this one caught my attention, because it had kale (a vegetable impossible to find in Bratislava--kale, if you read this, come by for a visit) and pomegranate. Yesterday I had indulged and bought one at the market, right after I'd bought some rainbow chard. See where I'm going with this?

I was all set to follow the recipe, substituting rainbow chard for kale, but halfway through decided to throw in some tahini which I hadn't used in a while, and the adzuki beans I'd cooked in the afternoon (adzuki beans tend to have barely any flavour, so they're a good 'background' bean to have, you can add them to almost any dish and they're bonus without altering the flavour). In the end this is what happened:

Ingredients

8 ounces spaghetti, broken into 1 inch pieces
2/3 cup pistachios, chopped coarsely by a Slovak if one is available
about 2-3 cups rainbow chard, with stems, choped into half-inch strips, not dried from the rinse
1 and 1/2 Tbsp tahini (organic and dark, that's all I had)
juice of half a lemon
1 large garlic clove, smashed and chopped
2/3 cup pomegranate seeds
About a cup of cooked adzuki beans
fine sea salt to taste

Procedure

Toast the pistachios, about 3-4 min.
In a food processor, puree the pistachios, tahini, and garlic as much as you can/like (I still had pieces of pistachio). Slowly add the lemon juice and puree some more. Place into the serving bowl, and mix with the beans. It's okay if the beans still have some water, it'll make the pistachio-tahini sauce less like a chunky paste and more like a sauce.
Put the pasta to cook, as per packaging instructions. Place the Swiss chard still dripping with water in a non-stick pan, and cook it for about 5 minutes, preferably covered, stirring often so it cooks evenly. Strain in a mesh colander to get some of the juice out, and mix in with the beans and sauce.
When the pasta is done, strain in the same mesh colander, and rinse out with cold water to cool it down. Add to the bowl and mix so the sauce is evenly covering the other ingredients. Taste to adjust the salt.
Add the pomegranate seeds, mix without crushing the seeds and you're ready.

Verdict

Really good warm salad with appealing colours. It was our luck that the garlic clove we chose was very pungent, and so much so, it made the dish spicy. (I'll have to think of an ingredient that will step up to the plate when the garlic doesn't...). The pomegranate seeds were tangy and not sweet at all, but I think the dish could be fine with either--I certainly wouldn't skip those, they are too beautiful, tasty, and crunchy to be left out. The pistachios weren't too present, but that's probably because those I used were not the freshest. I think what did it for me is that I buried the pasta under that web of flavours (tahini, pistachios, garlic, pomegranate), and got my full meal out of that one dish. It was a bit of work with quite a few steps (prying out the pomegranate seeds, toasting the pistachios, timing the Swiss chard and the pasta cooking times), but nothing too horrible, just perfect for a Sunday dinner after a day of running around trying to optimize the hours of unexpected excellent sunny weather...

Smokeout Menu - 3 September 2011

2011-09-04T11:46:00.000-04:00

Long time no blog!

In commemoration of tomorrow's smoke-out, I'll actually be making an effort to document what gets made. Some old favorites, some new jacks – should be a grand old time.

No-Knead Rolls

Tired of spending $3 a pack on rolls, and with enough experience and confidence in my bread making, I decided to actually make the rolls this time. I'd just started a batch of the Sullivan Street no-knead bread and found a roll recipe almost the same, so tripled the ingredients and set up two bowls to rise over the next 18 hours. Via Fabulous and Delicious:

Ingredients

1 1/2 C. warm water
1/4 Tsp. dry active yeast
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/4 Tsp. salt
1/2 Tsp. sugar
3 C. flour
cornmeal for the baking pans

Procedure

Add all ingredients (except the cornmeal) to a bowl and mix with a spoon until the ingredients are decently mixed. The dough is going to be very sticky.
Once mixed, cover the bowl with a towel or saran wrap and let the dough sit for 12 hours. (I've done as little as 8 hours with success.) After the dough has sat for at least 8 hours (ideally 12), it will be bubbly and at least doubled in size.
Place a generous amount of cornmeal on a baking sheet to keep from sticking while baking.
To prepare the rolls, place a 1/4-1/2 cup of flour on a plate or counter top.
Separate the dough into 8 pieces; take each piece of the dough and roll/dust the outside with the flour, then mold the piece of dough into a round shape and place it on the baking sheet.
Once all the rolls are made and placed on the baking sheet, let them sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour so they may rise some more.
Place broiler plan in the oven and heat to 425 degrees.
Bake the rolls on the middle/top rack for 25-30 minutes or until they are golden on the outside and sound hollow when tapped on top.
Remove from the oven, and let them cool on rack

Verdict

Delicious!

Pulled Pork

Via Alton Brown, my stand-by recipe.

Ingredients

Brine:
    •    8 oz. molasses
    •    12 oz. pickling salt
    •    2 quarts water
    •    6-8 lb. Boston butt

Rub:
    •    1 Tsp. whole cumin seed
    •    1 Tsp. whole fennel seed
    •    1 Tsp. whole coriander
    •    1 Tbsp. chili powder
    •    1 Tbsp. onion powder
    •    1 Tbsp. paprika

Procedure

Combine molasses, pickling salt, and water in large pot
Add Boston butt making sure it is completely submerged in brine, cover, and let sit in refrigerator for a minimum of 8 hours. 12 hours is ideal.
Place cumin seed, fennel seed, and coriander in food grinder and grind fine. Transfer to a small mixing bowl and stir in chili powder, onion powder, and paprika.
Remove Boston butt from brine and pat dry. Sift the rub evenly over the shoulder and then pat onto the meat making sure as much of the rub as possible adheres.
Place butt in smoker and cook for 12 hours
Remove from smoker and set aside to rest for at least 1 hour; pull meat apart with 2 forks

Verdict

Just amazing.

Vegan-But-Great Refried Beans

Ingredients

2 c. pinto or black beans
6 c. veggie stock
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, minced
1 poblano (or large jalapeño and small spicy) pepper
1 Tsp. ginger powder
2 Tsp. tumeric powder
1 Tsp. chili powder
2 Tsp. salt
oil

Procedure

Heat generous amount of oil to medium-high in deep, heavy pan or pot - cast iron is the best, or non-stick
Add garlic, fry until fragrant and then add onions, and fry until translucent
Add pepper and combine, stirring until pepper begins to soften
Add spices and mix together well
Add beans, mix all together
Add stock, stir, and raise heat to high; bring to boil
Keep pot at a low boil for quite a while (at least an hour), adding more water when necessary
When beans have softened, use a potato masher to pound them to a paste; add more water and oil if necessary to cohere, and lower heat to medium-low
Continue cooking, stirring, and adding water – having a bit stick to the bottom isn't bad if you can scrape it up and avoid burning
When it reaches your desired level of consistency, remove from heat and serve with soft corn tortillas
Enjoy!

Verdict

Delicioso!

Daily Food Bag - Thursday, 9 June 2011

2011-06-09T20:23:00.000-04:00

Brekkers: juice, coffee.

Lunch: saffron rice and spicy Greek bean burrito; cold chicken thigh.

Dinner: pulled chicken BBQ sammich on potato roll; fried rice patty.

Daily Food Bag - Wednesday, 8 June 2011

2011-06-09T11:25:00.001-04:00

Brekkers: toast, coffee, juice.

Lunch: toasted pulled chicken, cheddar, guacamole, spicy bean on roll.

Din-din: 1/2 Building on Bond Veggie Sandwich; asparagus.

Daily Food Bag - Tuesday, 7 June 2011

2011-06-09T11:22:00.000-04:00

Brekkers: scrambled egg, turkey pastrami and Jarlsberg on toast.

Lunch: Mamoun's falafel pita.

Din-din: Roberta's Cheesus Christ.

Daily Food Bag - Monday, 6 June 2011

2011-06-09T11:19:00.000-04:00

Brekkers: toast, coffee, juice.

Lunch: (1/2) chicken, cheddar, guacamole, Ajvar sammich

Din-din: (1/2) chicken, cheddar, guacamole, Ajvar sammich; salad.

Daily Food Bag - Sunday, 5 June 2011

2011-06-09T11:13:00.000-04:00

Lunch: MEAT. Italian sweet and hot sausages; steak (yeah, I did); rolls; grilled peppers; slaw.

Dinner: seared ahi tuna in ginger, garlic and soy on sushi rice.

Daily Food Bag - Saturday, 4 June 2011

2011-06-09T11:10:00.000-04:00

Lunch: scrambled egg and cheddar on potato roll.

Din-din: tofu half-sandwich; mac'n'cheese

Daily Food Bag - Friday, 3 June 2011

2011-06-04T15:30:00.000-04:00

Lunch: roasted pine nut hummus, stir-fried tofu and Cubanelle pepper on hoagie; fried rice cake topped with Ajvar.

Dinner: white and fava beans with onion, garlic, red pepper, oregano in olive oil with vermouth; modified potato curry with corn and carrot; cole slaw.

Daily Food Bag - Thursday, 2 June 2011

2011-06-04T15:20:00.000-04:00

Lunch: fried egg sandwich with cheese

Din-din: mixed grill! Pork sausage, chicken sausage two kinds, paprika grilled potatoes, Cubanelle peppers, veggie burgers.

Daily Food Bag - Wenesday, 1 June 2011

2011-06-04T15:18:00.000-04:00

Lunch: iced coffee; pressed sandwich on kaiser roll with chevre, Ajvar, tomato and avocado. REALLY GOOD.

Din-din: Pinche pescado burrito.

Daily Food Bag - Tuesday 31 May 2011

2011-06-01T16:01:00.000-04:00

Brekkers: banana; iced cappuccino.

Lunch: sigh. sandwich of some sort? forget.

Din-din: stir-fried tofu with shallot, garlic, ginger, onion, sesame seeds, soy sauce on saffron rice.

Daily Food Bag - Monday, 30 May 2011

2011-05-30T22:56:00.000-04:00

Lunch: iced cappuccino; lettuce, tomato and chevre with Ajvar on homemade bread; oil-cured olives.

Snack: Weihenstephaner Hefeweiss.

Din-din: red beans and rice; sautéed okra; fried flouder po'boys with spicy remoulade and lettuce on kaiser roll,

Captain Lawrence Captain's Kölsch

2011-05-29T18:37:00.001-04:00

A lovely summer beer, Captain Lawrence Captain's Kölsch is close to perfection as a session beer. Tasty, not too sweet, with a crisp but neither flowery or too bitter hop finish - a really excellent pilsener and highly recommended.

Daily Food Bag - Sunday 29 May 2011

2011-05-29T18:34:00.001-04:00

Brunch: espresso; remnants of zuke-eggplant-leftovers egg scramble with chevre and toast from homemade bread; mango juice.

Din-din: Cornell chicken sandwich with lettuce, tomato and spicy mayo; everything-in-the-fridge chicken soup; Captain Lawrence Captain's Kölsch.

Daily Food Bag - Saturday 28 May 2011

2011-05-29T14:36:00.000-04:00

Brunch: cheese grits; espresso; banana bread; two-fried-egg-and-jarlsberg sammich. Carbs!

Snack: bread; entirely too much excellent cheese; grapes.

Din-din: grilled eggplant, zucchini, fennel, red pepper, and corn; pork-and-lamb burgers.

Daily Food Bag - Friday, 27 May 2011

2011-05-28T13:27:00.000-04:00

Lunch: Half-baked-bean quesadilla; curried brown rice.

Snack: Slice of bread; scallion hummus; half-dozen oil-cured olives.

Water: Constantly.

Din-din: Cornell chicken leg-quarter; grilled corn.

Daily Food Bag - Thursday, 26 May 2011

2011-05-26T17:45:00.000-04:00

New feature, to get me blogging more, and to get me more thoughtful about what I'm eating.

Brekkers: Iced Toddy coffee; milk; simple syrup. Late morning and big dinner last night.

Lunch: turkey bacon, cumin/caraway/mustard-seed slaw, Ajvar and Jarlsberg on no-knead bread (modified with 1 C. wheat flour, dusted with bran), toasted.

Snack: More Toddy coffee; apple; banana.

Water: Constantly.

Din-din: brown rice cooked with onions, garlic pickle, biryani paste, and veggie stock; baked bean and cabbage quesadilla.

Spicy Garlic Green Beans

2011-04-19T14:29:00.000-04:00

Basically I like green beans, full stop. Hard to beat fresh out of the garden in the summer - hard to beat dilly beans - and a simple stir-fry with garlic is always fantastic. Following on my friend Manfred's technique when I visited over the summer, I made the following simple and super-satisfying preparation.

Ingredients

1 lb. green beans, trimmed
1 large or 2 small shallots, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt

Procedure

In a large skillet, heat oil to medium
Add shallots, garlic, pepper and salt
Stir into oil and cook 2-3 minutes until garlic is fragrant and shallots begin to soften
Add beans, and cook, stirring to cover entirely in oil and frequently enough to redistribute, for 10-15 minutes or until desired level of softening
Serve and enjoy!

Verdict

Fantastic - spicy, garlicky, beany. The oil is great for putting over rice, mopping up with bread, whatever.

Mackerel Fillets Simmered in Soy Sauce

2011-04-18T21:58:00.000-04:00

Some delicious Boston Mackerel from the market the other day, and Bittman provides a great recipe.

Ingredients

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup sake
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp rice vinegar
6 thin slices peeled fresh ginger
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
4 crushed garlic cloves
4 mackerel fillets, ~1 lb. total, skin on

Procedure

In a 12-inch skillet with a cover, mix together all ingredients except fish.
Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes, uncovered.
Add fish skin-side down and simmer until cooked through, 7-10 minutes - once the fish turns opaque, poke it with a small sharp knife. When the point meets little resistance entering the thickest part, the fish is done.
Spoon a fillet and some sauce onto a mound of rice
Enjoy!

Verdict

Excellent!

Minar Indian Restaurant

2011-03-23T13:16:00.001-04:00

After venturing out to the Post Office around lunchtime, I was lured into a cafeteria-style Indian restaurant offering 10 different dosas - basically I can't turn down any food if it's encased in a delicious, starchy wrapper. And I'm glad I went to Minar - the dosa was top-notch, tasty if a little on the soggy side in places after my trek back to the office. The potato-and-pea filling was solid, but the real standouts were the coconut chutney on the side (could eat a cup of that) and the sambar. Man, the sambar - super-flavorful, savory, and with a slow-building burn that set my scalp pleasantly sweating. And at $5.95 for the masala dosa ($7.25 for the paneer, which I plan on trying in the future), an excellently economical and filling lunch.

Butter beans from Scotland

2011-03-22T09:12:00.003-04:00

One of the goals of the week end in Edinburgh was to get my hands on some stuff that I either can't find or aren't that great tasting in Slovakia. My friend took me to the local organic store, and I returned with curry leaves, massala, shortbread cookies (hey, when in Scotland...), some lentils, and those huge, lovely butter beans (half a kilo).

As soon as we got back to the landlocked country, I soaked half of them in anticipation of today's lunch.

Google gave me this recipe option: Butter Beans in Sesame (incidently, submitted by someone in Glasgow).

This is how I adapted it:

Ingredients

half a Tblspoon olive oil
quarter teaspoon of cumin seeds
1 and a half Tblspoon sesame seeds
one small onion, chopped into small pieces (not just strands)
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
1 teaspoon of Hungarian spicy paprika
half a teaspoon of salt
about a cup of cooked butter beans
2 cups of chopped fresh spinach

Procedure
Popped the cumin seeds in the olive oil on medium-low heat in a non-stick pan (the only pan I have). Added the onion for about 5 minutes. Added the ground cumin, mixed and a minute later added the sesame seeds. 3 minutes later added the turmeric, paprika and salt. Mixed, waited a minute, and added the butter beans, mixing well so that the beans were covered in the spices and sesame seeds, but without turning them into a mush. Then I folded in the spinach (it was left over in the fridge, didn't look too good for a salad). Cooked the whole thing for another three minutes, until the spinach was cooked.

Verdict
Nice mixture of spices. It reminded me of the Greek dish with fava beans in tomato/cinnamon sauce. Basically, if I'd gone ahead with adding the chopped tomato can early on, and added cinnamon,I could have been in for a similar treat. But this was a very nice surprise find, and the mild butter beans are a very good template on which to lather spices. I recommend the butter beans, cooked with a piece of kombu and a clove of garlic, even though it takes an hour and a half on the stove (I really need to get myself a pressure cooker...).

Great Burrito Mexican Fast Food Restaurant & Pizza

2011-03-09T13:01:00.000-05:00

At first blush, a hole-in-the-wall lunch place with not just tacos and pizza but also pitas and "Italian Heroes" on the menu is not going to be a winner. But going on a recommendation from a friend, I decided to give Great Burrito a go and am glad I did. In addition to tacos, the Mexican side of the menu (where I'd advise you stay) also features burritos, tortas, quesadillas, tostadas, sopes, enchiladas and huaraches. Meat choices go from chicken, steak, chorizo, to pork carnitas and al pastor, lengua and "a la casa" (chicken, beef and pork together). For the first test-run I went with one chicken taco and one each carnitas and al pastor.

The tacos (at $2.50/per) were big enough that two would've sufficed, but I'm glad I tried all three. Each was complimented with raw onions, cilantro and a salsa particular to the taco, and each featured very nicely differentiated marinade. The al pastor was savory and a little sweet, pork meltingly delicious and tender. The carnitas were spicier and had a nice pepper edge to the flavor, while the chicken was oddly but nicely definitely marinated in soy sauce (in part, at any rate), and nicely charred. Served with a wedge of lemon (not lime) each, washed down with a Jarritos Mandarina, a truly excellent lunch. Definitely worth a return trip, or worth stopping by if you work in this part of town or find yourself here around food-time.

Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles

2011-02-25T13:32:00.000-05:00

Wandering around Chinatown on a chilly Sunday afternoon, I stumbled into the (vaguely recalled as recommended) Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles, and am glad I did. Unadorned entirely, with a short menu (about a dozen choices of noodles either in broth or fried, with a few supplementary appetizers and dumplings), the food was simple and perfectly delicious.

Roast duck with hand-pulled noodles in soup was intensely flavorful, with tender bits of duck hacked alongside the fresh noodles and tender greens in a rich broth. The cucumber salad to start was spicy, savory and delicious, the tea was served in styrofoam cups, and the bill for two ran to <$20, with tip.

The place is tiny and fills up quickly, so going for an early or late lunch (I did the latter) is recommended.

Food and Memory

2011-02-25T13:31:00.000-05:00

An excellent comment from an open thread at Ta-Nehisi Coates' blog:

I agree that it's more than just the food or the convenience. It's a whole host of ancillary stimuli. I go to Popeye's, this specific one right across the Harrison bridge, when I'm feeling disappointed, which is about once in two or three months. It's just a place where I feel it's okay to be disappointed. It's that ambience, the people there, just something, I don't quite know what that allows for it. Man, after that first bite of Popeye's, it's all disappointment. If I wanted, I could make better chicken than they do and with less guilt attached. But that's not the point. I'd rather not take my disappointment home and cook with it, nor clean up after.

Food is not just about eating.

Sichuan Peppercorn Chicken Stir-Fry

2011-02-13T21:37:00.000-05:00

Ingredients

1 lb chicken breast meat cut into strips
 4 carrots, julienned
1 red pepper, sliced 
1 onion, sliced
1/2 c. mushrooms, sliced 
1 tbsp minced garlic
 1 tsp ground or crushed Szechuan peppercorns 
salt to taste

Procedure

Marinade chicken strips with ground Szechuan peppercorn and salt for 30 minutes.
In a hot pan, drizzle some oil and pan-fry chicken strips until golden brown; remove and set aside.
Add a little more oil to pan and sauté the garlic.
When fragrant, add carrots, red pepper, and onion; stir-fry for about 5 minutes, adding water when necessary.
Cover, and steam for several minutes.
Add mushrooms and cover for 2 minutes.
Return browned chicken strips to the pan and continue stirring.
Add salt to taste and ¼ cup water to loosen brown bits in the pan.
Cook until combined.
Serve, and enjoy!

The Financial Times in my kitchen

2011-01-17T08:56:00.003-05:00

As we were leaving the brand-new fancy hotel by the Danube near Karlova Ves, I grabbed the FT Weekend Edition (there were three copies left for the others). In the Life & Arts section was a column by Rowley Leigh (never heard of him, he's a chef at Le Cafe Anglais in London, a place I've never heard of either), which included a recipe for beetroot, orange and red onion salad. Beetroots, now, I've heard of those.

With some adaptation, I gave it as a lunch project to the Slovak, who usually needs very, very specific instructions when it comes to cooking (but as someone who learned to enjoy cooking only after college, I'm not really in a position to throw stones).

The result:

Beetroot, orange and spring onion salad

Ingredients
3 medium pre-cooked and pre-peeled beetroots
Ume boshi vinegar
1 large orange
2 spring onions
no mint leaves (unless you do have them)
no black olives (unless you also have them)
olive oil

Procedure
Slice the beetroots into little sticks. Place into bowl.
Slice the orange into the same size as the beetroots (without the skin, of course). Chop the spring onion thinly.
Add salt and pepper, vinegar, oil, and mix. Milan added pumpkin seeds.

Verdict
Pretty nice! A keeper, I think, colourful and refreshing. A nice change from my usual sliced beetroot+lemon juice+salt salad. I can see how it could use some mashed or chopped black olives, but the mint might be overkill. It keeps well for the next meal, too.

Red cabbage and Feta are friends, after all

2010-12-13T09:18:00.003-05:00

As much as I appreciate Slovakness and Slovak food, there are days when I can't stand the sight of a cabbage soup. There's a part of me that anticipates it as liquid cement, it stays there forever and there's nothing to do but wash it down with beer or Kofola or Vinea, to try to tame the saltiness of it, leaving no space in the stomach for an entree.

But cabbage is the cheapest food at the market, three blocks away, and exactly two blocks closer than any of the supermarkets from my place. (This distance differentiation is important when the weather hits -9 degrees Celsius, or 16 F). And I found a woman who sells beautiful, small veges, I trust her completely because her hands are covered in grime-it's her produce I buy every Saturday. I finally went for a cute red cabbage, mostly because I got tired of buying only onions, leeks and carrots for soup. I figured I'd make rotkohl the way my German omi made it, but today I remembered I don't actually know how to make it without a pressure cooker. So I searched the 101 Cookbooks website, and found something to work with.

Tassajara Warm Red Cabbage Salad

1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 teaspoon natural cane sugar (or brown sugar)
fine grain sea salt

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 red onion, diced
3 medium cloves garlic, minced

1 pound head of red cabbage or radicchio, quartered and cut into thin ribbons

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
2 ounces golden raisins (or other plump, chopped dried fruit)
1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

a bit of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to garnish

Roast the sunflower seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Sprinkle on the sugar, and a couple pinches of salt. Stir until the sugar melts and coats the seeds (you pan will need to be hot enough). Transfer the seeds immediately to a plate so they don't stick to the pan. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and saute the onion for a minutes or two with a couple pinches of salt. Stir in the garlic, and the cabbage, and a few more pinches of salt. Stir and cook for just a minute or so, or until the cabbage softens up just a touch. Then stir in the rosemary, most of the raisins, and the vinegar. The cabbage will continue to get more and more tender even after you remove it from the heat, so keep that in mind, and do your best to avoid overcooking it - where it collapses entirely. Fold in half of the feta cheese, most of the sunflower seeds, then taste. Season with more salt if needed. Serve garnished with the remaining raisins, feta, sunflower seeds and Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4 to 6.

Of course I had to adapt the ingredients and the procedure. My cabbage head was tiny, I only had white onion, no raisins, no sunflower seeds, no balsamic vinegar, no rosemary, no garlic... But went ahead anyway with:

Half a tiny head of red cabbage, chopped into fine ribbons
Raw Pumpkin seeds
White onion, chopped
Two Croatian dried figs stolen from the Potential Christmas Gifts stash, chopped coarsly
A little bit of feta
Ume boshi vinegar (one TBsp)
Pinch of sea salt to taste, at the end.

I skipped the first step, because pumpkin seeds are delicious raw, but followed pretty closely the main step, though I probably overcooked the cabbage by a minute or two, and it did make a difference. So my advice would be: one minute cooking for the cabbage, this is serious.

It came out pretty delicious, and I'd only wished I'd had more feta. I was suprised that the cabbage went so well with feta and the sweet, crunchy figs. It came out with a nice range of colours, and would indeed be lovely next to a slice of quiche or an enchilada. I still have half a cabbage head left, I might do this again for dinner (for two, as a side). I still have time to run to the store to buy more feta, maybe some parmesan and some raisins. It's only 0 degrees C (32 F) out there, completely manageable.

Bánh Mi Saigon Bakery

2010-10-28T17:03:00.000-04:00

Bánh Mi Saigon Bakery, formerly a sandwich shop in the back of a jewelry shop, now a sandwich shop with a jewelry counter in the front, is pretty much exactly what I'm looking for in terms of Bánh Mi. Bread has a good crust on it but also chewy inside, with just-enough-but-not-too-much shredded carrots, vermicelli, sliced cucumber and jalapeños. And then there's the pork: delicious, candy-tasting wonderful pork, crystallized almost. Just perfect, and at $3.75 a helluva deal for a great lunch. Iced coffee was nice enough but not the best.

Smoked Fish

2010-10-24T14:05:00.000-04:00

By far the most exciting new part of the smoker has been my experiments with fish. Each has been instructive, and mostly delicious. And as good as the mackerel was the other week, this past weekend bluefish provided new highs. Not to be overlooked, however, a nice brine for the tuna delivered superior results – fuller description below.

Bluefish

Background: Bluefish was the cheapest but also tasty-looking at the fishmongers so I decided to give it a go. Good choice.

Preparation:

Prepare brine:

4 c. water
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. kosher salt
1/4 c. sugar
4 bay leaves, crushed
1 tbs. whole peppercorns

Dissolve all elements and combine
Put fish in pan and cover with brine; refrigerate for 4 hours
Remove, rinse, and put on rack to let drain and dry for 2 hours
Smoke for 3 hrs. on aluminum foil (less for smaller filets)
Enjoy!

Verdict: Just great. Best fish so far, and not even expensive – already becoming a household standard.

Albacore Tuna

Background: In addition to the huge filet of bluefish, there was a lonely little hunk of albacore tuna that was the last the fishmongers had today, so I decided to give it another go and am glad I did.

Preparation: The brine I found was a lovely little ginger brine (I went pretty heavy on it):

Prepare brine:

2/3 c. water
2" inch piece of ginger, sliced
1 tbs. honey
1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce

Dissolve all elements and combine
Put fish in plastic bag with brine; chill in fridge for 1 hour
Remove, rinse, and place on rack to dry and drain for 2 hours
Smoke for 2 hrs. on aluminum foil
Enjoy!

Verdict: The result is not overly dry, very flavorful and meaty. Looking forward to having some sandwiches this week.

Smoking Meat

2010-10-11T17:10:00.000-04:00

One of my first priorities after moving to Brooklyn (yeah, yeah, we'll see whether the blog title stays put) in a house with a yard was getting myself a smoker. After two years of delicious smokery courtesy the Wolf-Ferrari house, a change of location demanded that I get my own carcinogenic deliciousness up and running. So it was that, for my birthday, I bought myself a Brinkmann Gourmet Electric Smoker– very basic, no temperature gauge or even on/off switch, but electric, two big racks and only $70.

After assembling and curing it, I determined that yesterday would be the first trial-run of the big red beast, and so assembled a range of meats and preparations to see how it all went.

Long story short: super-awesome.

Long story slightly longer: preparations and results for each given meat, below, in order of awesomeness.

1) Spanish Mackerel

Background: I'd had it in my mind to smoke some fish, and so stopped by the fishmongers at the Ft. Greene Farmer's Market on Saturday looking for a likely victim. The lovely, greasy Spanish Mackerel was a perfect prospect, and so I picked up three filets.

Preparation: To start with, I went just with a super-simple fish smoking technique –

Liberally sprinkle kosher salt onto plate
Place filets on plate
Liberally sprinkle kosher salt on filets
Let sit for 10-15 minutes
Wash off salt with cold water, transfer to dry plate and pat dry
When ready to smoke, transfer to large sheet of aluminum foil
Place aluminum foil on grate of smoker, and smoke for ~2 hrs.
Enjoy!

Verdict: Hot out of the smoker, the mackerel was simply divine – no longer greasy, the fat had kept the fish moist and tender, the smoke providing a lovely counterpoint to the salt and sweetness of the fish. And then today, chunked out and eaten on top of a poppy-seed bagel with cream cheese, the fish was just about as good a bagel-topping as I've ever had. Highly, highly recommended

2) Whole Chicken

Background: No picture, because we demolished the bird entirely. I got a nice, free-range, small (~3 lbs.) bird, because who doesn't love a chicken?

Preparation: Super-basic. Covered in olive oil, salt, pepper, and smoked for four (4) hours right on the grate.

Verdict: It only misses first prize because the mackerel was so transcendent, but this was basically a perfect bird. The skin was a deep golden brown, crispy but not overly so, and the meat inside was just outrageously juicy and tender. I am very, very much looking forward to cooking down this carcass for stock, and to repeat performances smoking birds.

3) (tie) Pepper-rubbed Turkey Thighs

Background: Also from the bounty of the Farmer's Market, these big ol' turkey thighs (3+ lbs.' worth) were meant as an experiment in de-boned poultry, and also as fodder for tacos and sandwiches for the week.

Preparation: I went with a (mostly) dry rub for these, made of

1 tbs. chili powder
1 tbs. paprika
1 tbs. cayenne pepper
1 tbs. cumin powder
1/2 tbs. cinnamon powder
1 tbs. maple whiskey
2 tbs. apple cider vinegar

coated them, placed them in a Ziploc, and marinated overnight. Put them on the rack and smoked for four (4) hours as well.

Verdict: Very nice, though room for improvement – maybe more of a marinade and a little oil will help hold more moisture in (not really much in the way of skin on these guys). Great smokiness comes through in the meat, and the rub firmed up nicely into a spicy and flavorful crust all around.

3) (tie) Chicken Liver Pâté

Background: After once accidentally discovering how awesome smoked liver is, I've become an enormous fan of this mostly-overlooked-currently-in-this-country-among-some-audiences organ. At least when it comes from birds.

Preparation: Having had great success with making a pâté with sherry after the fact, I decided to go traditional and soak the livers in booze (ha!) the night before –

Wash 1 lb. livers, and transfer to glass bowl
Pour four (4) oz. sherry over them, and mix gently
Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight
When ready to smoke, drain livers in colander (but don't rinse – just let excess liquid off)
Get a large sheet of aluminum foil (or aluminum pie plate), and create circular ridge
Place livers in pie plate or foil approximation thereof
Put container on rack of smoker, and smoke for ~3 hours
Let cool, and transfer to bowl; mash thoroughly with fork
Cover, and transfer to fridge
Serve chilled or room temperature
Enjoy on bread or crackers!

Verdict: Very flavorful, and a great success. Also nice to make ~12 oz. of pâté with ~$3 of ingredients.

5) Tuna

Background: Figured I'd use one of the more-traditional smoked fishes as well, so picked up a small steak.

Preparation: I sliced the steak in half, for smaller pieces, and used the same prep as the mackerel –

Liberally sprinkle kosher salt onto plate
Place steaks on plate
Liberally sprinkle kosher salt on filets
Let sit for 10-15 minutes
Wash off salt with cold water, transfer to dry plate and pat dry
When ready to smoke, transfer to large sheet of aluminum foil
Place aluminum foil on grate of smoker, and smoke for ~2 hrs.
Enjoy!

Verdict: Not bad, but not a runaway success. Came out a little dry – could definitely use a nice marinade to keep moisture in and add some other flavors.

6) Chicken Heart

Background: Well, there were giblets with the chicken, and I'm not one to waste food.

Preparation: Just put it on the aluminum foil, similar to the livers.

Verdict: Smoky! Very, very meaty and chewy. But, there's a reason you don't really see chicken hearts on menus most places.

...

So, all in all, an excellent start. Stay tuned for additional adventures in smoking, and if you've got wood or meat to devote to the cause, let me know!

New Holland Golden Cap Saison Ale

2010-08-24T22:11:00.001-04:00

Great balance between yeast and wine body, dry not sweet, very refreshing.

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Cerveza Cucupá Chupacabras Pale Ale

2010-07-22T20:51:00.000-04:00

One of only a few Mexican mircobrews, Cucupá is out of Mexicali and makes a nice range of beers. Carrboro Beverage Co. recently started carrying a few, and I tried the excellently-named Chupacabras Pale Ale. And: a very, very nice beer. Great hop character and creamy body, well-balanced with malt. Super-satisfying beer and well more than just a novelty - pick it up if you get a chance.

Chicken Liver Paté

2010-07-17T14:50:00.000-04:00

For reasons that are probably a bit beyond my comprehension, I've gotten incredibly into liver recently. Specifically bird liver which, astoundingly, is just about the cheapest part of the bird you can buy. So armed with the larger part of a pound of smoked chicken liver (courtesy a friend's smoker), I proceeded to make some paté.

Chicken Liver Paté

Ingredients

1/2 lb. chicken liver, smoked
3 cloves elephant garlic, roasted
1/2 onion, chopped, caramelized
2 oz. cream sherry
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tbs. butter

Procedure

Chop all ingredients finely
Melt butter in saucepan, add garlic
Add onions, liver and pepper; stir thoroughly
When hot, add sherry and cook down, mushing all ingredients together to a delicious goo
When gooey, remove from heat and let cool for a few mintues
Throw 'er in the food processor or blender
Get everything out, put in a container and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours
Serve on crackers and eat the hell out of it

Verdict

Duh. Obscenely decadent and delicious.

Alternately, if you prefer it in the original French, there's

Dominique's Foie Gras via Claire

Ingredients

large goose liver (500g)

salt

white pepper

sugar

cognac

Procedure

Rajouter sel, poivre blanc, muscade râpée, une pincée de sucre, deux cueilleres soupe d’alcool, porto, cognac, armagnac, tu couvres d’un film, et tu laisses macérer une nuit.

In your bowl, put salt, white pepper (I'm fairly sure I used regular), a pinch of sugar, 2 tablespoons of alcohol (porto, cognac, armagnac), cover with the transparent plastic, leave in the fridge one night.

Le lendemain, tu prends du film étirable, l’enrouler une douzaine de fois, comme un saucisson, fermer les bords avec le fil de fer. Il faut absolument fermer hermétiquement.

The next day, take some transparent plastic film, wrap up the liver a dozen times (I used to do 20 times), close the ends with twisty-metallic thingees. It HAS to be impermeable.

Faire bouillir 5 L d’eau dans une grande marmite, quand l’eau bout, tu éteints, et tu plonges ton foie dedans, et tu le maintiens au fond. Mets le couvercle. Quand l’eau est froide, ton foie est cuit. Il faut le retirer. Puis, l’enrouler dans un torchon et le laisser dans le frigo 5 a 8 jours (8 c’est mieux).

Get your biggest pot, and put 5 litres of water, bring to a boil (it might be easier to get your kettle's help on this, 5L is a lot of water). When the water boils, turn the stove off, place your liver at the bottom--keep it there (mine floated, so I had to submerge it under a couple of bowls-get creative). Cover the pot and leave it be. Once your water is cold, the liver is ready (it will take hours, of course). Take it out of the water, wrap it pretty snuggly in a kitchen towel, place it in the fridge for 5 to 8 days (8 days is better).

Bon appetit!

Bon appetit!

Great Divide 16 Oak-Aged Double IPA

2010-07-12T17:59:00.000-04:00

A knockout - oak aging perfectly balances the huge maltiness and (obvs.) hops of this guy, and leaves a fantastically smooth, dangerously smooth 10% ABV treat. Currently on tap at Tyler's Carrboro - go getchoo some.

Savory Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes and Peppers

2010-05-13T23:20:00.001-04:00

Ingredients

6 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
3 red peppers, roasted, skinned, chopped into 1/2" squares
1 pint grape tomatoes, oven-dried and preserved in oil (you could probably fudge this, but I had 'em)
4 cloves garlic, diced roughly
1 large onion, sliced medium-thin
1 14-oz. can foul mudammas
3 bay leaves
2 c. stock (I used veggie, you could also use chicken)
olive oil

Procedure

Heat oil to low in a large saucepan with a lid
Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant (~1 min.)
Add onions and stir; cook until they begin to soften
Add tomatoes and peppers with a bit more oil (from their containers works nicely)
Stir all ingredients together and add a bit of stock (~1/2 c.); stir again to combine and cover
Cook covered for several minutes, then open and add chicken
Cook chicken for several minutes, turn over, and add foul mudammas, stirring to combine
Cover again, and cook on low for about 10 min.
Uncover, and cook for about an hour on low, stirring occasionally and adding stock when the sauce gets too thick or starts sticking to the pan
Serve with rice and enjoy!

Verdict

Really, really good. Just really good. Still-thinking-about-it-now good.

Rhubarb and links

2010-05-13T11:13:00.005-04:00

I saw the stems from the corner of my eye at the store, such a soothing, beautiful pink colour! I love rhubarb from way back in the day, it grew on the side of our house, was easy to identify and easy to cut, it was ideal for kids-turned-kitchen assistants--"Go get me some rhubarba!" Off I'd go with the smallest kitchen knife, on a mission. Last night it made me a little sad to just have to pick them up from a basket and stuff them into a plastic bag, I missed out on the cutting noise, the juiciness, comparing the leave sizes... Ah well. Such is life these days. You can grow rhubarb easily, but you have to wait 2 years before you consume it, I don't have that time.

My instinct recipe for rhubarb: rhubarb-strawberry crumble. I made this one, intrigued by the inclusion of port (I only had dry sherry). But I made two mistakes: I couldn't find/was too lazy to look for rolled oats, so I replaced it with steel cut oats. (Turns out, if you replace an ingredient with a better ingredient, you don't necessarily get something better). And: I didn't reduce the sugar. So my crumble was decent, but not spectacular, too sweet, and a tad too crunchy, even though it smelled enticing. But maybe I'm a bit blase about it, so many rhubarb-strawberry crumbles in my life...

This morning I found this recipe: orange-coriander ice-cream and rhubarb pop-tart. Now that caught my attention! I still have a couple rhubarb stems sitting in the fridge. I'll try that (especially the orange-coriander ice-cream), and report soon.

Vichtenaar Flemish Ale

2010-05-05T20:41:00.000-04:00

Sour nose, sour body, sour finish. Just sweet enough with strong tart-cherry flavors, it's a great sour ale; recommended if you're into that sort of thing (which I am).

One-line Beer Reviews Vol. II

2010-05-02T19:56:00.000-04:00

Kind Belgian Red Ale: not bad, well-balanced and tasty, but nothing special and not especially Belgian – drink it at a party if it's there but don't go out of your way for it.

Victory Helios: super-refreshing, nice edge of the Belgian yeasty base and crisp but not overwhelming or floral hop finish – highly recommended, especially on a summer evening.

Stoudt's Gold Lager: just a great beer - crisp, refreshing, perfectly balanced, great hop finish; very highly recommended.

Stoudt's Karnival Kölsch: not bad, but a little too sweet for my tastes – probably not a repeat buy for me, but it could just be that I don't like Kölsch ales that much.

Lemongrass Tofu Noodle Soup

2010-04-30T18:05:00.001-04:00

Ingredients

For tofu:

12 oz. tofu, cut in 1/2" cubes
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. lemongrass powder
1 tsp. five-spice powder
2 tsp. sesame oil

For soup:

8 oz. dried Thai rice noodes, linguini-width
2 stalks lemongrass OR 2 tbsp. lemongrass powder
6 c. veggie stock
1 thumb-size piece ginger, thinly sliced
1 stalk green garlic, bulb minced and stalk sliced
1 spring onion, bulb minced and stalk sliced
1 head broccoli, chopped into florets including stems
1 1/2 c. cabbage of some sort, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
3 tbsp. fish sauce

Procedure

Combine soy sauce, 1 tsp. sesame oil, 1 tsp. lemongrass powder and five-spice powder in spouted cup; pour over tofu in mixing bowl and mix with plastic spoon, covering tofu completely. Chill in fridge for at least half an hour.
Dunk noodles in a pot of boiling water, cover the pot and turn off the heat; allow the noodles to soften in the hot water for 10 min.; drain and set aside.
Put 1 tsp. sesame oil in wide skillet and heat to medium-low; sauteé tofu until slightly browned on all sides and firm, and set aside.
Put 1 tsp. sesame oil in a medium-large soup pot and heat to medium-low;
Add ginger, garlic and spring onion bulbs, carrots and lemongrass (include left-over stalk pieces if using fresh), and sauteé until fragrant.
Add stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 min.
Add broccoli and cabbage; stir and allow to simmer 2 min.
Reduce heat to minimum and add the tofu, garlic and spring onion stalk, and fish sauce; cook for several minutes.
Ladle noodles into bowls and serve soup on top.
Enjoy!

Verdict

Fantastic - fresh and very flavorful.

Lavender-Quinoa-Almond Muffins

2010-04-26T21:23:00.007-04:00

I finished the liver cleanse, and realized that a) I felt much better without eating flour (i.e. gluten), and b) I didn't miss dairy products at all. (More on this in a later post). So, in a natural enthousiasm to bake something after a three-week hiatus, I experimented around, in a chain-of-thought style.

I knew I had quinoa leftovers, the pot of dried Croatian lavender literally jumped out of the (packed) pantry as I opened it, and the best replacement for regular flour is almond flour (in my opinion). I remembered Mollie Katzen's excellent wild rice-quinoa muffin recipe. Some googling (here and here) and head-scratching later, this adapted recipe took form.

Ingredients

DRY:
2 cups quinoa (cooked)
2 cups almond flour
3/4 cups of sugar--the night before, in a glass jar, mix the (organic white cane) sugar with 2 Tablespoons of lavender flour, let sit, closed, for about 24hrs
1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

WET:
3/4 cup almond milk
1 egg
1 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup safflower oil

Procedure

The usual: whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients in a small bowl. Poor the wet mix into the dry ingredients, combine without overmixing. Bake 25-30 min at 350F.

Verdict

They smell fantastic. Without an overpowering smell, they don't taste bitter at all, adding the flowers in the batter was the way to go. Maybe, next time I'll grind them first, but they were as innocuous as if I'd added thyme. The nuttiness flavour brought by the almond flour and the quinoa played second fiddle to the lavender, exactly as I had hoped. The only thing was that they were very crumbly, I actually had trouble getting them out of the baking pan--next time, muffin cups (paper). Also, next time, I'll have to think of a way to limit the sugar--tricky, since too much lavender can bring a bitter flavour (as I learned from infusing milk with lavender a little while back...). Of course now I'm thinking of infusing stevia extract with lavender.

Brooklyn Dark Matter

2010-04-22T17:22:00.001-04:00

I wasn't even aware of this beer before rolling up at Milltown to do some writing this evening, and my initial impulses towards it – bourbon-barrel-aged usually sells me straight away – were settled when the barkeep let me know there were 5 kegs of it in North Carolina, and Miltown had 2 of them – and that was it.

The beer: despite a nearly opaque brown-black, it's not a super-heavy ale. Malty, with the sweet oakiness of the bourbon barrels that's pleasant and not overpowering. Super flavorful body, nice vanilla notes, and a balanced, roasty finish with just a bit of hop. Just a great beer – shame it's only around for a while and only on tap, but highly recommended if you can get your hands on it. And of course: great, great name.

UPDATE: Now (beginning of May) on tap at Tyler's too!

Rogue Morimoto Soba Ale

2010-04-21T18:00:00.000-04:00

Very intriguing beer right off from the name – Soba! – and no less from the taste. A golden and a bit cloudy ale with a thick creamy head, it has a nice lemony nose and a strong but not overpowering vanilla taste both from the first and throughout. There's also a citrus edge just at the outside of the flavor, super-creamy mouthfeel and taste generally, and a perfect tempering with hop bitterness. A thoroughly tasty, satisfying and non-standard cream ale – recommended

Dr. Pepper Heritage

2010-04-15T20:48:00.000-04:00

The ongoing popularity of Mexican Coke and the mishegas around high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS, as the kids say) has led the other big sugar-water makers to actually test out making their drinks with sugar, again. Pepsi Throwback got a pretty good reception, and I was genuinely disappointed the other week when I was unable to buy the Mountain Dew equivalent despite a sign advertising it.

So it was with great excitement that I found a row of Dr. Pepper Throwback cans at a gas station yesterday on my way back up from Atlanta. I should explain that I used to drink a lot of Dr. Pepper: really a lot, this-is-what's-wrong-with-American-diets amounts. Probably for the best, I burned out on it and more generally on soda as a result, but it's a taste that did at one point occupy a pretty big part of many days for me. Therefore, pretty exciting to taste finally what it really should taste like.

And that is? So much better. I'd actually had, uncharacteristically, a regular Dr. Pepper a few days earlier on my way down to Atlanta, so had the flavor still in mind as I popped the can open. The first thing you notice: no chemical escape of Dr. Pepper air freshener flavor, and much, much less carbonation – this is a good thing. The second thing: the sweet and mouthfeel of sugar is just so, so different. In the context of this soda, it means that rather than coating your mouth in a syrupy plaster and finishing with a chemical dry (regular), you can actually taste the flavor of Dr. Pepper: which is nice! The finish is also sweet, smooth and pleasant without being saccharine.

Am I just pretending here? No I am not. This was a really excellent soda. I won't pretend it's good for me (though less-awful than HFCS), but it'd be nice if this were available regularly, or in a fountain, rather than the standard stuff. It's a clearly better product, and I'd pay more for it – at a buck a can, I'm guessing the Dr. Pepper Company is still doing just fine, profit-margin-wise, on its carbonated sugar water with food coloring. But as with a frustrating number of things in contemporary US society, it's easier to rake in a bit more money making a much worse product, and so that's what we'll continue to get.

Sierra Nevada Fritz & Ken's 30th Anniversary Ale

2010-04-15T20:12:00.000-04:00

Sierra Nevada has certainly been raising their game recently – the Harvest Series is both one of the best ideas and most well-executed set of beers I've had in a while, with the Southern Hemisphere just a fantastic beer. So it's not any surprise that they're really blowing the doors off for their 30th anniversary, releasing a series of four beers emphasizing big tastes and age.

First up is the Fritz & Ken's Ale, and it is a big (9.3%ABV) and distinctive beer. The first taste is a smoky, roasty malt flavor – probably the best use of smokiness I've ever tasted in a beer. The palette fills out with chocolatey tones and only a bit of sweetness, finishing dry and with smoke still all around in an incredibly pleasant way. Probably the closest a beer can come to the experience of a cigar. Certainly not a summer afternoon beer, but a worthwhile quaff nonetheless.

EGGS

2010-04-08T11:05:00.000-04:00

Apparently eggs for breakfast is a good idea for reasons well past their general deliciousness:

A new study demonstrates that eating protein-rich eggs for breakfast reduces hunger and decreases calorie consumption at lunch and throughout the day. The study, published in the February issue ofNutrition Research, found that men who consumed an egg-based breakfast ate significantly fewer calories when offered an unlimited lunch buffet compared to when they ate a carbohydrate-rich bagel breakfast of equal calories. This study supports previous research which revealed that eating eggs for breakfast as part of a reduced-calorie diet helped overweight dieters lose 65 percent more weight and feel more energetic than dieters who ate a bagel breakfast of equal calories and volume.

Duck and Vietnamese Sausage Soup

2010-04-07T19:57:00.001-04:00

Finally got around to using the duck stock when I found some Vietnamese sausage at an Asian market; put together a few ingredients from recipes I found and let 'er rip.

Ingredients

4 oz. Vietnamese sausage, sliced
4 cups duck stock
1 large onion, sliced
1 3-inch knob of ginger, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 package rice noodles
3 Star anise
1/2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
1 tbs. soy sauce, or more according to taste
1 tbs. fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
sesame oil

Procedure

Soak rice noodles in cold water, drain and set aside
Heat sesame oil over medium-low heat
Add onion, ginger, star anise, sugar and five-spice powder; mix thoroughly
Add a few tablespoons of the duck stock, soy sauce and fish sauce to prevent ingredients from sticking
Add sausage and sauteé for several minutes
Add remainder of stock and raise to boil; lower temperature and simmer for 15 min. on medium heat.
Add noodles and cook for 10 min. at a simmer
Serve and enjoy!

Verdict

Spicy (this may be the result of some leftovers I threw in with some spice of their own, and the inclusion of the chilis the Vietnamese sausage came with), savory, tasty. A winner! Probably would be equally excellent with chicken stock if that's what you got.

Beau Joubert Oak Lane Pinot Noir Rosé 2006

2010-04-04T16:41:00.000-04:00

Another great rosé and a very big contrast. The pinot noir comes through strongly, and there's a very nice acidity to it, also balanced by sweetness and an excellent finish. Lovely South African wine, and was a total steal on clearance at $6 at Harris Teeter; definitely worth picking up a bottle for more than that, though.

Domaine Luc Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2009

2010-04-04T16:36:00.001-04:00

As you may have noticed, I'm on a bit of a rosé kick. And why not? Perfect weather for a nice crisp wine, and this guy may take the cake. Crisp and light, with a perfectly balanced hint of both acidity and sweetness, it's really just a great summer wine. Good deep flavor and can complement spicy food or served on its own, and a steal at $9/bottle.

Community Food Principles

2010-04-02T16:40:00.000-04:00

My last post got some great comments over at Google Buzz, not in the comments here, so I thought I'd share some of the community's food principles.

JD offers:

Implied, but not directly noted, is avoidance of processed foods. This resolve doesn't always work for me, but, particularly while reading Omnivore's Dilemma, I'd really like to keep King Corn out of my cell structure as much as possible--and it's in just about everything that's not a free-standing, unadulterated food.

I agree entirely, and when buying pre-made food tend to opt for those with the fewest ingredients.

LG offers several of her own:

This addition/recommendation is less about health and more about fun, but it can allow for healthy cooking due to mental flexibility: Don't be afraid to improvise! This is my main way of cooking. I improvise within a structure- I pick a grain and a protein and then the veggies and flavors start to fall into place. Then as I go, things evolve. It is always tolerable and usually delicious. One can go far with trust, intuition, and fun.

And more practically, I have decided the frozen vegetables are a-okay. I used to only go for fresh, but my lifestyle is unpredictable, so I always have a stash of frozens and in the meantime I try to use my fresh ones. I figure its better to have vegetables than to waste fresh ones that I don't get to in time.

Except for 6 months of my life, I have been without a microwave in my home. Just an FYI that it is do-able. However, I am into heating up leftovers in the microwave at school in my spiffy pyrex dishes! Yay for less plastic toxins in my food.

A rule I'm trying to keep with myself: NO CORN SYRUP! Except in decadent gummy candies every now and then or soda if caffeine is needed in a migraine or road trip emergency.

HFCS is a big no-no with me, and I do find that while life sans microwave is do-able, I really wish I had one for re-heating rice.

And KG notes:

I appreciate the part about the beer, obviously. I am constantly amazed at the bewilderment of other beer "appreciators" at high-end beer prices. Like you said, top-shelf beer is still cheaper than even Bud at a bar. I think the term is "anchoring", where people's attitudes toward acceptable prices are very slow to move from the original expected price. We think beer=cheap, even when we have the opportunity to try world-class beers for <$20. This explains why foodie Weavesters would happily pay $14 for a "mid-range" wine bottle and scoff at $18 for a six-pack of Hopslam, which, in terms of flavor and volume, is the better buy.

Moreover, there's more predictability with beer than wine, especially as regards the price:quality relationship. Spend $12 on a 6-pack and it's almost certainly gonna be pretty excellent; spend $25 on a bottle of wine and it might be great or it might be "meh." Or corked, which happens a lot more often than skunking.

Not that I don't love wine!

Great feedback, y'all – keep 'em coming!

Food Principles

2010-04-01T18:37:00.000-04:00

Most of my posts and thoughts here are descriptive (I ate/drank/made this – here's how/where) rather than proscriptive, but I do have a central set of motivating ideas about food behind my actions and consumptions. I'm not doctrinaire in anything, really, and food is no exception – making hard-and-fast rules keeps you from a range of experiences, and so many of the hard-and-fast food rules cut out favorite things of mine, so: all in moderation.

Rather than being a total locavore/vegetarian/Atkin's/caveman/cheapskate, I find that applying a set of general principles (which can always be adapted for context) serves me well in making food that is generally healthy, tasty and affordable. It's not an all-encompassing philosophy, and clearly your mileage may vary, but if you were wondering how or why I do what I do, these are a pretty good guide. So, in no particular order, here are my thoughts on food.

When shopping, think by ingredients rather than meals. A lot of people (I used to and very occasionally still do this myself) go shopping with a template derived from recipes, e.g., "I'd like to have Chicken Kiev, so I need X, Y and Z", and I find that this approach misses the boat in several respects. First, it constrains you into the box of "recipes I already know", which might guarantee successful execution of a meal but gets pretty boring pretty quickly. Second, it commits you to particular ingredients regardless of price, season and sourcing: that caprese salad is just not going to be as good with mealy, watery, off-season Mexican tomatoes and cow's milk mozzarella, trust me. And third, it's just not economical: not only are you locked in to whatever price the main ingredients happen to be, chances are there's some minor ingredient that you a) don't already have, and b) won't use all of what you buy before it goes bad. That's just flat-up waste, and I hates it. But if instead of thinking about meals before you go shopping, you think of them after (or even during), you will be able to take advantage of

fresher ingredients – just see what looks good!
better prices – buy stuff that's on sale or in season (which will be tastier, too), and
a broader, more interesting range of meals – coming home and thinking, "What am I gonna make out of this?" is fun, not terrifying! Especially when...

Don't be afraid to royally mess up a recipe. Not everything (either from a book or that you make up on your own) will work out perfectly the first time, so experiment and be willing to fail. If you know what you like, you can always correct it a bit and have a just-okay meal: the next time, it'll be great. Keeping always in mind,
DO NOT OVER-SALT. There is simply no excuse for it. In addition to being one of the absolutely easiest ways to make your meal healthier, you can always just add more salt when the food's on your plate. If you make a meal too spicy, you can correct that any number of ways, but too salty? Ruined.
Know what you like. Interrogate your tastes, and be okay saying to yourself both "I really like X" and "I just don't like Y." There's nothing worse than putting a lot of effort into a meal that you know in your heart you aren't really going to enjoy. Okay, there are a lot of things worse than that, but regardless, just be okay with what you like.
Don't be afraid to cook richly. I don't hate on cooking light or healthy, but there are degrees of appropriateness. Cooking vegetables in olive oil and serving over brown rice? Delicious. Substituting canola oil for butter and still expecting your cream sauce to come out right? Unlikely. Rich food, while not an every-day thing (at least if you're trying to maximize the number of days you're around), is with us for a reason: it tastes incredibly delicious. So make it, and eat it, in its proper proportions. When you cook risotto, you can see for yourself how much buter and cheese is absorbed by those wonderful little kernels of rice, so don't eat the whole damned bowl. Relatedly,
Use and serve smaller plates. If food is threatening to spill off your plate, you've served too much. Get dinner plates that aren't XXL: they take up less space, and even filling your plate you'll eat less. If you're genuinely hungry after finishing, you can always take more – if you don't feel like finishing your plate, you can always put it in the fridge for later. Really, it's okay.
Always be on the lookout for good cookware. Good pots and pans matter, but this shizz is expensive. So go to thrift stores and keep an eye on Craigslist for good stuff – genuinely good cookware will last you potentially decades, so it's always worth picking up if the price is right. I suppose if you actually have money you could just go out and buy it, but what's the fun in that?

And, a particular pet peeve of mine:

Don't buy mid-market beer. If it's a cheap-beer kind of night, get some PBR – not the worst thing ever, just like an occasional pack of Doritos won't kill you. But for the same reason that you wouldn't go to TGI Friday's, don't buy mid-market beer. Beer is food, and even top-end microbrews at $10-12 per 6-pack are not that expensive: still a lot cheaper than going out to drink. Given the exceedingly high level of quality available in US microbrews (the best beers in the world from top to bottom), the couple of extra bucks you pay are going to be well, well worth it in terms of taste. Especially if you're paying attention to the quality of the ingredients in your food, this is a no-brainer. This also does mean that I will definitely give you the stink-eye if you ever bring Beck's to my house.

Okay! That's probably enough for now. Go forth and do good!

Heavy Seas Märzen Beer

2010-03-30T16:10:00.000-04:00

Toasty, smooth and with a nice body but neither too light or heavy, Heavy Seas Märzen suffers only from absolutely atrocious cover art – seriously, there must be about eight different fonts on the label, a cheesy skull-and-crossbones and mid-'90s-sports-franchise-style graphics to top it all off. Great to drink, but maybe pour it into a glass first (where it has a lovely blonde color).

Anton Bauer Pinot Gris 2006

2010-03-24T16:43:00.000-04:00

Generally I'm pretty skeptical of Austrian and German whites – too many are just too, too sweet – but it's a nice sunny day and the Bauer was knocked down from top-line to bottom-line price at Wine Bar, so I thought I'd give it a go. Glad I did – nice little acidity in the nose and to start, leading to a super-smooth but not overpowering vanilla tone and lovely rounded finish, always just the hint of sweetness balanced by acidity. Great glass of wine.

Spicy Mexican Fried Green Tomatoes

2010-03-23T21:04:00.000-04:00

While making Bill Smith's collards (cribbed from the excellent Holy Smoke), I decided to nose about for some other recipes and found a perfect one at the Southern Foodways Alliance, given that I have two green tomatoes and am doing Mexican pork tomorrow.

Ingredients

 2 green (unripe) tomatoes
 Salt
 1/2 c. white cornmeal
 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
 2 tsp. cumin 
2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or to taste)
 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 
1 tsp. salt 
Canola oil for frying

Procedure

Slice tomatoes into 1/4" slices and salt both sides.
Mix cornmeal, flour, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper in a shallow dish.
Heat 1/4” oil over medium-low heat in a frying pan.
Dredge tomato slices in cornmeal mixture, coating both sides generously.
Fry in batches in oil until golden brown and tomatoes are softened.
Drain on paper towels.
Enjoy!

Verdict

Astonishingly delicious. Very, very highly recommended.

(New) Dominion Brewing Company

2010-03-22T21:11:00.000-04:00

During my DC days, Dominion was one of my favorite (probably the best, at that time) local breweries - Dominion Ale was just a great beer, and Tupper's Hop Pocket was probably the best DC-area beer, period. A great ale.

Recent years have not been kind – the brewery was sold in 2007 to Coastal Brewing Co. (a mid-major co-owned by Maryland's Fordham [always the poor child of local brews] and Anheuser-Busch) and they discontinued Tupper's Hop Pocket (which, gladly, still appears available on a limited basis).

Moving down to NC has shifted my local-beer consumption and in any event, Dogfish Head long since eclipsed them as the mid-Atlantic's best brewery. But on my last time up to DC I noticed some new brews from Dominion – a Baltic Porter and an Oak Barrel Stout, and it being Maryland they were pretty cheap so I figured I'd give it a go.

Dominion Baltic Porter: in an excellent surprise, it's really quite nice – smooth and not too boozey, understated chocolate tones and a good solid body and pleasant finish. A good beer!

Dominion Oak Barrel Stout: a bad, bad beer. Sickly sweet and over-oaked, over-artificially-vanilla. It turns out it's great for cooking (esp. in my Lazy Man's Mole) but not for drinking.

So, it's a psuedo-brewery imprint now, but at least capable of making a solid beer. Hopefully they haven't screwed up the Ale.

One-line Beer Reviews

2010-03-21T17:51:00.000-04:00

Been slacking on this, so here goes:

LoneRider Deadeye Jack: nice solid porter, dry and chocolatey, reminiscent of English porters.

BrewDog Dogma: very nice and smooth, tasty, but probably won't buy again at its price point

Dogfish Head Aprihop (2010): a serious improvement over last year's dishwater edition, very nicely balanced hops and not overly fruity - perfect for a warm spring day.

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron (2008): nearly two years' aging has taken this beer from unsubtle and overly woody to dangerously (at 12% ABV) smooth and super-tasty, and from disappointment to big-time winner.

Highland Seven Sisters Abbey-style Ale: very nice and not overly winey abbey-style ale; refreshing and well-balanced.

Mad River Serious Madness Black Ale: a great beer, rich and smooth and not as heavy as a stout or even porter - highly recommended.

Angove's Nine Vines South Australia Viognier 2006

2010-03-14T20:40:00.000-04:00

Picked this up on sale a while back, intrigued by a) the low price, b) the grape (increasingly a fan of Viogniers) and c) the ABV - 15%, which I don't think I'd ever seen in a white before. I finally had occasion to open it the other evening and was glad for it – lovely full body, nice vanilla tones and sweet but not sickly so, and a nice clean finish. Great mouthfeel, and paired well with the tamarind shrimp and spicy kim chi. Definitely worth remembering and picking up.

Stir-fried Lamb with Green Onions

2010-03-11T20:19:00.000-05:00

Ingredients

8 oz. lamb fillet, trimmed and very thinly sliced
1 tbsp. light soy sauce
1 tsp white sugar
1½ tbsp Shaoxing wine
2 tsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp Chinkiang vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil, plus extra to serve
1/3 c. vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 thin slices of ginger
8 green onions, cut into 2" lengths

Procedure

Combine lamb, light soy sauce, sugar and 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine in a bowl. Season to taste and stand for 30 minutes.
Combine dark soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and remaining Shaoxing wine and set aside.
Heat a wok over high heat until smoke appears.
Add vegetable oil, swirl it around wok, add garlic and ginger, let it sizzle until just coloured (8-10 seconds), then immediately add lamb.
Toss rapidly using a spatula until lamb is partially cooked and slightly charred (20-30 seconds), then add reserved dark soy sauce mixture and mix through.
Add green onion and stir-fry until most of the sauce is absorbed.
Check seasoning and add extra sesame oil if necessary.
Serve and enjoy!

Verdict

Delicious!

Cilantro Carrots with Cumin

2010-03-02T20:28:00.000-05:00

Ingredients

2 lbs. carrots, each cut into 2" long pieces, then quartered lengthwise 
6 tbs. orange or other sweet juice (I used mango nectar)
3 tbs. lemon juice 
3 tbs. olive oil 
2 tbs. ground cumin
 2 garlic cloves, pressed 
2 tbs. minced fresh cilantro

Procedure

Combine carrots and 6 tablespoons water/juice in large saucepan.
Season with salt.
Cover and boil until carrots are crisp-tender, about 7 min.
Drain off any excess liquid.
Transfer carrots to large shallow bowl.
Mix in lemon juice, oil, cumin and garlic.
Season with salt and pepper.
Cool.
Add cilantro. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at cool room temperature.)
Enjoy!

Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry

2010-03-01T15:27:00.001-05:00

I've been a fan of Manhattans for a while now, and in the last two years have even come around on Martinis and a range of other similar mixed drinks. But even as I've experimented with a wide range of whiskeys, vodkas and gins (home-infused and not), and gone so far as to make my own bitters (I'll get around to posting on that one fo these days...), the vermouth has remained the standard off-the-shelf variety. Mostly, because that's about all that's available.

But on a recent visit to 3Cups, I overheard Matt S. extolling the virtues of their (recently-added) AOC Vermouth, Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry. Intrigued, I interrogated further and learned that the staff had done a taste test with the Vermouth, on ice, by itself – and that it'd passed with flying colors. Say no more! I picked up a bottle of the Dry and of the Blanc (sweet and white – never even heard of such a beast before) – they were out of the Rouge – and prepared to give them a test-run that evening when B. and S. came over for dinner.

First, tasting straight-up, chilled.

Round 1: Taste Test

Dry: incredibly delicate and tasty, herbal with a nice bitter finish but not parched. Really does make a great apertif.

Sweet: fuller palette, still nice herbal flavors but pops a little more without being saccharine in the way your normally think of sweet vermouth.

Round 2: Cocktails

Lately, Perfect Manhattans have been my cocktail of choice and this seemed like a perfect (ha!) opportunity to really put these vermouths through their paces.

Perfect Manhattan a la Carrboro

Ingredients

2 oz. Pendleton Blended Canadian Whisky
1/4 oz. Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry Dry
1/4 oz. Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry Blanc
Dash herbal-citrus bitters
Dash Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters

Procedure

Add to shaker over ice; shake vigorously and strain into glass

Verdict

Maybe the best Manhattan I've ever had: balanced, delicate, flavorful with herbal, caramel, vanilla tones all melding together in an absurdly smooth drink. Obviously I can't speak highly enough of the Dolin – totally converted, and can't wait to pick up a bottle of the Rouge.

Lucy's Chutney

2010-02-21T11:56:00.001-05:00

My mother provides some remembrances of my greaat-aunt Lucy and the recipe for her fantastic pear chutney, which I'll also provide below

Ingredients

6-8 lbs. hard green pears, peeled and diced
1 quart cider vinegar (add 1/2 quart more as it cooks down)
2 lbs. brown sugar
1 lb. white raisins
1 tbs. mustard seeds
1 tsp. salt
1 head garlic, chopped fine
6-8 chili peppers
ginger (candied, dried, or fresh)

Procedure

Throw together and cook forever, stirring frequently, until it's a thick rich brown.

Internet Beer Bread

2010-02-01T17:47:00.000-05:00

I've resolved to start making more bread. But I'm still kind of a n00b with bread, and can't quite understand the whole yeast business yet. Having made my old (read: one) standby bread just now – burned-on-the-top-soft-on-the-bottom banana bread – and with the oven hot, I was favored by the Internet with another recipe that didn't require waiting. And so, Internet beer bread.

Ingredients

3 c. flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. sugar
12 oz. light lager [I used PBR]
1/4 c. melted butter or margarine (the latter if you wanna go vegan)

Procedure

Pre-heat oven to 375 F
Grease bread pan and set aside
Mix dry ingredients until smooth
Pour in beer and melted fat; mix thoroughly
Bake for 50 min.
Remove from pan and let cool on rack.
Slice and enjoy!

Verdict

Pretty damn good! And with prep-time about an hour start to end, definitely a good stepping-stone to bread-making that my more cooking-oriented brain can deal with. Next time, might try with a dark beer.

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup with Bok Choy

2010-01-30T20:23:00.001-05:00

As noted the other week, I've been experimenting with more Asian-style chicken soup recipes, and got the basics of this one from a Food & Wine recipe. Worked well and there's probably even more ways to go within this basic framework.

Ingredients

1 tbs. cooking oil
1 tbs. sesame oil (not toasted)
1 onion, diced finely*
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2" piece fresh ginger, cut into thin slices
1 tbs. chili powder
1/2 tsp. dried red-pepper flakes
6 c. chicken stock
1 c. crushed tomatoes
1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bit-sized pieces
3 tbs. fish sauce
1 c. cilantro leaves plus 1/4 c. chopped cilantro (optional)
1 tsp. salt
8 oz. thick rice vermicelli
1 lb. bok choy, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 c. lime juice

*Interesting note: I didn't have any fresh onion and couldn't get out of the house due to snow (right?), so instead used a jar of Cippolini onions in Balsamic vinegar. They were dynamite, so maybe adding a few dashes of Balsamic vinegar to the soup (or soaking the onions in it for a 20 minutes) might be good.

Procedure

In a large heavy pot, heat both oils over moderate heat.
In a separate pot, soak the vermicelli until soft and drain; set aside
Add the onion, garlic, ginger, chili powder, and red-pepper flakes; cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 min.
Stir in the tomatoes, fish sauce, salt and chicken, coating each thoroughly.
Add the stock and cilantro leaves (if using), and bring to a simmer.
Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked, about 20 min.
Add the vermicelli to the soup; cook for a few minutes.
Add the bok choy; bring back to a simmer and cook for about 1 min.
Stir in the lime juice and chopped cilantro, if using.
Serve in large wide bowl and enjoy!

Verdict

Freakin' fantastic; very savory and a nice balance between sweet, sour and spicy. I didn't use the cilantro but it'd go well; additionally, if you like it spicier, having a bottle of Sriracha handy would do quite nicely. Veggies can very comfortably sub out the chicken stock with veggie, chicken with tofu, and fish sauce with... well you're on your own for finding some umami.

UPDATE: Upon re-heating, it became clear that given how relatively delicate the bok choy is, this is a better soup to make and eat all of it that night (still fine re-heated, just the bok choy becomes a bit fall-aparty); if you want a re-heatable alternative, sub in kale, collards, chard, etc. and cook for several more minutes.

Empty the pantry

2010-01-28T08:54:00.002-05:00

With my imminent departure, I've been trying to use up as much as I can from my pantry. Last night the almond flour caught my eye, and I remembered I hadn't baked anything in a while.

Of course, the pantry already had been dwindling, so the process called for many adaptations. And again I felt like I could handle a lot of experimentation on such a basic recipe. Here's what happened:

Ingredients
-2 cups flour ----> replaced by 2 cups almond flour
-1 TBS baking powder
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 large egg
-1 cup sugar ----> replaced by a 1/4 cup of brown sugar and two drops of stevia
-4 TBS butter ----> replaced by 4 or 5 TBS of coconut oil (I lost count)
-1 and 1/4 cup sour cream ----> all I had was Salvadorian ricotta
-1 and 1/2 cup blueberries ----> I hate blueberries, so I replaced it with chocolate and walnuts, about a handful.

Procedure
350F - non-stick spray - 25 min
Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg (20 seconds), add the sugar, whisk another 30 seconds, add gradually the oil, the sour cream. Add the blueberries/chocolate/walnuts/whatever to the dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, combine without overmixing.

Verdict
"Bof". Just maybe a bit too much experimenting in this case. Maybe it was that the non-stick spray was done and I used spray olive oil for the muffin pan. Maybe it was excess coconut oil (they sure are moist though). Maybe the almond flour just by itself isn't all that great for muffins. They also crumbled a bit, was the egg too little? Whatever the reason, the tweaked recipe needs more tweaking, back in the direction where it originally was.

Rutabaga

2010-01-28T08:33:00.006-05:00

They were at the co-op, they were fresh... So why not buy them? They look like turnips, I was surprised. With so many syllables in their name, I expected something more extravagant-looking, like roman cauliflower.
After a bit of online search, I found this excellent recipe for them (and for once actually followed the instructions):

Lemon carrots and rutabaga

Ingredients

* 4 medium carrots, cut into 3 inch julienne strips
* 2 cups rutabaga, peeled and cut into 3 inch julienne strips
* 1/2 cup water
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1 tablespoon brown sugar
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
* 1/4 teaspoon dill weed (dill weed! Yes! Don't skip it)

Procedure

1. In a large saucepan, combine the carrots, rutabaga and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook for 13-15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients; cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until butter is melted.
2. Drain vegetables; add butter mixture. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are glazed, stirring occasionally.

Verdict

If I can find someone to julienne the vegetables (I rarely have the patience), I'll be making this again, with fish...

Sautéed Scallops with Bacon and Shallots

2010-01-27T13:48:00.000-05:00

A classic, via Bittman and modified slightly.

Ingredients

1 lb. sea scallops, quartered
1/2 tbs. butter
1/2 tbs. olive oil
1/2 c. bacon or pancetta, diced
1/4 c. shallots, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

Heat oil and butter in nonstick skillet over medium heat
Sautée bacon 5-10 min.
Add shallots and cook 5 min.
Add scallops and cook several minutes until stark white
Serve over capellini or thin rice noodles and enjoy!

Verdict

You kidding me? Fantastic.

Perfect Fried Fish

2010-01-25T19:16:00.000-05:00

On the one hand, it's kind of difficult to screw up fried food: delicious fatty hot oil goes a long way towards ameliorating what might lack. But a truly perfect fry-job is a real joy, producing food that is hot, flaky, and really does melt in your mouth. Such is the case with this preparation, courtesy of Alton Brown.

Ingredients

1.5 lb. fish, cut into 1-ounce strips [cod is of course the best; also haddock and similar are good]
12 oz. dark, malty (not hoppy) beer, cold [I used Duck Rabbit Wee Heavy Scotch Ale]
2 c. flour
1 tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne powder
cornstarch for dredging
lotsa vegetable oil for frying

Procedure

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne pepper
Whisk in the beer until the batter is completely smooth and free of any lumps
Refrigerate for 15 minutes (the batter can be made up to 1 hour ahead of time)
Heat vegetable oil in large cast-iron skillet to 350 degrees
Lightly dredge fish strips in cornstarch
Dip the fish into batter, covering completely and immerse into hot oil
When the batter is set, turn the pieces of fish over and cook until golden brown, ~2 min.
Drain the fish on a rack
Serve and enjoy (preferably with fries and malt vinegar)

Verdict

Just perfect; the last fish-and-chips recipe I'll ever need.

Vaguely Asian Cornish Game Hen Soup

2010-01-24T08:38:00.000-05:00

First, roast two cornish game hens. Pull off the white meat and put in the fridge in marinade below; eat the dark and after all bones are available, make a big pot of stock.

Ingredients

Soup

white meat from two cornish game hens, marinated [see below]
8 c. stock from game hens
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs. fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1 large onion, half sliced thinly and half diced
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
6 oz. thin rice noodles
1 bundle mustard greens, washed, de-stemmed and chopped
1 can aduki beans, drained

Marinade

2 tbs. soy sauce
1 tbs. garlic pepper sauce
1 tbs. fresh ginger, thinly sliced
1 tbs. rice vinegar
1 jalapeño pepper, halved and sliced thinly
1 tsp. fish sauce

Procedure

Combine marinade ingredients in bowl and mix thoroughly; add chicken and place in fridge for 30 min. or more
Heat stock in large pot to medium
Add diced onion, ginger and garlic; cook while preparing other elements
Add carrots and sliced onion; cook for 10 min.
Add chicken and aduki beans; cook for 5 min.
Add mustard greens and raise to boil for 5 min.
Add rice noodles and boil for 5 min.
Lower heat to simmer and cook for 5-10 min.
Serve and enjoy!

Verdict

Fantastic!

Russian Mushroom-Potato Soup

2010-01-12T20:27:00.000-05:00

I, also, was feeling in the mood for mushroom soup but wanted some potato in the mix. Bittman came through as he so often does; I modified the recipe slightly based on not having the called-for porcini mushrooms.

Ingredients

4 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and roughly chopped [I also chopped and used the stems]
6 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced
6 small potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion, diced
6 c. stock [your choice; I used homemade chicken stock but you could use veggie or mushroom water if you're reconstituting]
2 tbs. olive oil
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. black pepper
salt to taste

Procedure

Pour olive oil into medium saucepan and turn heat to medium-high
Add mushrooms, onion and carrots, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown – about 10 min.
Add the potatoes and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to brown [add a bit of stock to keep from sticking to the pan]
Add bay leaves, pepper and remainder of stock
Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook until potato is very tender, 20-30 min., adding salt and pepper to taste
Serve hot or cover and refrigerate for up to a day before reheating, adding more water to thin soup
Enjoy!

Thai Saffron Rice

2010-01-11T18:23:00.000-05:00

Was bringing rice to a friend's house and he was making salmon, so the fish-sauce-themed Thai saffron rice was a good fit. I'll have to try some other recipes, too – the fish sauce is certainly noticeable, so moderate as you deem fit – with other takes on saffron/yellow rice.

Ingredients

2 c. white Thai jasmine-scented rice (not brown rice)
3 1/2 c. chicken or vegetable stock
1-2 tbsp. fish sauce, OR 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. saffron threads
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. dried crushed chili
squeeze of lemon juice

Procedure

Pour stock into a medium-size pot with tight-fitting lid and place pot on the stove over high heat.
While stock is coming to a boil, add the turmeric, saffron, garlic, chili, and a squeeze of lemon juice; stir well.
Add the rice, plus fish sauce (or salt) and stir.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover tightly with a lid.
Cook 12-15 minutes, or until liquid has been absorbed by the rice.
When most of the liquid is gone, turn off the heat and place lid on tight.
Allow the pot is remain on the burner another 5-10 minutes
Serve and enjoy!

Fish Chowder

2010-01-06T22:36:00.000-05:00

Ingredients

8 oz. fish [something on the meatier side], chopped into 1" cubes
3 medium-large potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/4" cubes
1 large onion, finely diced
6 c. stock [I used chicken; use what moves ya]
1 c. milk or cream
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tbs. butter
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 oz. preserved pork of your choice, finely chopped [optional; I used 2 slices of Canadian bacon and a few slices of salami]

Procedure

Melt butter in large stewpot with a cover over low heat
Add garlic and cook until fragrant
Add pork product if using; cook for 3-4 min.
Add onions and mix thoroughly; raise heat to low-medium and cook until onions begin to soften
Cover with stock, 1/4 c. milk/cream and some salt and raise to low boil
When at low boil, add potatoes and mix thoroughly. Cover again with stock and raise again to low boil
Add fish, mix thoroughly, and add remainder of stock and milk/cream. Cover and cook.
Cook the soup on a medium boil, stirring periodically to avoid sticking to pot, and mashing as fish and potatoes become softer. Variously cover and uncover until soup has cooked down to desired consistency, adding salt and pepper to taste.
Serve and enjoy!

Verdict

Fishy, savory, tasty!

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

2010-01-03T15:50:00.004-05:00

I found this recipe by googling "Mushroom soup", and I love it. It doesn't require to puree (i.e. only the pot to wash afterwards, instead of the pot+food processor), and it uses dill weed, which I rarely use usually. This recipe passed both the Slovak-tasting test and the Friends of MtP tasting test with high colours.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups chopped onions
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup sour cream

Procedure

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions in the butter for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 more minutes (or more if you like). Stir in the dill, paprika, soy sauce and broth. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

2. In a separate small bowl, whisk the milk and flour together. Pour this into the soup and stir well to blend. Cover and simmer for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally. N.B. Once, I skipped that step altogether. The soup came out more 'stewy', and it tasted fine. I'll probably continue to skip that step.

3. Finally, stir in the salt, ground black pepper, lemon juice, parsley and sour cream. Mix together and allow to heat through over

Stevia

2010-01-03T15:18:00.004-05:00

What on earth is that stuff??! I understand it's not sugar, but what is it exactly? A brief google search wasn't helpful.

I still gave it a try. I dished out the $12 for a tiny bottle, scornful at the rip-off. Three months later though, I use it about every other day (I don't know what it is so I don't trust it fully to consume it daily), one drop at a time, using with great care the eye-drop (I made the mistake the first time to use four drops in my green tea--it was undrinkable). At this rate, it looks like the bottle is going to last until 2020. (Maybe in the meantime the internet will have figured out what it is and whether it is safe for me to consume it?). I needed something else.

This morning the rock-hard bread was making fun of me, of my incapacity to eat the whole loaf before hardening, and I pulled out Mollie Katzen's Moosewood Cookbook at page 199 for the easiest bread-pudding recipe on earth (I take out an egg from her ingredients). I decided to replace the sugar with stevia, adding two drops, then risking a third. I followed the variations suggested below the recipe, namely: a few dark chocolate chips, some chopped frozen banana, a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg. It came out very lightly sweetened, so I may start using the stevia a bit more into my baking...

The bread-pudding recipe is on page 199 of the Moosewood Cookbook. But here's what I baked:
-placed the hard bread cut into bite sizes in the ceramic baking pot
-in a bowl, quickly whipped together: 2 eggs, 2 cups of milk, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt, 3 drops of stevia.
-found the chocolate chips from their hiding place, dug out the frozen bananas from the freezer. Added a handful of chocolate chips to the bread, chopped one banana thinly and filled the holes between the bread pieces.
-covered the whole thing with the custard.
-Sprinkled cinnamon and nutmeg on top.
-Oven: 350F, 35 minutes.

Marinated Black-Eyed Peas

2009-12-29T19:13:00.000-05:00

Tasty-looking local black-eyed peas at the Weave and a lovely-looking recipe from my Southern Living 1982 cookbook (modified a bit):

Ingredients

12-16 oz. black-eyed peas (fresh, rehydrated-and-boiled, canned)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1/4 c. olive oil
1/8 c. vinegar (your choice – I mixed red wine, white wine and some balsamic)
1/4 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
several dashes hot sauce

Procedure

In large container with cover, add peas, then onion and garlic, mixing well
In separate measuring cup, combine and mix liquid ingredients and salt
Pour liquid over peas &c. and mix well
Cover and refrigerate three days
Enjoy!

Sopa de Aguacate

2009-12-28T18:31:00.000-05:00

Had some avocados that needed to be eaten now, so, an unseasonable-but-delicious chilled avocado soup.

Ingredients

1 bunch green onions
3 large ripe avocados
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 large lemon, juiced
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp/ paprika
2 c. vegetable broth
1 small handful parsley
2 c. ice water
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

Coarsely chop white segment of onions and place in blender or food processor
Add flesh of one avocado, garlic, and lemon juice; purée
Add flesh of second avocado; purée
Add third avocado, cumin and paprika; purée until smooth
Add parsley and slowly add vegetable broth; blend until smooth
Add salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate overnight
Just before serving, stir in iced water to thin purée

Matzoh-Ball Soup

2009-12-16T19:48:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year. Well, one of them. And I had a big ol' pot of chicken stock boiling, so – might as well give matzoh-ball-soup-making a go for the first time in my life (my late great-aunt Tiny first and then my mother have of course traditionally handled the previous incarnations). I didn't get Tiny's recipe which I'll need to do in future, but pulled together a reasonable version of it.

The soup

Ingredients

Big pot of chicken stock, chilled, filtered, cooked way down
1 lb. carrots, chopped
3/4 lb. celery, chopped
1-2 large onions, chopped
1 lb. chicken thighs, de-skinned and -boned

Procedure

Make the stock in advance. Don't even think about using stock from a can. Chill it overnight, skim, and store outside of main pot.
Heat oil (or schmaltz if you've got it) in large pot
Add carrots, celery and onions, and cook 10 min. over low heat, mixing frequently
Add a few cups of the stock, filtering again as you do, to cover the veggies, and raise to simmer
When simmering, add chicken thighs and cover. Cook 15-20 min.
Uncover and add remainder of stock, and raise to medium boil
Add matzoh balls to pot and cook 15 min.
Serve and enjoy!

Matzoh balls

Ingredients

4 matzoh or 1 cup matzoh meal
4 eggs
4 tbs. chicken stock
4 tbs. vegetable oil or schmaltz
Pepper to taste

Procedure

Add eggs, stock and fat to large bowl; mix thoroughly
Mix matzoh thoroughly in food processor [unnecessary if you're using matzoh meal]
Add matzoh or meal to large bowl and pepper as necessary; mix until combined and unyielding
Let sit for 15-20 min. to allow everything to absorb
Fill bowl of water to allow for hand-wetting
When soup is at medium boil, form matzoh balls with hands and drop in gently, wetting hands between
Allow to cook for 15 min.; serve and enjoy!

Verdict

Pretty damn good! Need to get the real recipe, next time.

Winter Parsley-and-Walnut Pesto

2009-12-16T18:18:00.000-05:00

Had a bunch of leftover parsley, so decided – winter pesto!

Ingredients

1 1/2 c. walnut halves
1 c. parsley leaves
1 cu. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbs. butter, room temperature
water to mix pasta

1 lb. pasta of choice

Procedure

Preheat oven to 350°
Toast the walnuts in a pie plate for 7 minutes, or until golden; let cool.
Coarsely chop walnuts and transfer to a bowl
In a food processor, pulse the walnuts, garlic and parsley until finely chopped
Add the grated Parmesan cheese and the olive oil and process to a coarse puree
Season the pesto with salt and pepper.
Cook pasta
In large bowl, add butter and combine with pesto
Off the heat, add the pasta to the pesto pesto and toss until combined
Enjoy!

New Holland Cabin Fever Brown Ale

2009-12-16T18:06:00.001-05:00

Very dark with a rich, creamy head, you could be excused for mistaking Cabin Fever for a porter, but the flavor while roasty is very much an ale. Great mouthfeel and nice slightly bitter finish, none of the sweetness that sometimes plagues brown ales. Highly recommended.

Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter

2009-12-15T15:37:00.000-05:00

Each year I've been here, I've tried and been disappointed by the Duck-Rabbit Baltic Porter – too sweet, too boozey. But no more! This year's batch is perfect: rich, creamy, dry, super-flavorful. A truly great winter beer: pick yerself up some (especially get it on tap, at Milltown).

Founders Harvest Ale

2009-12-12T17:17:00.000-05:00

A limited-release, wet-hopped ale, Founders Harvest is a solid IPA. Not overly floral but nice and bitter, refreshing. Not sure if I take it over their standard offering (Centennial IPA) but wouldn't refuse it, either.

Lazy Man's Mole

2009-12-08T18:02:00.005-05:00

Felt like a mole but without the time, so tried my hand at something kinda-sorta-similar.

Ingredients

1/3 bar good dark chocolate (I used Green & Black's Maya Gold)
1 bottle dark beer (in this case, Bell's Porter)
1 onion, minced
2 Anaheim peppers, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Serrano pepper, chopped
2 Chipotle peppers, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, in 1" cubes (or whatever other meat you like)
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
t tbsp sunflower or canola oil
1/2 cup water or stock

Procedure

Over low heat in large saucepan (one that has a lid), melt chocolate
When chocolate is melted, add a few ounces beer and peppers; raise heat to low-medium and cook for 5-10 minutes
Add onions, oil and a few more ounces beer; cook for 3-5 min.
Add garlic, spices, remainder of beer and raise to simmer, mixing well
Add tomatoes, mix thoroughly and cover; cook 15 min.
Add water or stock and meat; cover and cook, stirring periodically, until chicken is tender (this will take a while, probably 45 min. or so – use this time to cook some rice!)
Enjoy!

Verdict

Really good. Rich, spicy, tasty. A perfectly acceptable alternative to driving up to DC for mole.

Left Hand Fade to Black

2009-11-25T20:41:00.004-05:00

Feeling very much in the mood for a dark beer that was a) local, and b) I hadn't tried yet, I settled on the just-released Fade to Black from Left Hand (producers of an excellent Milk Stout). Thick, creamy tan head over jet-black ale, it's marketed as a "Foreign Export Stout" and comes on strong with a full and slightly syrupy nose. The taste couldn't be less syrupy though: rich dark malts balanced with a nice hop bitterness and some dark fruit notes, it finishes incredibly smooth. Really is kind of like a much, much better and smoother Guinness Extra Stout (just saying this brings back memories of dank London clubs and a half-warm bottle between my fingers).

The Lost Abbey Lost & Found

2009-11-24T19:27:00.004-05:00

I'd heard The Lost Abbey talked up but hadn't seen any for sale back east, so was glad to see it at Liquor Mart here in Boulder. We picked up some Lost & Found and popped it open, and it's definitely a winner: a nice subtle fruit and ale nose, thick creamy head and an excellent mouthfeel. Lots going on, good malt body and nice hop balance – never hoppy but a great slightly bitter counterpoint and finish that completes the beer excellently. Definitely glad to have had a chance to taste.

Allagash Curieux

2009-11-17T17:03:00.005-05:00

Milltown had a tasting with Allagash last week, and so continue to have on tap several beers not normally found on draft, including the Curieux. Barrel-aged (in Beam barrels) and incredibly smooth, Curieux is a real treat – a bit of the traditional Allagash spice followed by vanilla and a great finish. Get a pour if you can.

Seattle: Elysian Brewing Company

2009-11-16T23:02:00.004-05:00

Elysian Brewing Company is one of those brewpubs that is sadly uncommon in most parts of the country: rather than the beer being a gimmick to accompany so-so bar food, at Elysian it's the reason to come. The food's quite good, too – very nice grilled corn cakes to start, and the house-made black bean burger was excellent – but it definitely takes a back seat to the beer.

I'd been to Elysian before on my previous trip to Seattle and made my way through most of their regular beers (indeed, Elysian bottles and sells their beers all around, and many of their stand-bys are also on tap at other local pubs), so decided to take a trip through the seasonals. I was served well by this decision, as there were three sour beers on tap (my current semi-obsession, beer-wise), reviewed below in order.

Haleakala Hibiscus Sour Ale: Mild sweet nose, full body, tart edges. Carbonation mild owing to wild yeast, finish a perfect blend of tart, sweet, sour, bitter. Hops there but only as balance. Very refreshing and easy-drinking, gets a bit more sour when warm. A real winner and it turned out to be the best of the bunch.

Sour Power Flemish-style Wood Aged Sour Ale: Very, very smooth. More sour in the nose than the taste, and not overly woody - definitely wood-aged but all the good and none of the bad elements of the process. Kind of wished it was a bit more sour, but still solid.

The Trip III Dark Sour Blend: Super-sour nose, low carbonation, porter-style dark body with a great smooth and sour taste and finish. So sayeth the note: "The 3rd beer in collaboration between Elysian and New Belgium, 70% Dark Lager brewed by Elysian and aged sour ale (Foudre 13-30%) brewed at New Belgium.

Pacific Northwest Food Adventures

2009-11-16T22:44:00.003-05:00

Plenty of pictures of the food I ate in Seattle and Vancouver already up on Flickr; I'll be posting write-ups of those and others through the week.

Dandelions

2009-10-23T13:55:00.002-04:00

I'd seen the recipes and had kept them at skeptical distance, but these days, considering the level of my bank account and the amount of dandelions in the backyard, I thought might as well try my luck at the proverbial free lunch.

As it turns out, it's not too bad, and tomorrow I may collect more from my neighbour's yard (my backyard is little and I have used up all the dandelions) to make a second batch. Actually, it tastes quite a bit like kale, but with a thinner texture.

Easy and fast:
clean the dandelions (however much you may find in the yard) thoroughly to get rid of the dirt. Chop them in 1-inch strips, without roots. Blanch them in 2 cups of boiling water for 3-4 min. Drain and set aside.
In a skillet, heat a bit of olive oil and throw in 2 minced garlic cloves for 30 seconds. Add the dandelions and cook for about a minute, making sure the oil covers the dandelions.
And there you go! A nice side dish!

Scallops and Asparagus on Capellini

2009-10-21T18:26:00.003-04:00

A big success this evening, using one of Marcella Hazan's recipes and one of my own devising.

Sautéed Scallops with Rosemary and Lemon

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs. scallops (bay, or sliced small if sea scallops)
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and sliced very thin
1 1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary
salt
black pepper
2 tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Procedure

Wash scallops and pat dry with a towel
Put oil and garlic in skillet large enough to accommodate all scallops in one layer; turn on heat to medium
When garlic turns a pale gold, add rosemary
Stir quickly, add scallops, salt and grindings of pepper, and turn up heat to medium-high
Cook, stirring frequently, for ~2 min. until scallops turn from translucent to flat white
Add lemon juice, turn heat to highest setting, stir once or twice and serve

Verdict

Just fantastic. Make sure you serve over a pasta that will take the sauce well. Parmesan a good addition on top.

Asparagus with Shallots and Garlic in White Wine Sauce

Ingredients

1 lb. asparagus, tips trimmed and cut into 2" pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium shallot, diced
salt
pepper
2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs. butter
1/2 cup white wine
1 tbs. lemon juice

Procedure

Heat butter on medium, until melted, in large sautée pan with lid
Add garlic, cook until fragrant
Add shallots, cook until translucent
Add olive oil and cover all of pan
Add salt and pepper grindings, and then half of the wine
When wine is cooked halfway down, add asparagus and stir thoroughly
Add remainder wine and lemon juice
When sauce begins to simmer, cover pan and steam for 2-3 min.
Transfer to serving dish, serve and enjoy!

Verdict

Again, great. Also make sure you use the sauce, it's killer, and combines well with the above. I used capellini and that worked excellently. Parmesan on top is good, too.

What Happens When You Go Shopping After Day 3 of Comps

2009-10-14T17:56:00.003-04:00

This is what I just bought:

(1) Box organic whole wheat penne
(1) Box organic whole wheat spaghetti
(1) Tube Dijon mustard
(1) Bottle sunflower oil
(1) Bottle sesame oil
(1) Bottle canola oil
(2) Roma tomatoes
(1) Grease screen
(1) Ciabatta loaf
(2) Bars chocolate
(5) Boxes Annie's Mac'n'cheese [to be fair - it was on sale and there were coupons and I was out]
(1) Package Reed's ginger chews

Of that, I can guarantee that... the ciabatta will get eaten tonight. The tomatoes turned into guacamole. Otherwise, presumably these things get used eventually.

Fort Collins Brewery The Kidd Lager

2009-10-07T17:31:00.004-04:00

Fort Collins is a solid-if-underrated Colorado brewery, so I was pleased to see a brew of theirs I'd not yet sampled - The Kidd Lager - at Carrboro Beverage Co. Like its Colorado cousin 1554, it's a dark beer that's not a stout or porter, but where 1554 is an ale, The Kidd is, um, a lager. And a very good one. Smooth and with a hella-easy drinkability, the chocolate malts come through as flavor but not big-footing, and with an excellent, crisp lager finish. Really good stuff.

Momoyama

2009-10-07T17:19:00.002-04:00

I got a tip that the former head chef from Oiishi opened Momoyama and that it was pretty good so, when I was in the neighborhood around lunchtime owing to hard-drive failure, I stopped in.

Momoyama is not good. Everything bland, fish not fresh (the tuna in particular was watery and nearly flavorless), and not especially cheap (nothing below $9 in the lunch specials). I would advise against going there.

Terrapin Side Project Vol. 7: Maggie's Farmhouse Ale

2009-09-30T20:03:00.004-04:00

Starting with a nice yeasty nose, Maggie's Farmhouse Ale comes on with a great full flavor, not too winey and without the yeast totally owning it. Goes down very smooth with a spice finish; great with food. Also, as an aside: the Side Project cover art represents a huge improvement over Terrapin's standard, idiotically cartoonish themed-turtle-mascot labels. Just stop guys, it's difficult to take your (otherwise great) beers seriously if you have a dumb mad scientist turtle as the logo.

Highland Clawhammer Oktoberfest Lager

2009-09-30T18:07:00.004-04:00

Meh. Pretty flat, neither very hoppy nor very malty, not sweet but not that flavorful. Not a winner.

Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA

2009-09-24T19:38:00.004-04:00

During my time in Boston, Harpoon IPA was my real standby beer: very nice balance between hop and malt, crisp and refreshing with a solid copper body. Good local brew, and recently available here in NC – but it doesn't quite stack up to the West Coast IPAs in terms of pop, and Harpoon clearly knows it. So last summer they cranked up the Leviathan series, including the Imperial IPA, a Saison Royale, Big Bohemian Pilsner, Quad (a Belgian blend of yeasts), and Baltic Porter. All clock in at above 9%ABV, with the Quad at 11.75%. And I look forward to the others, because Harpoon Leviathan Imperial IPA is a real winner. Starting with a dynamite, sweet hoppy nose, it has a terrifically complex and balanced body: hoppy but not floral-through-the-nose, just enough malt to balance, a bit syrupy but not in an overly alcoholic way (you don't really taste the 10%ABV at all), and a great balanced finish with a bit of spice. One of the best little suprises recently: highly recommended.

Med Deli Pita

2009-09-22T18:54:00.003-04:00

Good news - Med Deli is starting to make and sell their own pita from local flour. Take this together with Bagels on the Hill and you can almost convince yourself that this city has legitimate ethnic baked goods!

Paulaner Oktoberfest Märzen

2009-09-15T18:03:00.003-04:00

So very German. In this case that's a compliment – this isn't as much of an all-star as the Ayinger Oktoberfest Märzen (more on that one later), but it's a great Oktoberfest beer, incredibly smooth-drinking and tasty. You really could see how drinking enormous steins of this for untold hours would seem like a good idea.

Weyerbacher Autumnfest

2009-09-15T17:58:00.002-04:00

Solid, just as pretty much every Weyerbacher I've had. The Autumnfest Ale has nice not-too-sweet malt, and good full body. These guys need to work on their graphic design, though – the labels are highly mediocre, and the logo font is just awful.

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

2009-09-10T18:19:00.003-04:00

Nice. Punkin Ale has a nutmeg nose, spicy start and savory finish. Probably not a drinking-all-night beer but a great fall beer that doesn't come on as stong as a Raison d'Etre.

Bell's Octoberfest

2009-09-08T19:22:00.002-04:00

Really tasty! Bready, with a nice sharp tang and good bitter finish – not sweet at all. Definitely feeling the fall beers now, so several upcoming.