Captain Lawrence Captain's Kölsch

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1. In a 12-inch skillet with a cover, mix together all ingredients except fish. 
2. Bring to a boil and simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes, uncovered.
3. 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. 
4. Spoon a fillet and some sauce onto a mound of rice
5. Enjoy!

Verdict

Excellent!