Tue - March 27, 2007

Your body wants to go back home

This blog post really belongs under multiple categories, About Me, Food, Travel, and certainly Opinion. I think this is a meme that will gain traction in the near future...

My family tree is not that well researched, but I know enough now to say with some certainty that my bloodlines come from the central and southern parts of the UK. Mom was born in Northern Ireland, of Protestant heritage, and Dad is now discovering that the ancestry is also British until probably the mid 1800's, possibly centralized west of London on the coast. I imagine that my distant ancestors ate lots of root vegetables and spit roasted meats after a hard day's labour, in cool misty evenings...

That's exactly what I did tonight--after a workout I had a meal of parsnips, peas, and grilled lamb. I have to admit to washing it down with wine instead of whisky or ale, but there it is.

The epiphany is...I feel GREAT. I cooled off in the twilight mist tending the grill, and the food left me completely satisfied. I only wish I had lots of family around to spin stories with while tending a nice fire. A song or two would be ace.

I guess the point, or my prediction is...that more people involved in genetics (when informed by nutrition and exercise) will begin prescribing that people should retire back to their genetic climates. Our mobility has changed almost as fast as our diets, and I image some of us are just plain living in the wrong place as far as our bodies are concerned.

Global climate changes and an aging population will make this more topical over the next 30 years. In the meantime, research your ancestry, and make a "home-style" meal when the weather is right.

Posted at 10:43 PM      

Thu - August 3, 2006

Get yer Hawaiian on.

I've always had a problem with mixing fruit and meat in the same dish. You'd think that my British genes meant that I was a total chutney hound. Hell, I don't even like applesauce. I like to keep my savories savory, and my sweets sweet (if there are sweets on my plate at all.)

That being said, I was in the mood to branch out. We had a real pacific-island winner this evening. Hoisin-grilled pork in papaya. The key here is real Hawaiian papayas. You cannot substitute them for Costa Rican, Brazilian, or anything. In fact I never really liked papaya until I had a Hawaiian one.

Recipe for two:

1 RIPE hawaiian papaya (about the size of a typical grocery mango, or elongated softball) Completely yellow skin when ripe.
1 smallish pork tenderloin
5 spice powder

For Stir-fry:
1 stalk celery
1 green onion/scallion
1 skinny carrot (or 3 peeled baby carrots)
Peanut oil for stir-frying

For Baste:
1 clove garlic
2 TBS Hoisin sauce
1 TBS rice wine
1 tsp sweet chili cauce
1 tsp Sriracha

Dust and rub tenderloin with 5-spice powder. Place in refrigerator for 4-14 hours uncovered. Make baste by mixing ingredients.

Grill tenderloin at 450+ until medium, basting last 15 minutes and turning often. Set aside to rest. Slice open papaya lengthwise and scoop out seeds.

Slice Onion/Celery/Carrot and stir fry in peanut oil until just tender.

Dice tenderloin into 1 cm cubes and mix into pan with veggies. Add Hoisin sauce to taste. Spoon pork mixture into papaya halves. top with toasted sesame seeds.

Serve with asian vegetables or rice if desired. Snow peas are a good choice.

Kine grindz refined!

Posted at 09:53 PM      

Tue - July 25, 2006

Words as good as a Beurre Blanc...

As you can probably tell, I'm a food blogger wanna-be. I just have a few too many interests to keep focus. And the new 9-5 keeps my blog time to a minimum.

But here's what I aspire to. Some wonderful prose from Guest Author Katie Pizzuto, writing on BasicJuice, one of my favorite Food/Wine blogs. An excerpt:

"There are people I know who could care less if they ate the same thing for dinner most nights of the week...food is sustenance to them, not pleasure. And I also know people that can’t stand having to come home each night and prepare dinner for their family after a hard day’s work...cooking is a chore to them, not a reprieve. I fall into neither one of those categories, and I’ve come to believe that this is one of the few true dichotomies that exist in life—food is either a sensual (of the senses) pleasure to you or it isn’t...there simply isn’t any gray area. If you find that when you plan a vacation your standard MO includes researching the best local eateries, you know which side of the fence you sit on.

[edit]

For those of us that relish preparing food, the kitchen is a place of transformation [edit]—not only in the actual process of cooking, but in the act of feeding others, because when you cook with your soul, people can taste it."

Read the whole post and check out BasicJuice here.

(Sorry for the duplicate post via update--I'm trying to test better RSS feeds.)

Posted at 11:06 PM     Read More    

Sun - July 9, 2006

Special Sauce

So? You like-a de sauze? Good.

It's easy. Especially good on Hot Dogs. Ready?

Equal Parts:
-----------
Yellow Mustard
Ketchup
Minced Vidalia Onion
Dill Pickle Relish
Mayonnaise

I TBSP each per two dogs or burgers.

When you serve the dogs, it might feel like a lot of sauce, but do not trust your feelings. Dogs and burgers want sauce like they had it in the 50s. Juice 'em up.

If you mess this up, I want to hear about it. This is like, Summer Cooking 101.

Posted at 02:14 AM      

Sat - July 8, 2006

Food Poem #2

Sometimes other writer's words say everything you need to say...

Poe on Dulse




IT was many and many a year ago,
    In a kingdom by the sea,
That a maiden there lived whom you may know
    By the name of ANNABEL LEE;
And this maiden she lived with no other thought
    Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,
    In this kingdom by the sea:
But we loved with a love that was more than love—
    I and my ANNABEL LEE;
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven
    Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,
    In this kingdom by the sea,
A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling
    My beautiful ANNABEL LEE ;
So that her highborn kinsman came
    And bore her away from me,
To shut her up in a sepulchre
    In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,
    Went envying her and me—
Yes!—that was the reason (as all men know,
    In this kingdom by the sea)
That the wind came out of the cloud by night,
    Chilling and killing my ANNABEL LEE.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love
    Of those who were older than we—
    Of many far wiser than we—
And neither the angels in heaven above,
    Nor the demons down under the sea,
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
    Of the beautiful ANNABEL LEE:

For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams
    Of the beautiful ANNABEL LEE;
And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes
    Of the beautiful ANNABEL LEE;
And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side
Of my darling—my darling—my life and my bride,
    In her sepulchre there by the sea,
    In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Posted at 01:19 AM      

Sun - June 11, 2006

Zimbabwean food

I still remember the traditional meal that our friend Pam made for us when we visited her in Zimbabwe 12 years ago. It was sadza, a thick white cornmeal dumpling that we used to scoop up, or pinch bits of meat or greens cooked in a peanut sauce.

The other night, reminded by yet another sad story in the news, Linda asked if I could cook a Zimbabwe-style meal. Unfortunately, the fond nostalgia I feel for the place must be tempered by the fact that dishes like this are becoming less common, as Zimbabweans are confronting a failing economy. I can only hope that change comes soon, before too many more lives there are lost.

At any rate, this is what I came up with:

African Chicken Peanut Stew

2 large handfuls baby spinach
8 oz. minced raw chicken (1 bonless skinless thigh, plus breast tenders)
Peanut oil
1 can collard greens (if seasoned, drain and rinse)
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1-2 TBSP to taste of curry paste or powder (Patak's)
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp grated ginger
1 medium tomato, seeded peeland and diced
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter, thinned with 1/2 cup hot water
1/3 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
salt and pepper

Steam baby spinach until just softened, drain
Season minced chicken with salt and pepper
stir fry chicken in peanut oil until cooked through, move to bowl, set aside.
stir fry onion and bell pepper until softened
Add curry paste, turmeric, ginger, collard greens, tomato, and peanut butter/water
Stir and heat through 5-10 minutes
Add chicken and steamed baby spinach, stir heat through
Stir in peanuts
Taste and adjust seasoning in necessary. An optional few drops of hot sauce or smoke flavoring can be added

Serve over
fried slices of white polenta or
thick white grits

Dusva! (Enjoy!)

Posted at 11:32 PM      

Thu - April 20, 2006

Food Poem #1

Sometimes other writer's words say everything you need to say...

Shakespeare on Sriracha



Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And Summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And oft' is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd:
But thy eternal Summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Posted at 12:27 AM      

Sun - March 12, 2006

The Secret to Good Home Cooking

Never trust a recipe.

That's it. That's the secret. Sorry, don't get me wrong--recipes are invaluable. But they are, after all, just opinions. The secret to good home cooking is to inform yourself with as many opinions as you can, then form your own.

In a way (and I know this is NOT an original sentiment) cooking is like Jazz. Somebody calls out the standard (the dish) and you have to decide how you want to play it with the combo (ingredients) you have.

That being said, I have a passion for leftover inventions. Tonight yielded a good one.

Ian: I have no idea what to do for dinner.
Linda: What fresh vegetables do we have?
Ian: We have lots of leftovers--Colcannon, creamed peas, KFC, your Thai rice...
Linda: Yeah, but what fresh vegetables do we have?
Ian: OK, a couple old green peppers, some nice tomatoes...
Linda: Why not stuff the peppers with the rice?



Whoa. I've done stuffed peppers before but never dreamed of:

THAI STUFFED PEPPERS
-------------------
Quantities and measures? You're on your own. Guesses only below.

1-2 cups leftover rice from a nice Thai coconut curry dinner (3 days old MAX)
1/4 cup diced sweet onion
2-3 sliced button mushrooms
1 cup or so leftover diced chicken from KFC, or filling from chicken Gyoza, whatever, just get some chicken!
Seasonings like sweet Chili sauce (Maggi) and/or Soy, and/or Fish Sauce or your fave asian flavors
2 green bell peppers with their lids off.
Peanut Oil
a Lime, and maybe some extra chili flakes.

Mix the first 5 ingredients and shove it into the peppers. Rub those cuties with peanut oil and place in a pan.
Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

Once on the plate, hit them with lime juice and chilies to taste.


I love improv. The secret to good home cooking is how you handle leftovers.

Posted at 01:29 AM      

Fri - February 24, 2006

The Big Easy @ home

Well, it's Mardi Gras season. It's always been an exciting time of year for me, but this year it's cut with some sad anticipation because I know the city will be dealing with a party on a much different scale. For some folks in New Orleans, this will be the best, most intimate Mardi Gras ever. For others--the worst, and their livelihoods will never be the same.

All in all, I wanted to give you the loose culinary tools to participate at home. My mom asked me for some recipes, and I felt it was unfair not to share. There is no pretense of authenticity here, but I've never had complaints from the dozens of people I have served. Three classics for you to use or abuse. "Laissez les bons temps rouler!"

---------
Jambalaya:
---------


This is basically a rice dish with seafood (shrimp or crawfish) and some type of meat--chicken or duck is good. A direct descendent of Spanish Paella, probably via Portugese immigrants that settled in New Orleans. The key is that you MUST have some diced ham or canadian bacon in the dish. Jambalaya comes from "Jambon", French for Ham. There are no beans or Okra in classic Jambalaya.

A quick recipe for 2 (all measures approximate, but 'dat don' matter, mon chere.)

Olive Oil
1/2 cup each Onion, Bell Pepper, Celery (The classic Cajun TRINITY)
2 medium cloves garlic minced or smashed
3/4 cup diced Ham or Canadian Bacon
1+ cup diced cooked chicken and or Andouille (or any smoked) sausage
10-14 big shrimps or 8 oz crawfish tails
1 14 oz. can classic stewed tomatoes or diced tomatoes
Cajun/Creole seasoning (salt free, usually a mix of paprika and other spices)
Pinch of dried thyme (never powder)
2 cups cooked white rice (Mahatma is a good Louisiana style brand)
Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Tabasco or Crystal or other Louisiana hot sauce.
Sliced green onion to garnish

Saute your trinity and garlic in olive oil. Add meats and tomatoes and seasonings until blended and shrimp is cooked/opaque. Stir in cooked rice until heated through. Finish with salt/pepper/sauce and garnish with green onion.

-------
Gumbo:
-------


This is the classic New Orleans stew where "anything goes". It's a stew thickened three ways--it MUST begin with a dark roux, MUST have okra (which is a natural thickener), and is always served with optional white rice. Okra is the African influence--"Gumbo" was the word for Okra to the slaves shipped to New Orleans. Gumbos usually rely on some sort of seafood (shrimp, crawfish, fish), sausage (raw or smoked pork, chaurice or andouille), and fowl (chicken or duck). Good chicken stock is a must. Smokiness is important, and sometimes a good barbecue sauce is just what you need to balance and blend the flavors at the end. Time is a factor--I usually work for 30-40 minutes on the roux alone.

A guess at a recipe for two (hard to do Gumbo for only two):

Roux: 3-4 TBSP each of Vegetable oil and flour
1/2 cup each Onion, Bell Pepper, Celery (the classic Cajun TRINITY)
2 medium cloves garlic minced or smashed
3-4 cups good chicken stock
1/3 cup white wine or a splash of sherry
1+ cup diced cooked chicken/2 skinless chicken drumsticks and Andouille (or any smoked) sausage
1-2 fresh diced tomatoes, sprinkled with 1 TSP sugar
Cajun/Creole seasoning (salt free, usually a mix of paprika and other spices)
Pinch of dried thyme (never powder)
1-2 cups washed fresh okra, sliced in 1/2 inch pieces
10-14 big shrimps or 8 oz crawfish tails
3 TBSP smokey BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's is a favorite)
2 cups cooked white rice (Mahatma is a good Louisiana style brand)
Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Tabasco or Crystal or other Louisiana hot sauce.
Sliced green onion and chopped parsley to garnish

Constantly stir roux (oil and flour) over medium heat for 30-40 minutes until the color of milk chocolate or an old penny (this is a workout, but necessary. if it burns, you MUST start again. It ain't no Gumbo without a good dark roux)

Add trinity and garlic, stirring to make sure garlic does not burn. Cook until lightly softened and fragrant.
Add stock and wine or sherry, bring to light boil, reduce heat to simmer. Add uncooked chicken at this point and simmer for 20 minutes or so.

Add tomatoes and spices and okra, simmer for another 20 minutes. It should be pretty thick by now. Add BBQ sauce.

Add seafood and simmer until cooked/opaque--6 minutes or so. Taste and season with salt/pepper/sauce

Serve over white rice and garnish with green onions & parsley

---------------
Red Beans & Rice:
---------------



Mondays are Red Beans and Rice days in New Orleans. Folks soak their dried beans Sunday night for Monday's cooking. Better yet, they soak 'em Saturday, cook 'em Sunday, and serve 'em Monday. They flavors get better overnight. But this is a quick version, so we're going with canned (we'll have to do some fancy talking to St. Peter about this, eventually.) I always add oregano to a bean dish. It's a central/south american tradition, but it compliments the flavors well.

Recipe for two bean-lovin' Cajun's:

Olive Oil
1/2 cup each Onion, Bell Pepper, Celery (the classic Cajun TRINITY)
2 medium cloves garlic minced or smashed
1 small smoked ham hock
2 14 oz. cans of red kidney beans (drain 1/2 the liquid)
Cajun/Creole seasoning (salt free, usually a mix of paprika and other spices)
Pinch of dried thyme (never powder)
Pinch of dried or preferably fresh Oregano
1 10"-12" link of andouille or smoked sausage
2 cups cooked white rice (Mahatma is a good Louisiana style brand)
Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Tabasco or Crystal or other Louisiana hot sauce.
Sliced green onion and chopped parsley to garnish

Saute trinity and garlic in oil until fragrant.
Add ham hock, beans and seasonings, simmer 10-20 minutes. Mash some of beans against side of pot and stir until creamy. Salt/pepper/sauce to taste. Remove ham hock and if desired, cool and mince meat from it, returning to pot.
Slice link of sausage in half lengthwise, and pan fry or grill until slightly blackened.

Serve beans over white rice, with link on side, and garnish with onions and parsley.


There ain't no New Orleans without some good music, so expect a post with a few tunes in the coming days to get you in the mood.

Posted at 12:39 AM     Read More    

Thu - February 16, 2006

Valentine's Day - Asian Style

Here's how we did the thing. Forgive the poor photos, and the vague recipes, but that's what makes it like a sweet memory, eh?

The setting:




Candles? Check. Flowers? Check. Valentine's cards and origami? Check. Home-made sushi? Check. Wine? Check.

If you're interested about the wine, it's a Tokay Pinot-Gris from Alsace. I thought it might be easy on the seafood and Asian flavors. I guessed right because this one, from Paul Zinck, was sweeter than any Gewurztraminer I've had.

The right touch:



Cut your red bell peppers into strips, men. You can make hearts with them. It always makes an impression.

On to the main course:



8 oz. of sashimi grade ahi tuna. Marinade overnight in your favorite teriyaki sauce (Lawry's make a nice one with pineapple juice in it.) Sear in a hot pan seasoned with a little peanut oil for only 1 minute per side. Get the edges too. Slice thinly with a very sharp knife. Garnish with fresh teriyaki sauce, toasted sesame seeds, green onions, and, if you can find it, seaweed salad (Goma Wakame).

The side dish was a stir fry of red peppers, snap peas, carrots, and soft chow mein noodles in a garlic/scallion sauce. Go buy some Annie Chung packaged noodle dinners and get creative!

And finally, the piece de resistance:




The thing is--I don't do desserts. Rarely eat 'em, and almost never cook 'em. But dammit, a girl deserves chocolate, and not just in candy-bar form. This little raspberry-chocolate tort set me back less than most flower bouquets cost. It had a very tasty butter-cream frosting, and a beautiful candy rose on top. Get friendly with your local bakers.

Yummy Lovey Yum Love.
XXXOOO

Hope you had a tasty Valentine's Day too.

Posted at 01:37 AM      

Wed - February 8, 2006

Wine of the week - 2004 Maniña Carmenère

First, my apologies for the last post on escolar. Into every life some rain must fall.

Now, to make it up to you, a taste of a nice wine.

I have been increasingly pleased with Argentinian wines, which have gotten to the quality that Chilean wines reached several years ago. They combine interesting grapes (Malbec for example) that California is not producing, along with sometimes great value. Yes, I am a value shopper when it comes to red wine.

Today, Chile responds. I found a 2004 Maniña Carmenère being heavily promoted this week at Trader Joe's. I understand it to be exclusive to that retailer.

Here's the blurb from their marketing:

Not a bad review on the flavors but the nice thing is, this is not the sugary fruit bomb that many wines in this price range are (I'm talking to you Australia!) It actually has some balance. The nose also has a touch of stargazer lilies that Napa Valley Cabernets offer at five times the price. There's a nice herby sage aroma that balances the plum and vanilla. My initial reaction on the flavor was an lightly sweetened black plum cheesecake. That plus the mouthfeel equals sexy, and the whole package cries out for a great grilled steak.

I'm buying a case tomorrow, before somebody else gets the "girl of my eyes".

Posted at 10:01 PM      

Mon - February 6, 2006

If you love something, set it free.

[Digestive details below. Parental Discretion is advised]

At some point, as you eat more and different varieties of fish, and as your local market stocks more exotic species, you may run across this interesting one.



Escolar (aka) Hawaiian Escolar (aka) Walu (aka) Butterfish (aka) rudderfish.

It's beautiful to the eye--when raw it's an opaque white with an occasional pink tinge. It cooks marvelously, firm enough to grill, but good for baking, broiling, or sauteing. The mouthfeel is succulent and the flavor mild, rich and buttery.


Get ready to ruin your underwear and furniture.

I'm not embarrassed to mention that I learned this lesson the hard way. You see, approximately 20% of this fish's body weight is an oil, or waxy ester, whose molecules cannot be broken down by the human digestive system. To put it delicately, depending on your digestive clock, this too will pass. Possibly without your knowledge.

I helped a few people confused about their symptoms here.

A slightly more snarky, but deadly serious blog entry is here.

So, will I ever again risk tasting the forbidden flesh of the "Castor Oil Fish"? I have one word:

Depends.

Posted at 11:14 PM      

Thu - February 2, 2006

Just in time for Superbowl XL - Great Paté!

I called it paté, but this is sooo American. Easy. Bad for you. Delicious.

My mom's braunschweiger recipe (from memory):

8 oz. Oscar Meyer braunschweiger (or your favorite brand, not too dry)
4 oz. cream cheese
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1-2 Tbsp. grated onion
salt, pepper to taste (use cracked black pepper)

Mix all until smooth (use a processor to make it easy). Serve with crackers or on rye toast.

I'm making this tomorrow to enjoy over the weekend. There MIGHT be some left by game-time on Sunday.

GO SEAHAWKS!

Posted at 12:57 AM      

Wed - February 1, 2006

So, what's for dinner?

There's a bit of a tradition in the Malbon family. Whenever we talk to each other on the phone, eventually one of us asks the other, "So, what's for dinner?"

Tonight, Mom told me about her favorite mussels over pasta dish (she is using shallots now! Woo Hoo!). It seems a fitting dish for her birthday (Happy birthday, Mom!!)

Tonight was a Pork Cutlet Piccata for us.

Pork Piccata
2 small (4-6 oz.) lean boneless pork chops (loin cutlets)
1/3 cup flour
1 egg beaten
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (seasoned with garlic salt)
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon
1/3 cup dry white wine
10 or so capers
2-3 Tbsp. butter

Heat 1/4 inch oil in pan over medium heat
Pound pork cutlets to 1/2 inch thick in between plastic sheets or ziploc bags
Salt and pepper pork, then dredge in flour
Dip cutlets in egg, then roll in breadcrumbs
Fry in hot oil for 3-4 minutes per side, until nicely brown.
Remove from pan to plate.
Pour off oil from pan, add wine, capers, lemon juice, return to low heat for 1-2 minutes.
Stir in butter, it should melt slowly and slightly thicken sauce.

Pour sauce over cutlets.
Serve with rice or pasta and salad.

Posted at 03:00 AM