The Budget College Cook

Kuala Lumpur Streets

2010-12-22T08:34:00.000-08:00

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I really enjoyed my trip to Malaysia and have a bunch of random pictures to upload so here is the first set.

In general, I found Malaysians to be friendly and opinionated, the food flavorful and the overall atmosphere warm and welcoming. Both KL and Penang were overrun with tourists (like me!), but only Penang forcefully presented its character and gave a strong impression of self. KL felt like any major metropolis, albeit one built up in the middle of the jungle and filled with Malay, Chinese and Indian people. However, I don't think this is necessarily bad. There is a reason why KL is such a popular vacation destination. Did you know that KL was the world's 4th most visited city in 2009? I think part of the reason is that, for many tourists, a favorable exchange rate makes it a nice place to shop. Additionally, many KL residents speak English so Western/Australian tourists don't find it terribly intimidating. It is both different and similar at the same time. Anyhow, don't go to KL expecting to find a totally exotic experience but do expect to see a ton of hotels.

Indonesian Fried Chicken

2010-08-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

If you hired a cheap maid or babysitter back home you probably ended up with a Mexican or Central American. In Taiwan, those roles are filled by Filipinos, Thais and, to a lesser extent, Indonesians. Ethnic restaurants are a powerful way for displaced foreigners to stay connected to their homelands and I am always excited when I discover the janky ethnic eateries working-class laborers frequent. Good enough for the members of the ethnic minority, good enough for me!

Anyhow, Indonesian fried chicken. I don't know much about Indonesian food so I am going by what I saw and tasted. A marinated chicken leg was brought out and, given its color, turmeric was clearly involved. Also, ginger and maybe some coriander seed. Maybe a touch of coconut milk to loosen the marinade? At any rate, throw the chicken leg into some hot oil and fry. This is what you end up with:

Crazy delicious stuff and it was fun watching what appeared to be a small, tight-knit Indonesian community greet each other. I have a general rule that if you eat alongside ethnic laborers, you will generally eat very well. This meal was no exception.

Definitely on my short list of places to return given how delicious it is and how different the flavors are from my usual Taiwanese fare.

Clams V1.0

2010-07-21T22:38:00.000-07:00

Uhhh, so if you have been following this at all you will have noticed that I love stir-fried clams. Given that they are about 150-225NT per plate here in Taiwan, I decided that I needed to learn how to do it myself.

1. Buy clams. My morning market has a ton of clam vendors so finding clams is easy. However, deciding on WHICH type of clam to buy is a challenge because there are so many options. In the U.S. you primarily see Manila and razor clams but Taiwan has a bounty of bivalves. I basically settled on the first clams I saw squirting water and the vendor with the widest smile. 100NT for a large bag of clams...maybe about a pound of clams. The other cool thing is that when you buy groceries here in Taiwan, vendors will often throw in some freebies like cilantro, green onions or, in this case, some basil leaves. Wonderfully thoughtful. She also gave me her advice on how to cook the clams: basil, chili, a touch of soy, water but no garlic. Yes ma'am!

2. How to cook the clams? Well, this was easy, stir-fry. How do I flavor them? I used a combination of what I had on hand (Chinese celery) and what I have seen at local restaurants (chili, basil and Chinese BBQ sauce) along with the seafood vendor's recommendation.

3. Cook clams. Easy. Clams have little built in timers. When they pop open, they are done!

Anyhow, some pictures:

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June and (most of) July

2010-07-16T09:03:00.001-07:00

I will get some words up when I have the time.

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"American" Food

2010-07-01T21:00:00.000-07:00

My buddy asked me if there is an imported food section at the local grocery store. It's an interesting question: What do Taiwanese people think are typically "American" foods? Watch the video for the answer!

As an aside, I am still alive and well here in Taichung. I am starting to make some headway on my list of goals: I am reading a chapter a night, am spending more time studying poker (and, consequently, less time playing), am sticking to my food budget and will start doing push-ups tomorrow. Always tomorrow, those push-ups. :p

Brief Rant

2010-06-20T03:08:00.000-07:00

Not a real update because I haven't done much of note. Teaching, grading, lesson planning, eating, sleeping, and pokering have kept me plenty busy. I really need to get out and experience Taiwan because I am nearly 1/6 of the way through my contract.

Two things. I finally got my hair cut. Get this: I spent 1,000 NT (about 30 USD) but ended up going to a fancy-shmancy Aveda salon (on advice of a co-worker) and received a pretty freaking nice experience. Neck/shoulder massage, hand massage, nice ambiance, a fine haircut, I will definitely be going back. I still can't believe it was only 30 USD. What a bargain.

The other thing, my mini rant. Before getting my haircut, I went to the local electronics emporium. I am shopping around for a cell phone (any advice?) and wanted to see what was available. I was at the HTC vendor and a few black people were also there. While I was fiddling around with some phones, the black folk concluded their business and left. Soon afterwards, I heard one of the salespeople refer to the black customers as "n*****s." In the moment, I was shocked because, in the US, you just don't hear that word bandied about. I was even a little angry. Was there any malicious intent? I dunno. If not, I don't think I can hold it against the Taiwanese person:

Taiwan is (understandably) ignorant as to what the word means because black slavery isn't a part of its cultural history/identity. They lack historical knowledge. I highly doubt many of them know about cotton plantations, the Civil War, segregation, MLK etc.
Second, Western (read: American) culture influences Taiwanese culture to a large degree and hip-hop music's use of the "N" word has probably played a role. Taiwanese people hear hip-hop's incessant use of the word and probably assume that it is a part of American everyday vernacular but don't understand that it is actually incredibly rare to hear the word. Furthermore, Taiwanese people wrongly assume that hip-hop culture represents ALL of black, American culture. They might be shocked to learn that many Black Americans want the "N" word banned from any sort of use. In other words, they see the slice of American culture which habitually (over?)uses the word but lack the understanding that black people (and black people alone) possess the cultural currency to use the word and, even then, it is contentiously used.

I feel sorta weird about this because the "N" word is so loaded back home in America. People die over the word. Is it okay for Taiwanese people to use the word given their ignorance and lack of black history? If so, how should I feel about it? Should I try to exercise some degree of understanding and flexibility or should I remain rigidly indignant about its use? Given how hateful the word is, I am sorta coming down on the side that I don't think it is appropriate.

End rant.

I will post some pics and vids when I have something of interest.

5.30.10

2010-05-30T06:26:00.000-07:00

I just finished my first 4 days of teaching and I am bushed. Going into this, I anticipated that teaching would be difficult but I did not imagine that it would be THIS hard. Why is it so hard?

When you are in front of a group of kids, you need to be on 100%. I don't like half-assing it because it would be doing the kids a disservice. And, if you ever met these kids, you would understand why I don't want to let them down....they are adorable, earnest and, in general, striving to master English to the best of their ability. I feel like I should reciprocate!
I teach 10 classes per week. Every class is on a different level so I have different teaching objectives to achieve. Also, given the wide age range (anywhere from 5-14) I need to consider how to best teach to different ages. This is harder than you might think.
Classes are 2 hours. So, 20 hours of teaching, piece of cake you might say. However, I spend a LOT of time working on my lesson plans. I can plan a class in about an hour if I really run through it, 2 hours if I take my time and mentally rehearse everything. This adds quite a bit of time to the work week.
In addition, re-learning English grammar has been challenging but fun. I don't think I ever learned about the various verb tenses etc. so it has been interesting teaching myself English's wacky rules.

Anyhow, it is tough but I really like it. I've always enjoyed teaching and working with kids (I used to teach violin lessons) so the work itself is quite fulfilling. For those who are interested, here is my regular M-F schedule:
Wake up around 8
Goof off/eat breakfast/drink coffee until 10
Plan one lesson 10-12
Eat lunch/take a break12-1
1-3 Plan lesson 2
Shower, walk to work, arrive around 3:45
3:45-4:45 Grade homework, odds and ends
4:50-6:40, Teach Lesson 1
6:40-7 relax, run over Lesson plan 2
7-8:50 Teach lesson 2
8:50-9 Relax
9-9:30 Grade homework
Walk home, get home around 10
Eat dinner
Goof off until midnight
Head to bed
Wake up and do it all over again!

Like I said, once I get better at lesson planning I think I can get it down to around 1 hour total which will open up a huge block of time in the morning. I am looking into a gym membership to help fill some of that time!

What else, what else. I am finally getting set up in my bedroom. Bed will be here tomorrow or Tuesday, air conditioning unit is in. Oh! And I am doing some cooking! I am finally settled enough to do stuff like that and it feels great! Adios!

Random Pictures...as usual, hover over "notes" for captions

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Assorted Taipei Randoms

2010-05-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

Random junk from Taipei. Lots of pics and videos. For the pics, hover over "notes" for captions:

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Ximending at night. Ximending is a hip cool area where lots of Taipei's youngsters hangout.

Taipei Main Station. The hub for High Speed Rail and the MRT.

Iridescent fish at the National Taiwan Museum.

228 Peace Memorial Park. It's super pretty.

People practicing tai chi in the park. They are gifted.

Feeding the squirrels in 228 Peace Park.

Longshan Temple front gate.

Longshan Temple interior. Very busy. Lots of worshippers.

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall and the National Concert Hall.

Why I Love the MRT part 1

Why I love the MRT part 2

Let's go for a ride on the MRT. Looking east from Yuanshan station to Jiantan station.

Danshui. A small, touristy town accessible by MRT where Taiwanese families go for day trips. I really liked...it's all about food, walking around, enjoying the Danshui river etc.

The Danshui River. Not the prettiest river I've ever seen.

Chinese musician at Danshui. There were also performances from other musicians...like the guy I nicknamed the Taiwanese John Mayer.

Whew! What a post!

Taipei Food

2010-05-21T21:18:00.000-07:00

(I am back from Taipei and will try to resume a semi-regular blogging schedule. Here is a set of pics detailing some Taipei eats.)

As usual, hover over "notes" for captions.

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And one video...hear Ludacris? Yes, it is that Justin Bieber song...Bibermania for life.

Super Busy In Taipei

2010-05-14T17:31:00.000-07:00

Hi hi.

I have been HELLA (<3 Bay Area) busy with work and training so I haven't had time to write an update. However, this doesn't mean that I haven't been eating! Food here in Taipei is consistently good. Everyone, from the smallest street vendor to the mom-and-pop owned restaurant, takes real pride in their product. Again, my usual rule of follow-the-local-crowds has been a winner. I found some stunningly good boiled dumplings last night on a shady looking alley because I followed a 10 person deep line.

The only disappointment so far has been last night's beef noodle soup...no real flavor in the soup, just sorta salty. Nice beefy pieces of beef but, for me, niu rou mian is all about the broth.

Off to spend the day exploring Taipei. No real destinations (either food or otherwise)...we'll see where my feet (and nose!) take me.

I will post pictures ASAP.

This Little Piggy...

2010-05-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

...went to market. I have done it every single day thus far and I don't foresee stopping anytime soon.

Anyhow, yesterday (5.9.10). Did the usual morning market-grind-read thing but spent a lot of time at a local air conditioned coffee shop. Rather nice. I can see myself going there on a semi-regular basis to read and grade homework. What else was new...Oh! I did laundry for the first time! Well, I didn't so much do it myself but I brought it to a laundry shop and they did it for me! About two hours turnover and 3 bucks. Not a bad deal although I think I will consider doing my own at the apartment. We have a washer but no dryer....I usually hate the stiff, starchy feel of air-dried clothes but will revisit this at a later date.

Oh yah! I also met my brother's girlfriend, Corinne. Nice gal and she, somehow, seems to like my brother. Go figure. :P

Grabbed dinner with Daryl, his wife Anita, their ADORABLE 4 year old daughter Andrea, my bro, his gf and a friend of Anita's. The original plan was to get hot pot but the restaurant screwed up the reservation. We ended up at a Taiwanese steakhouse restaurant which I have been to in the past. It's all right, not my favorite experience of all time especially given 550NT (about $18) price. In America this would be a crazy bargain but I usually buy a $1 night-market dinner and the steakhouse was not worth 18x the price. I suppose it's a once in a while thing for my bro's b-day so I guess it's okay. The world doesn't revolve around me. Although it should, it should. :)

Pictures. As usual, hover over "notes" for captions:

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A few videos. The first is the interior of the chao fan shop I go to. Stark and utilitarian but it does the trick:

The second vid is the interior of the coffee shop:

Sleep Sweet Sleep!

2010-05-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

So I finally slept an entire night! I rolled into bed around 11pm and didn't wake up until 6am! It took nearly an entire week but I am officially over jetlag! Hurrah!

Yesterday was one of the muggiest days yet. I went to Noobburger for my brother's birthday lunch and, after 5 minutes, was sweating buckets. Given it's outdoor location, lack of air conditioning and hot food it's understandable. I wish I could've taken pictures of the restaurant but I left my memory card in my computer. It's kind of neat. They played Muse and Miyazaki soundtracks for music, the menus are amazingly cute and popcorn is served as an amuse. It's also interesting to see the Taiwanese take on a hamburger so I'll just have to go back at a later date!

Other than that, I did nothing extraordinary. The usual morning market, eat, grind, read, eat, tiny bit of wandering, eat, grind, read, TV schedule I've been vigorously keeping.

Hopefully something interesting for tomorrow's post.

As usual, hover over "notes" for captions:

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More of the Same

2010-05-06T19:49:00.000-07:00

Nothing really extraordinary occurred yesterday. I simply did the eating, grinding, sleeping and exploring thing.

Here are some pics. As always, hover over the word "notes" for captions:

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Language

2010-05-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

I won't lie. Leaving the house is kinda exhausting. It's not so much physical as I am adjusting to the weather and the humidity. It's more the mental aspect of it, knowing that leaving my house entails complicated, mentally challenging, possibly embarrassing moments when trying to execute simple tasks such as buying breakfast. Oh well, I guess the good thing is that this will become less of an issue the more I get out there and practice/learn Mandarin, right? I will say one thing for any of you would-be Asian travelers. Learning how to say "I'm sorry but I can't speak your language" in the local tongue is sure to elicit laughs and works as an ice breaker. There's your pro tip for the day. :)

And I thought my sleep schedule was getting better but yesterday (5.6.2010) was the weirdest day of sleep yet. Woke up at 6:00am, napped from 8:00pm to 9:30pm and then fell asleep again at 5:30am, Bizarre.

Anyhoo, yesterday was a great food day. I discovered the most delicious bowl of noodles. Just phenomenal.  A bowl of boiled noodles with greens and a bit of pork topping infused with dried shrimps. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. In addition, I ate the best egg custard tart I have ever eaten.  Perfect flaky crust. I must eat more.  Once I am done here I think I am going to go out for noodles and the custard tart.

What else, what else. I took care of my medical examination. As a fully sponsored employee, I am entitled to state-run health care. It costs around 15 bucks per month and is, from most accounts, very good. The U.S. really needs to get its s*** together and provide this service. The hospital itself was sleek and modern. My brother informed me that it was recently built. Oh, and another example of random Taiwan kindness: Some random, I-just-ended-my-shift dude was flirting with a hospital receptionist but, as soon as he learned that I needed directions to the International Health office, he escorted me to my destination.  It was NOT a short walk but he was super nice and we had a conversation in my signature Chinese/English dialect. Thanks a lot, random dude!

Other than that, it was a fairly average day.  Morning market, morning exploration, poker/reading, afternoon exploration, more poker/reading, nap, meet with brother for night market eats, late night TV with him and then bed. Not terrible, as far as I am concerned.

Pictures...as always, hover over "notes" for captions:

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And I made a few videos so you can see what it is like to ride on a scooter in Taiwan:

#1:

#2:

Jungle Foot

2010-05-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

5.4.10

I spent much of yesterday with really itchy feet. I asked my brother what the heck was going on and he laughed and said, "Jungle foot, man. You're in the tropics. All sorts of weird bacteria grow here." O rly? Is "jungle foot" the medical term? :P Anyhow, things seem to be better today so wish me continued luck.

I feel like I am starting to settle into a routine. Let me tell you about it:
6:00-7:00 Wake up
???- 8:30 Write blog post, reply to e-mails, play poker, surf web, read....lots of random things happens here.
8:30-10:00 Head to morning market and grab breakfast. Explore a little before it gets too hot. I bring back breakfast for my brother 'cause he sleeps in a lot.
10:00-13:30 Go home and grind, read, surf some more. I'm starting to adjust to the temperature but still find it too warm to do much outdoors.
13:30-14:00 Go grab lunch at afternoon market.
14:00-16:00 Grind some more, read, chill around the apartment.
16:00-18:00 By now, it is cool enough for me to explore the city. Yesterday, I just picked a road and walked for an hour.
18:00-18:30 Check e-mail again, read, maybe grind a bit more.
18:30-21:00 Take a nap.
21:00-21:30 Grind a bit.
21:30-3:00 Grab dinner at night market, hang out with my big brother, visit his friends, etc. Lots of young people out and about because it's not oppressively hot.
3:00 Sleep.

My sleep schedule is gradually adjusting and I can't wait for the day when I sleep a full 8 hours.

Anyhow, let's talk specifics from yesterday:
I picked yesterday's breakfast joint based on how busy it was. This strategy has not yet led me astray. I ate at the stall and had a nice conversation with two middle aged Taiwanese ladies. I have my own special blend of Mandarin/Taiwanese/English/Wild Gesticulations. It kinda sorta works and, in fact, I learned the name of the dish I was eating. I think it's "mee suah" although this is the Taiwanese name. I have no idea what the Mandarin pinyin is. This might be a good time to discuss Taiwanese. Yes, it is a language. It is also completely different from Mandarin. From what I know, it is a derivative of Hokkien. Most Taiwanese folks speak both Mandarin and Taiwanese and the further south you travel the more likely it is that you'll hear Taiwanese. Anyhow, the ladies explained to me that mee suah is a very, very common dish. Thin wheat-based noodles in a broth with pork, oysters and assorted garnish. I can't say I loved it because I like distinct, chewy noodles and these were too thin to be readily distinguishable.

Afterwards, grind grind grind. Lunch consisted of a local joint for a rice plate. A little birdie reminded me to eat veggies so I ordered three vegetable side dishes to go with the poor interpretation of lu rou fan. No fat or lusciousness, just dry ground meat. Poor. Veggies were great though.

Afterwards, more grinding and then I decided to explore the city. I headed to Wuquan Road, a semi-major thoroughfare near my brother's apartment. Pick a direction and walk. I gotta tell you, people look at me a lot. I'm already slighty paranoid about people watching me when I cross a crosswalk and it's even worse here. Heads turn. I guess I will get used to it. Now that I am gradually adjusting to the weather I will definitely be spending more time outdoors.

Went home and slept. Woke up, headed to my brother's friend's house, watched some TV and grabbed niu rou mian (niu rou= beef, mian= noodle) for dinner. Went home, ate, watched two episodes of Star Trek Voyager with my bro and then passed out. And here I am again. :)

Pictures...as always hover over the word "notes" for captions:

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Gotta Fix My Mandarin

2010-05-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning, I walked to my brother's local morning market and ate a few bowls of deliciousness. The first, noodles and fish meatballs in a white pepper flecked broth, really hit the spot. Screw breakfast cereal, this is the way to go. It is pictured below. The second, kong rou fan, is very similar to lu rou fan in that it is soy braised pork over rice but the meat is cut much bigger and you get a large wank of delicious, melt-in-your-mouth fat. Anyhow, at the second breakfast, it was evident just how much of a local curiosity I am. 4 elderly, VERY talkative Taiwanese dudes tried to engage me in conversation the entire time I was eating. I'm not complaining and, in fact, really liked it and tried to keep up as best I could. After I finished the kong rou fan, I explored the market. At every stall, I was greeted with an inquisitive smile and an offer to sell me something. Too bad I can't understand what they are saying. Taiwanese people are so nice, so friendly that they can't help but talk to you. I need to fix my Mandarin so I can respond accordingly. In addition, the morning market is amazing. Easily the best fish I have ever seen and the squid positively glows. I will dedicate a full post to the morning market in the near future.

For lunch, niu rou chao fan. Yep, beef fried rice. There wasn't much else open near here given that I went out at 3:30. Nothing too special but it was fast and filling. And about a $1.00. I also met the most adorable little girl. She walked up to me and asked, "Ni shi meiguo ren, ma?" which translates to "Are you American?" I think she was the street vendor's daughter. Sweet girl. Too bad her mom's fried rice lacked flavor. Speaking of prices, things here are kinda strange. For instance, shaving cream cost 4 bucks but nearly everything I've eaten has been around a dollar. It's kinda the opposite of what I am used to.

Back to the night market for dinner. No, not the morning market. It's kinda awesome that there is a market open only until noon, one which is open only in the afternoon and then one only open at night. We wandered around and settled on vegetarian food. I had noodle soup (tang mian) and my brother ordered some veggies and bean curd. We also went back to the arcade and I watched him get his ass handed to him at Street Fighter IV. For the curious, he was E.Honda (how appropriate) and his opponent was M. Bison.

After dinner, we headed to a store to buy my toiletries, clothes hamper etc. The kinds of things you need when setting up in a new place. It was a blast. I really like checking out the local brands and how they've taken Western brands and adapted them for local tastes. Potato chips are a great example...anyone up for seaweed flavor?

And I need to join a gym. Food is too delicious to not eat but it is too hot to run outdoors. I think I will do more exploring tomorrow. I am going to give myself a chance to gradually adjust to the humidity.

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Taiwan!!!

2010-05-02T16:26:00.000-07:00

I'm gonna blog my time in Taiwan.

I've been here for 10 hours. It's currently 6:30am and I just woke up from a 3 hour nap. As expected, I've got fierce jet lag. It's nice to be here though and nothing has changed except for my brother's weight. Hahaha. It is crazy humid and hot over here. Pictures...I've set it up so you can hover over the word "notes" and see the captions:

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Also, two brief videos.

This is just so you can see how shiny clean the Taoyuan High Speed Rail station is.

Just a random arcade. These two men were gifted at Street Fighter IV.

That is it for now. Laters!

Tripe Soup

2010-02-14T10:54:00.000-08:00

In Soviet Russia, hangovers cure YOU! Hahahaha, but seriously, here's something I found fascinating. Lots of people already know that menudo, the Mexican bubbling broth of tripe and chili paste, is used as a traditional hangover cure. However, did you know that tripe soup is also a traditional hangover cure in Turkey? And Romania?

I went to this Turkish restaurant last night and this how they serve their İşkembe çorbası:

First, a condiment tray with paprika, minced garlic, sumac, mint and vinegar is delivered to your table.

Then the soup itself:

It tasted like it was nothing more than boiled tripe. The soup itself was lightly thickened and a brief Google search indicates that it was probably flour. I asked the Turkish waiter how he liked his soup and he said that he preferred only vinegar and garlic. I went that route and it's not bad, not bad at all but I also liked some paprika thrown in there as well as a few pinches of the green herbs. The sumac didn't do much for me.

All in all, I love days when I tie together things like this: Mexico and Turkey both prescribe tripe soup as hangover cures. I'm such a food geek it's not even funny.

Niu Rou Mian 牛肉麵 v.1

2010-02-10T18:51:00.000-08:00

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Long time readers already know that I love love love love love noodle soup. (For past entries, see here, here and here.) Here is another version. The goal was to make a bowl of Taiwanese niu rou mian (niu rou=beef, mian=noodle) but I didn't get the aromatics quite right. Instead, I ended up with a very nice bowl of soy-braised beef noodle soup. Not a bad compromise. :) I asked my mom for her spice proportions and she explained that most Taiwanese cooks use pre-bagged spice blends so I'm going to head to my local Chinatown and see if I can't find one of these magic bags of goodness.

INGREDIENTS
BEEF MARINADE
2 lbs braising beef cut into chunks (you can use beef chuck, beef short ribs, etc.)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 green onions cut into 1 inch pieces

Mix all of the ingredients. Allow to sit for 15 minutes.

AROMATICS AND SOUP
2 green onions cut into 1 inch pieces
1 inch piece of ginger peeled and crushed
2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine
1 teaspoon EACH of sichuan peppercorns and 5-spice powder
1 tablespoon EACH of fermented black beans and black bean/garlic sauce
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
a few dried red chiles
1/2 cup of light soy sauce
2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
water

GARNISHES
Blanched Greens (I used broccoli rabe)
Minced Green Onions
Whatever else you like

(Very basic instructions)
1. Brown green onions and and ginger. Brown marinated beef. Deglaze with rice wine. Add everything else from the "AROMATICS AND SOUP" section. Bring to a simmer. Skim broth to remove impurities. Simmer until beef is tender. Taste. Adjust seasoning with soy and water. Cool and refrigerate over night.

2. There should be a semi-solid fat cap on top of the soup. Remove the fat cap. Remove the pieces of beef and set aside. Strain the remaining liquid. Combine strained liquid with beef. Set aside.

3. Prepare garnishes. Boil noodles. Add a touch of sesame oil to soup bowl. Add cooked noodles. Add garnishes and beef. EAT.

BTTR Gourmet Garden and Sprouts!

2010-02-04T10:22:00.000-08:00

Man alive (no pun intended), it is SO much fun watching something come to life.

Exhibit #1. Remember that mushroom box I picked up about a week ago? Here's what it looks like today:

Check it out! Amazing! I am so excited for this. I am already dreaming about a big steaming bowl of Thai Tom Yum soup!

Exhibit #2: Sprouts!

Some of the seeds worked, some not. Most notably, the yellow mustard seed went absolutely nuts, the fenugreek seeds look good and, I think with a bit more time, the black mustard seeds will look like their paler counterpart. Nothing from the cumin, caraway and coriander. Still, very exciting!

Ike Jime

2010-01-31T09:51:00.000-08:00

If you want to geek out for 15 minutes, read this. It's about a Japanese fish slaughter technique where they ram a metal rod through the fish's spine. Seriously, it's fascinating!

Sprouts!

2010-01-29T20:08:00.000-08:00

If it's Friday night, I'm probably doing something ~~pointless and inane~~ wickedly awesome with food! Tonight's experiment: Can the BCC sprout seeds? We'll find out in a few days!

Step 1. Two layers of moist paper towels on a baking sheet:

Step 2. Sprinkle with seeds:

From left to right: fennel, caraway, cumin, black mustard, fenugreek, yellow mustard and coriander. I've seen fenugreek sprouts in a restaurant I used to work at but, as for the rest, your guess is as good as mine regarding sproutability.

Step 3. More damp paper towels and saran wrap:

I'll check every couple of hours starting tomorrow. I'm hoping this works because I've been eating a lot of salad lately and am looking for a cheap, cost effective way of spicing them up.

Enhanced Stock and Coffee Filter Sieve

2010-01-28T17:58:00.000-08:00

Instead of the usual crap I've been serving up lately, I decided to post something useful and informative.

First, enhanced stock. Have you ever wanted something better than store bought stock but were too lazy to start from scratch? Easy: enhanced stock. Just take stock/broth from the store and throw in some onions, carrots, peppercorns, whatever. Let it simmer and, in 30 minutes to an hour, you've got something infinitely better than plain ole store bought.

For my stock, I threw in half of an onion, sage, chopped onion and serrano ham bones. There might be some garlic hidden somewhere in there.

Cover with your store bought stuff and bring to a simmer. If you're simply using vegetables and herbs, give it 30 minutes and you're good to go. If you decide to really kick things up and use some chicken bones, give it an hour. If you decide to use beef bones, well, you're an idiot and SHOULD be making beef stock from scratch.

What to do once your broth is done simmering? How about a coffee filter sieve?

Uhhh, it doesn't take a genius to figure this one out. Strain your stock of the veggies and big chunks. Let it cool a bit. Ladle the liquid into the filter and let 'er rip! See that nice, clear, clean liquid?

Coffee filters...not just for coffee anymore. :)

Greatest Pork Chop Ever

2010-01-26T22:23:00.000-08:00

Remember the pork chop from the previous post? Here's what became of it:

Nicely golden brown, right? I'm going to teach you a useful technique which can be applied to steaks, pork chops, seared chicken breasts, whatever. Very useful. Start by cooking your meat until it's nearly done. When it's about a minute from completion, throw in a knob of butter and a few springs of herbs, some sage leaves, a sprig of rosemary, whatever. Herbs. I used sage leaves with my pork:

The herbs will flavor the oil so use a spoon and baste your meat with the herby butter. Careful, it'll be hot. This technique is great because your meat gets great color, the herby butter adds great flavor and, above all, it's easy.

Random: This ladybug has been living in my room for a month now. I don't see it very often but I am always happy when it reappears.

And, very exciting:

Mmmm, fresh mushrooms! I am curious about this for a couple of reasons. 1. How many mushrooms will I harvest? I ask because the mushroom box was $25 bucks. Oyster mushrooms are about $5.00/lb. If I harvest, say, 4 lbs, I will call it a success. Additionally, I want to see if I can screw this up because, thus far, I haven't demonstrated much of a green thumb.

A REAL post coming in the next couple of days.

Random Stuff from the Past Few Weeks

2010-01-21T15:29:00.000-08:00

Hi Bahar!!! :)

Just a collection of random things.

BAKESALE BETTY

Most everyone loves Bakesale Betty but not me. Its claim to fame is a fried chicken sandwich--breaded, fried chicken breast with a vinegar and oil slaw on a fluffy torpedo roll. In theory, it sounds fine. In execution, it fails because it is DRY. D-R-Y. The breast is overcooked and dry. Combine it with bread and you've got a starchy mess. I also find the chicken somewhat flavorless. The kitchen needs a heavier hand with the seasoning. Even the excellent slaw isn't enough to bring this sandwich back from the dead. Maybe slather some mayo or slaw juice on the bread? I've had it four times over the past few months always wondering about the raving masses and whether or not my tastebuds are off but I've come to the conclusion that the sandwich is not all that. Besides, at $8.50, that sandwich better scale some spectacular heights. Sorry Betty, but I'm over your sandwich.

However, I feel ~~like an ungrateful ass~~ bad writing this because the staff at Bakesale Betty is AWESOMELY GENEROUS. They are some of the nicest people I've ever met. They hand out free cookies and brownies like Santa hands out presents. And the baked goods aren't just free, they're delicious! Pumpkin pie with a perfect flaky crust? Yes please, no matter what season it is!

In short, this is a joint I really, really WANT to love but just can't. I'll return for the baked goods but not for the (overhyped) sandwich.

Bakesale Betty
5098 Telegraph Ave
(between 49th St & 51st St)
Oakland, CA 94609
(510) 985-1213

How to Supreme an Orange (or any other citrus fruit)

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1. Find where the stem used to be. Cut through the orange to level it. Level the other side. You should have two smooth sides.

2. Cut the peel off. Just follow the flesh.

3. You will have an orange with mostly pulp. Trim off any leftover bits of pith.

4. Find where the orange naturally segments itself. Cut in between these segment lines.

5. Done!

KIM HUONG

I've eaten here a few times over the past week because I love Vietnamese food and I love noodle soup. The first time I went, I was lured in by the sign for Bun Bo Hue. Bun Bo Hue is a lemongrass scented Viet noodle soup from the city of Hue. If done well, it is spectacularly delicious. What brought me back for subsequent visits is 1. the quality of the food and 2. the owner. The food is pretty good here, not mind blowingly good but pretty good. The owner is the most loquacious noodle shop owner I have ever met. He has a real passion for Vietnamese food and he loves what he does. He wants to make everyone who walks into his restaurant happy. He is also very specific about certain things. For Bun Bo Hue, he puts rau ram (a Vietnamese herb), shredded cabbage and bean sprouts on the side plate. For Pho, he puts Thai basil and bean sprouts only. When I asked him why, he simply said that it's for matters of taste. Gotta admire that.

His wife, the restaurant's cook, makes a delicious crab dish which isn't featured on the menu. You have to order it a day ahead of time but it's well worth it. It's a bit pricey ($25) but makes a fine meal for two people with a bit of rice. Fresh crab, butter, garlic, salt and pepper...how can you go wrong?

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If you are in Oakland Chinatown and find yourself craving noodle soup, I encourage you to give this place a try.

Kim Huong
304 10th Street
(between Harrison St & Webster St)
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 836-3139

I walked 3 freaking miles in the pouring rain for this pork chop:

Sure is a beaut, isn't she? Look at that layer of external fat. Look at that intramuscular fat. Look at that deep rich color. Man oh man oh man. And this isn't just ANY pork. This is Becker Lane Pork. Becker Lane is an organic farm which supplies many of the better restaurants in the area with their swine. Just check out the marbling:

I have delicious, delicious plans for this little piggy. :) The pork was purchased at Cafe Rouge in Berkeley.

One last thing. I purchased two slices of bacon at my local butcher today and this is what they wrapped it in:

It just strikes me as egregiously wasteful. Anyone have any ideas on how I can solve this problem? Ask them to use less paper? Incidentally, the bacon was wonderful. It is from Vande Rose Farms and is made from heirloom Duroc pigs. This was my first experience with their product but I was very impressed. Nice fat to meat ratio, a pronounced smokiness and delicious swine flavor. I sliced it, crisped it up and threw it into a wilted green salad with chicken livers and sherry vinaigrette. I will absolutely buy more of this stuff.

Last Meal: Not Eating Out in New York

2010-01-14T20:52:00.000-08:00

(I am asking other bloggers for their perfect "last meal." See this post for additional details.)

Today's participant is Cathy, author of Not Eating Out In New York. Because there are so many take-out restaurants in NYC, quality is high and prices are low and, consequently, people eat out a lot. However, there ARE a few residents who try to cook at home and some, like Cathy, do a good job of it! Check out her site and see what she's been cheffing up!

1. Who would you dine with? My family, or can I bring only one member? This is like Sophie's choice!

2. Where would you dine? I think an outdoor picnic would be a fine setting... midsummer dusk, orchard trees, doesn't matter too much where, as long as it's quiet and peaceful.

3. What would you eat? Probably not something fancy. I'd have my mom's soy sauce chicken stew, cooked so long the bones and bloated skin fall from the meat and fat ginger slices are stained brown and tough as leather.

Mmmm, I also love soy sauce chicken. Thanks, Cathy!

To see all of the posts in this series, click here.

Last Meal: Quick Indian Cooking

2010-01-12T17:48:00.000-08:00

(I am asking other bloggers for their perfect "last meal." See this post for additional details.)

Today's participant is Mallika, author of Quick Indian Cooking. Her blog is about Indian food and fast, easy dishes that can be successfully integrated into a busy lifestyle. I find her recipes for dal (lentils) to be especially comprehensive so gogogogogogo learn a thing or two about Indian cuisine!

1. Who would you dine with? Has everyone said family? I'm going to be pretty boring... I suppose it would have to be my husband, baby, mum and little sister.

2. Where would you dine? At the family home in Calcutta. Our German Shepherd will be salivating by the side of the table, while the cook brings sizzling hot buttered rotis to the table. My mother will shout at my sister, she will shout back and next everyone will shout at each other. Then the phones will go off. Perfect!

3. What would you eat? The last supper are you kidding? What wouldn't we eat? We'd start with a thick yellow dal, with a spicy tadka, vegetable pulao rice and an aubergine stir fry. Then go on to goat meat curry cooked in dark whole spices and deep fried plain flour puris, while dipping into lemony mixed salad and three different pickles. To finish off, I'd have mishti doi, yoghurt sweetened with raw cane sugar, and anything deep fried and bright orange in colour. Now that would be the perfect way to go.

Mallika, thanks! I can't possibly imagine how hot Calcutta must feel for your German Shepherd, lol!

To see all of the posts in this series, click here.

More on Zongzi

2010-01-11T20:22:00.000-08:00

After yesterday's slapdash, slipshod, and sloppy (ha!) post on zongzi, I wouldn't at all be surprised if you readers were still confused as to what exactly a zongzi is. So, because I love all of you so much, here's a little more on zongzi.

Zongzi, clothed in bamboo leaves:

Zongzi, naked. They are mostly composed of sticky rice:

Zongzi, slain (I swear this isn't a metaphor for how I treat my women hahahahahahahah):

See the peanuts and the chunk of pork? There's also a salted egg yolk hidden in there.

Zongzi are traditionally consumed on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival...aka 端午節. The festival originates from the attempted rescue of an ancient Chinese poet named Quan Yu. Poet Yu drowned on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month which explains why the festival is celebrated on that day. In 2010, the festival will be celebrated on June 16th. To tie it all together rice, the main ingredient in zongzi, is traditionally thrown into the river in which Quan Yu died to prevent the fish from nibbling on his body. Then again, Chinese mythology and history is filled with all sorts of symbolism so who knows what REALLY happened.

In truth, I wish I had done a better job documenting yesterday's zongzi because it was far superior to today's specimen in that the rice had better texture and the fillings were more ample. Oh well, maybe I'll just have to get a third and dissect it in a future post. :)

Tonight's Supper:

2010-01-10T18:39:00.000-08:00

Salad with balsamic dressing and feta crumbles and a Chinese zongzi (粽子).

Maybe this strange mix is just part of being half-Asian. :) I love zongzi aka Chinese tamales. Tonight's version came studded with peanuts and stuffed with pork products and a salted egg yolk. You can't see it from the picture but they are wrapped and steamed in bamboo leaves. Yummmy!

A real post is in the works. A belated Happy New Years to all of my readers!

Product Review: Budweiser & Clamato

2009-12-30T23:30:00.000-08:00

So what's better than one Chelada?

Having one with a friend, lol

But, seriously? This chelada thing is horrible. Think strained Campbell's Manhattan-style Clam Chowder mixed with Budweiser. It's really taking a lot of effort to drink this but drink I will because I don't abuse alcohol. :P A solid D-. DON'T BUY

X-Mas Eve Dinner

2009-12-27T17:55:00.000-08:00

All right, a bunch of random stuff in here. Christmas Eve was basically Meatfest. For instance, this is what I had for lunch:

Food courtesy of Memphis Minnie's. Other than the B+ sausage, the rest of the meal was uniformly awful. Let's talk about the ribs for a second because this takes real talent. First of all, the meat still had a deathgrip on the bone which would imply that it was undercooked, right? However, the majority of the meat was already dry and stringy implying that it was overcooked. I just don't get it. Anyhow, several people had told me to avoid this joint but I just had to go see for myself. BBQ FAIL.

In addition to the BBQ plate, we ate a ton of meat later that night. I've been pretty obsessed with a cooking technique called "sous vide" which I'll detail in an upcoming post. This post is dedicated to simply giving you an overview of the technique and my X-Mas Eve dinner.

Sous vide hanger steak. One of the great things about sous vide is that it gives you a lot more control versus cooking over high heat. For instance, say you like rare steak. Normally, you might season it and throw it in a hot pan, right? But notice...there is a ring of gray, overcooked meat surrounding the rare interior. Compare this to sous vide cooking. The temperature for rare steak is between 120 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit. All you have to do when cooking sous vide is to set your water bath at the desired temperature, drop in your steak and the steak never cooks past the preset temperature. This technique is used in many high end kitchens but it is also very practical for home cookery. I've sous vide cooked two hanger steaks and they've both been amazing. For the X-Mas Eve dinner steak, I flavored it with garlic cloves, thyme and a few bay leaves. In addition, I also added a ton of butter. I probably went a bit overboard with the butter but you do need some fat to help carry and disperse the flavors. After you cook it in the bag (I use Ziploc brand bags...I've read that cheap plastic bags use cheap plastic. Whether or not this is true is beyond my knowledge but I figure it's only marginally more expensive to use brand-name plastic) you need to sear the steak because it comes out sorta gray. After that, slice and serve.

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In addition to the hanger steak, I cooked a turkey leg sous vide. I packed the bag with all sorts of aromatics...oregano, orange peel, garlic, ginger, star anise, a few cloves etc. Very Christmas-y. Throw in the turkey leg (rubbed with allspice and a bit of salt) and cover with duck fat. BAM. Turkey leg confit. 176 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 or so hours. When cooked, I shredded the meat and folded it into some lentils.

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Given how heavy the rest of the meal was, I decided that a light salad was necessary. Lots of citrus in the market this time of year so that made my choice easy. Mint, olives, a little red onion and romaine hearts finished it off.

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This just gives you an overview of sous vide. I'm doing research for an upcoming post which will be more detailed but I hope this whets your appetite for more. Hardy har har. :)

Momofuku Ginger Scallion Sauce

2009-12-27T15:54:00.000-08:00

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I've made a sauce like this in the past but I decided to make David Chang's version just to check it out. This recipe is from the Momofuku Cookbook.

INGREDIENTS

2.5 cups thinly sliced scallions
.5 cup finely minced peeled fresh ginger
.25 cup neutral oil (I added more)
1.5 teaspoons light soy sauce (I added more)
.75 teaspoon sherry vinegar (I added more)
Salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt to taste. Give it 15 minutes before you serve or keep it for a couple of days in the fridge.

I eat this stuff on just about everything. Hot bowl of rice? A few dollops, please. Noodles? Done. Straight out of bowl? Don't mind if I do. Rub it on my face to maintain my youthful visage? Guilty as charged.

Time- Pretty much none.
Food cost- Cheap as all get out.

Scallops with Champagne Sauce

2009-12-19T14:55:00.000-08:00

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So I am a liar. I didn't use champagne in the sauce but a Spanish cava. Anyhoo, back in this post, I made fish stock which is used in this scallop recipe so this is the completion of the "Budget College Cook cooks something outside of his comfort zone" experiment. This recipe is from Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook. Bourdain is sarcastic, funny and a bit of a character so it's an entertaining read. As for the recipes, well, this is the only one I've ever made so I have no comment other than this dish tasted great!

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 cup of fish stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
S&P
Sea Scallops (Please use dry scallops...click this for more info)
Clarified butter (I used olive oil)
1/2 cup Champagne (I'm using cava)
juice of 1/2 lemon (I hate instructions like this because lemons are so different...grrr)
4 chives, finely chopped

1. Melt half of the butter in a pan, add the shallots. Cook over med-low heat until soft but not browned (I screwed up here...there is a bit of browning on my shallots). Add the fish stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat and reduce by half. Add the cream, bring back up to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain out the shallots, season with S&P.

2. Pat the scallops dry (if necessary) season with S&P (I only seasoned with salt but added pepper after cooking...I don't like burned pepper). Heat clarified butter (or olive oil) until it's just under smoking. Add the scallops, cook on one side for about 3 minutes (resist the urge to move them around or peek! Moving and peeking will result in a less caramelized crust!). Flip the scallops over and cook on the second side for 3 minutes (your scallop will now be cooked on the exterior but slightly rare on the interior...adjust cooking time to suit your taste). Set scallops aside.

3. Pour off excess grease from scallop pan. (See that nice brown stuff? If it's too dark, clean out the pan. If it's golden brown, GREAT!) Return the pan to heat and pour in the sparkling beverage. Scrape the pan to incorporate the brown bits (if they're there). Reduce the wine until it's syrupy. Add back the strained cream sauce. Bring to boil and throw in that last tablespoon of butter. Add lemon juice to taste. Stir in chives. Arrange scallops and sauce on a plate. DONE!

Time- I'm not going to include the time I spent making the fish stock. Probably about 30 minutes total here.

Food Cost-ugh. So expensive, probably not for the college crowd although it makes an easy and impressive main course for a Valentine's Day Dinner?
Scallops- The 8 scallops I purchased cost $16.50. Wowzers
Wine- $11.99 for the bottle (very tasty wine, would buy again.) About two bucks worth in this dish.
Cream- $0.50
Fish stock- $2.00
Incidentals- $1.50
Total- $23.50. I got two servings (4 scallops per person) so $11.75 per person. Jeeeeeebus.

Last Meal: The Ulterior Epicure

2009-12-19T13:52:00.000-08:00

(I am asking other bloggers for their perfect "last meal." See this post for additional details.)

Today's participant is The Ulterior Epicure, author of the eponymously named blog. His blog is about his restaurant exploits. However, unlike the multitude of other restaurant blogs with pretty pictures, UE is actually a good writer so stop by and read what he has to say!

1. Who would you dine with? I don't like crowds. I prefer intimate affairs. So I'll assume I've already said the proper good-byes to everyone I've needed to. None of my family members would be in their right frame of mind, so they'd be a killjoy. I think I'd limit my last meal to no more than a party of 10 - all of my closest food-loving friends - around a big round table with no centerpieces, maybe some candles. Don't make me name you, you know who you are. If you have any doubt, you're probably not on the list.

2. Where would you dine? I'm assuming that you're giving me carte blanche, sky's the limit? I've been blessed with many travels. I've seen and visited many places that are beyond words. But few things take my breath away like New York City's skyline. It beams with excitement, potential, hope, and magic - everything that I enjoy about life and living. I'd want my last dinner on a rooftop terrace overlooking Central Park and the city.

3. What would you eat? This is trouble. I'd like to be more thoughtful about it, but I can't. I love too many foods and am too equal opportunity about it to exclude anything I like. If you've read the book "My Last Supper" by Melanie Dunea, I'm going to ape Jacques Pepin and assemble the impossible feast, with the things that bring the biggest smile to my face. Some would be reminders of childhood; others of comforts on a bad day; and still others would massage my bourgeois tastes. Clearly, this meal would have to last all day (milking every minute of my precious life). Even if fate were mistaken, I would eat myself into oblivion anyway. I could be somewhat pretentious and lazy and rattle off specific restaurant dishes, but I'll refrain. Instead, I'll just assume that all of these foods will be prepared by experts.

Pâtés en croûte.
Fat oysters on the half shell.
Caviar, crème fraîche, red onions, blini.
Scallops, raw and served with melted seaweed butter.
Conch salad, with hot peppers, lime, tomatoes, red onions, and salt.
Steak tartare with a raw egg.
German potato salad (heavy on the diced cornichons).
Bread (extra crusty, elbows and knees only) and butter (good farmhouse, raw dairy).
Foie gras au torchon.
Deviled lambs kidneys on toast.
Grilled cheese sandwich and a shot of tomato soup.
Matzo ball soup.
Salad with candied nuts, blue cheese, and roasted beets.
Gravlax with sweet mustard and rye crackers.
Sea urchin roe on warm, short-grain rice.
Negitoro maki.
Unadon.
Hot borscht.
Ox tongue with sweet, grainy mustard.
Falafel, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, and lots of tzatziki rolled up in warm pita.
Pasta with butter, cheese, and white truffles.
Pizza Margherita, Neapolitana-style.
Carolina pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw.
Ramen noodles with pork broth.
Omelette aux herbes fines with crème fraîche and caviar.
Vegetables of all shapes and sizes gently cooked and simply tossed with buerre fine.
Glutinous rice, chicken and pork fat and shiitake mushrooms steamed in a tea leaf.
Steamed pork riblets coated with cracked glutinous rice.
Roast beef sandwich (extra bloody) with melted Brie cheese.
Boudin noir.
Bastiya.
Dry-aged beef burger with tomato, lettuce, red onions, and blue cheese, on a whole-grain bun.
Lobster with sauce gribiche.
Soufflé de poisson.
Wild mushrooms sautéed in butter.
Oyster mushrooms drizzled with olive oil, smashed on the plancha, and dusted with sea salt.
Clam chowder with oyster crackers.
Crabs rubbed with salted egg yolk and wok stir-fried.
Scallops, pan-seared and served with a caviar cream sauce.
Oyster pan fry.
Roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon.
Xiao long bao.
Tandoori chicken.
Naan roti.
Lamb rogan josh.
Char sui bao (extra fluffy, please).
Fish and chips with malt vinegar and sea salt.
Sole à la Hollandaise.
Coulibiac.
Choucroute garnie.
Stuffed pig trotters, braised.
Chinese hand-pulled noodles and beef broth.
Tacos al pastor.
Tafelspitz, boiled potatoes, carrots, and turnips, with a heap of freshly shaved horseradish.
Dol sot bi bim bop (raw egg, please).
Tarte flambée.
Popcorn (sea salt and just a touch of butter).
Tripe alla Romagna (grilled bread on the side).
Gong bao fried dofu.
Ris de vea, roasted and pan-fried.
Poulet en vessie, vin jaune cream sauce and rice.
Lièvre à la royale.
Pommes Anna with freshly shaved black truffles.
Chinese salted fish with a bowl of short-grain rice.
Palak paneer.
Filet de boeuf Chasseur (medium-rare, please).
Frites, a whole haystack of them - thin and extra crispy.
Cheese. Every cheese you could possible muster with lots of thinly-shaved and toasted bread.
Macarons (every flavor imaginable).
Sweet, fermented rice porridge.
Apple pie with vanilla ice cream.
Cherry pie with dark chocolate ice cream.
Peach pie with almond ice cream.
Blueberry pie with sour cream ice cream.
Poppy seed strudels.
Prune & Armagnac ice cream served with warm prunes macerated in Armagnac.
Strong coffee ice cream affogato (best quality, dark espresso, double shot).
Banana split with strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate ice creams, pineapple, chopped peanuts, hot chocolate sauce, and maraschino cherries (hold the whipped cream).
Baba au rhum, extra boozy (hold the whipped cream).
Fruit macerated in Grand Marnier and vanilla beans.
Cannelés Bordelais (they had better be crunchy, or I'm sending them back, yes, I will be a pill about this).

UE's disclaimer: These are three age-old questions that I have never sat down to really think through. Even now, I'm sure my three answers aren't quite right. Ask me a few years down the line, and I'm sue they'll all be different.

UE, Thanks!

To see all of the posts in this series, click here.

Fish Fumet

2009-12-17T19:43:00.000-08:00

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Don't let the fancy French fool you, fumet is just fish stock. Classical French fish fumet is a far cry from my usual fare so what gives? The fact of the matter is that I was sorta bored a few weeks back and decided to stretch myself as a cook. How, exactly? By executing a recipe totally outside of my comfort zone! I picked a scallop recipe (I'll post it soon) which called for fish stock and, instead of buying the fish stock, made my own. If you're at all uncomfortable around blood and/or fish carcasses, this is not a recipe for you. I am using Thomas Keller's recipe from the Bouchon cookbook because TK is THE MAN. I really like that he gives weight measurements for the recipe. Volume measurements kinda suck.

In the recipe's preface, Keller points out three details which affect the final product:

Fish bones-Keller specifies that the fish bones should be free from veins. Also, an overnight soak in cold water is essential.
Be sure to cook out the wine's alcohol.
After the stock has simmered, let it sit for an hour so the solids settle to the bottom. Use a ladle to scoop the stock instead of pouring it.

INGREDIENTS
~5 lbs of bones from halibut, bass, sole, flounder and/or other flatfish, tails, heads, any skin, and fins removed

1 tablespoon of canola oil
4 ounces sliced (1/8 inch thick) leeks and/or leek tops
4 ounces sliced (1/8 inch thick) fennel
3 ounces sliced (1/8 inch thick) shallots
2 ounces sliced (1/8 inch thick) button mushrooms
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1/4 ounces thyme sprigs
1/4 ounce Italian parsley, leaves and tender stems only
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc

1. Cut fish bones into 3 to 4 inch pieces. Rinse the bones under cold water and place into a pot. (I made sure to slice open whatever veins I found and rinsed them out with water.) Cover with ice water and soak the bones overnight. (I didn't have much ice so I substituted an ice pack in a Ziploc bag.) Change the water several times to remove any blood (yes, I actually did wake up in the middle of the night to change the water) until the water remains clear.

2. Heat the oil in a large stock pot. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the wine, to the pot. Cook gently for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the wine and reduce the heat to medium high.

3. Drain the fish bones and place them over the vegetables. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot, and steam the bones until they are opaque. Add 2.5 quarts of water (or enough to cover the bones) and slowly bring to a simmer. Skim any flotsam. Simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Turn off the heat. Allow the stock to sit for an hour. Ladle the stock through a cheesecloth lined sieve or a chinois.

5. Freeze or keep in your fridge for a few days. I got 7.5 cups out of this recipe and I froze mine in 1 cup baggies.

Time- A long time but most of it is inactive. There's probably only about 30 minutes of active work here.

Food cost-
Bones- One place gave me two pounds of bones for free. The rest I purchased for $0.99/lb. $3.00 total
Wine- I purchased a $9.00 half bottle (375 mL) of wine. After the math, about 6 bucks of it went into this recipe. You ~~could~~ should get a cheaper wine.
Incidentals- 5 bucks or so.
Total- $14.00. Not exactly cost effective but you know what? The sauce for the scallop dish was tres bien so I'm not complaining.

Last Meal: Viet World Kitchen

2009-12-14T09:22:00.000-08:00

(I am asking other bloggers for their perfect "last meal." See this post for additional details.)

Today's participant is Andrea, author of Viet World Kitchen. Her blog is about Vietnamese food traditions. I love Vietnamese food and have frequented this blog for a while now. A few people have asked me about fish sauce so here's Andrea's post to get you started. Go check it out!

1. Who would you dine with? As you posted on 12/5, it's hard -- who do you like to spend time with over food? I'd have to say my husband, parents, and friends Michelle and Alec. We all like food and are talkers. To dine well, you have to love to engage in conversation.

2. Where would you dine? At home. I love home cooking and you can do things up as elegant or casual as you like. I love to cook, but I'd have someone clean up after us. It is my last meal, no? Can't I be a little diva?

3. What would you eat? Vietnamese food. Lots of deep fried stuff like cha gio rolls and pair such rich foods with French champagne. A small bowl of pho and then rice with fish simmered in caramel sauce and a stir-fried vegetable. I'd be happy with that. Thinking about this makes me hungry and thirsty!

Andrea, thanks!

To see all of the posts in this series, click here.

Garlicky Noodles with Maggi and Butter

2009-12-13T19:40:00.000-08:00

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I really, really, REALLY want you to make this recipe. Despite it's ease and simplicity, it's wondrously delicious. The recipe is from Into the Vietnamese Kitchen by Andrea Nguyen. I've blogged a recipe from this book in the past and have made several others which haven't made it onto the blog. All of the recipes have been great. I highly recommend this book. If you want to learn more about Ms. Nguyen, check out her blog! She even has a second recipe for this noodle dish and goes into the dish's history.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 pound fettuccine, preferably fresh (Chinese egg noodles would be great here)
Salt
2.5 tablespoons Maggi (When I went shopping for it, I found Maggi and European Maggi...the cookbook recommends the non-European Maggi...the Asian one has a red and yellow label and the European one has a blue (I think) label)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced (or, if you're a garlic fiend, use more!)

1. Lightly salt a pot of water and bring it to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until al dent. (If you haven't ever cooked fresh noodles, they cook much more quickly than dry noodles...3-4 minutes and they're done.) While the noodles are cooking, add the Maggi into a bowl large enough to hold the cooked noodles.

2. Drain the pasta but do not rinse with water. Drop the hot noodles into the prepared bowl with the Maggi. Toss the noodles until they've absorbed all of the seasoning.

3. In a large wok or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. When it is foamy, add the minced garlic and saute until the garlic is slightly golden. Add the cooked, Maggi'ed noodles and toss in the butter and garlic. They'll want to clump up so use some tongs and break them up.

4. Turn up the heat. Leave the noodles alone for a bit until the bottom layer browns. Toss the noodles around and allow the new bottom layer to again brown. Repeat the process a few more times. The noodles aren't supposed to be crisp so don't go too far!

DONE!

Time-- Very little. 15 minutes.

Food Cost: Noodles--$1.00
Incidentals--$0.75
Total--$1.75...recipe says serves 4 as a side dish...or one hungry Budget College Cook for lunch.

Last Meal: EatingAsia

2009-12-12T00:13:00.000-08:00

(I am asking other bloggers for their perfect "last meal." See this post for additional details.)

Today's participant is Robyn, author of EatingAsia, a blog about "Asian food and the people who produce and cook it." Go check it out!

1. Who would you dine with? Nice of you to start with an easy question. Without a doubt I'd share my last meal with Dave Hagerman, my husband, collaborator, and partner in life and all things food. We generally share likes and dislikes (though, come to think of it, there's not much we don't like) so he'll be easy to feed -- he's having whatever I'm having.

2. Where would you dine? The answer to this question changes daily, depending where I've traveled recently, what I'm writing about, what I cooked the night before, what I ate yesterday for lunch or this morning for breakfast ....

I just finished a piece on old Chinese restos in KL and so I've got old-fashioned Chinese classics on the brain at the moment. The best place for those sorts of dishes is Sek Yuen, a 60+-year-old restaurant in Kuala Lumpur with a kitchen that is still fired entirely by wood. There's no written menu but we first visited Sek Yuen 3.5 years ago and have been nearly weekly customers ever since, so we've worked our way through a good number of dishes. While we're waiting to get our order Dave's usually in the kitchen with his camera. The staff is not overtly welcoming at first, but they've become used to us and now greet us really warmly. It's a nice feeling. The food's great, but we also always leave with a good feeling that has nothing to do with what we ate.

3. What would you eat? That's difficult -- everything there is really, truly delicious! But if I must choose -- I'd call ahead and order the babao ('8 treasure') duck, which is boned, stuffed with chopped meat, gingko nuts, lotus seeds, black mushrooms, cilantro etc., steamed for a bunch of hours and served with a fantastic gravy. It literally falls apart with a nudge, and it's so good that Dave and I almost finished a whole duck between us on one occasion (with other dishes!)

I'd also order the sweet and sour fish -- which is a whole fish with a hardly-there batter, very piquant (and no pineapple!) ,nothing at all like the dreadful versions you might find in the States. Definately something porky, bec. Sek Yuen excels at preparing the other white meat -- maybe chunks of pork seasoned with five-spice and deep-fried, or thick slices of pork belly layered with yam and steamed. A stir-fried green vegetable, bec. the kitchen does it perfectly: slightly singed in spots, crisp-tender, with lots of finely minced garlic and loads of wok hei. And yam puffs ... which are round dumplings made from mashed taro, stuffed with cubes of char siew (more pork! Chinese barbecued this time) and -- I love this -- mixed carrots, peas, and corn, the type that comes frozen. The balls are dipped in some sort of batter and arrive at the table too hot too pick up and encased in this incredibly light, lacy 'net' that dissolves on the tongue.

I would accompany all of this with a really nice bottle of red wine, a Gigondas or a Cote de Rhone heavy on the tobacco and leather.

Sek Yuen doesn't do dessert so I'd bring my own -- a pint of Haagan Daz dulce de leche to eat with steamed chocolate cake, which is pretty popular here in Malaysia. It's very moist, frosting-free, and has a not-overpowering cacao-ness that would go fantastically with the ice cream!

Thanks for participating, Robyn!

To see all of the posts in this series, click here.

Have Fun with Cooking!

2009-12-11T14:10:00.000-08:00

Longtime readers know that I mostly blog things from cookbooks but I often improvise with what I have on hand. Here was a recent experiment.

I saw a fig tree a block away from where I lived. I know that wrapping things in fig leaves is a popular way to cook fish so I figured, hey, why not? I asked the tree's owner if I could grab some leaves and he told me to grab as many as I liked.

Now, fish wrapped in fig leaves. Hmm. I went to the local fishmonger and looked over options. I settled on the ling cod because it was relatively affordable and because I've enjoyed it in the past at Commis.

I walked home and thought to myself, hmmm, what do I do with this piece of fish.

I looked in my fridge and spied leftover harissa. A ha! I'll rub the fish with harissa! I also had some leftover coconut milk so I decided to mix some harissa and coconut milk for spice paste. Seem weird? Not really. In Cambodian cuisine, there is a dish called amok trey. It's basically a fragrant curry paste mixed with coconut milk which is rubbed on fish. The fish is then wrapped in banana leaves and the banana leaf packages are then steamed. I figured chili paste (harissa) and coconut milk is similar enough to the Cambodian original so no biggie deals. Done.

From here, it was easy. I put some thinly sliced red onion underneath the fish and some very thinly sliced Meyer lemon slices on top of it. Wrap fish in fig leaves and bake (initially, I figured 375 degrees for 15 minutes would be sufficient but that seemed a little underdone so I threw it back in for another 5 minutes. At that point, the fish was a little over done. Ooops.). I served it with leftover hummus and some oil cured black olives.

Anyhow, things here at the Budget College Cook aren't always perfect...witness my undercooked and then overcooked fish but who cares? The end result was still totally delicious. I've always thought that cooking should be fun. Sure, mistakes will be made but it's just food. The Food Network mentality of perfect food everytime is poisoning our minds. It's an unrealistic expectation which keeps Average Joes out of the kitchen. Real people (and even professional chefs) screw things up but, most of the time, even the mistakes are edible. Just smile, move on, and please don't let failure prevent you from trying again. It sure hasn't stopped me over these past few years. :)

Harissa

2009-12-10T15:28:00.000-08:00

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Harissa is a North African sauce/condiment/seasoning most commonly associated with Moroccan food. I looked through my cookbooks, found 3 recipes and they're all fairly different. Sure, they all seem to use dried red peppers, coriander seed, oil and garlic but, after that, it's wide open. Caraway, bell peppers, mint, cumin, lemon, it's pretty wild.

This is Marcus Samuelsson's recipe from The Soul of a New Cuisine. I've discussed the book in the past. If you want to read those posts, click here.

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground caraway
1 cup mild chili powder (I was skeptical about using chili powder but it makes a lot of sense if you think about it...chili powder already has ground cumin, onion powder, garlic etc in it...saves you a step, imo)
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped mint

1. Heat oil in a small pan. When oil shimmers, add garlic and saute until golden. (This step takes a few minutes so be patient.)

2. Turn off heat. Add the rest of the ingredients. Let cool. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

So whaddya do with this stuff? So far, I've used it as a rub for lamb and for fish. I also introduced some hummus into my standard hummus recipe. I'm going to spend the majority of the next two weeks cooking Moroccan/North African food so we'll see where else I go with this stuff.

Time- 5 minutes, if even that much.

Food Cost- More than I would've liked.
Chili Powder- $3.79
Caraway Seeds- ~$0.20
Incidentals- About a buck?
Total- $5.00. Servings--unknown. Alot. You'll probably have more than you can use. I probably should've made a half recipe. Next time. :)

Last Meal: kevinEats

2009-12-09T09:07:00.000-08:00

(I am asking other bloggers for their perfect "last meal." See this post for additional details.)

Today's participant is kevinEats, author of the popular foodie blog kevinEats.

1. Who would you dine with? Three of my friends: Eric, Minh, Ryan. They were who I dined with when I first started getting interested in gastronomy. Without their support, I doubt that my passion for food would've developed as it did.

2. Where would the meal take place? Urasawa, arguably my favorite restaurant. Imagine a 35-course extravaganza of Japanese delights, an intimate, personal experience that transcends a mere meal, exposing you to the very heart and soul of the chef, Hiro-san. A meal takes five hours, but if it's my last, I'd take my sweet time!

3. What would you eat? I'd have to leave it up to Hiro-san, though I'd probably request extra servings of toro, wagyu, and matsutake (if it's in season). To wash it all down, we'd have the finest sakes and Champagnes, of course.

Thanks for participating, Kevin! All the best in your future restaurant exploits!

To see all of the posts in this series, go to the label cloud on the right and click on "Last Meal."

Callaloo

2009-12-08T09:43:00.000-08:00

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Have you ever owned a cookbook which you compulsively reached for? A book which took your taste imagination on a never ending journey? For me, The Soul of a New Cuisine by Marcus Samuelsson, is that book although it is far from perfect. (For those who don't know, this book focuses on African food and the New World countries populated by ex-Africans during the slave trade.) The writing kinda sucks, the pictures don't always match the recipes and the scope of the book is too broad to serve as a reference book but man, these recipes. I love 'em so let me tell you why:

Chile peppers are frequently used in African cuisine and if you've read this blog for any amount of time, you already know that I love spicy food.
Liberally spiced recipes. Much like Indian food, African food seems to be built on layers of spices. This philosophy appeals to me
Lots of condiments and sauces. I like dipping food into sauces...think Indian food and chutneys and you get the gist of it. African food seems to share this idea of little taste enhancers. In addition, the book contains recipes for interesting spice blends.

The book also intrigues because of Samuelsson's heritage. As I explained back in this post, Samuelsson was raised in Scandinavia but of Ethiopian heritage so his book represents an effort to get in touch with his roots. It's obviously extremely personal to Chef Samuelsson although it's a shame that so little of his passion comes through in the writing. Finally, it seems like only two African cuisines have made it to the United States: Ethiopian and Moroccan. It's nice to see some material on what the rest of the continent eats and, given my experience, they eat well so let's get to this recipe.

First, a note on callaloo. There is no definitive recipe for callaloo. Much like other beloved ethnic foods, there are as many recipes for callaloo as there are cooks. However, 15 minutes of ~~Googling~~ research have turned up a few commonalities.

Dasheen aka taro leaves and onions. I didn't feel like trekking to Chinatown to get taro leaves so I used a mix of mustard greens, kale and collard greens. The cookbook recommends spinach.
Some sort of pork product.
Okra
Chili peppers.

This version focuses on the Trinidadian version. Callaloo is sometimes eaten as a soup but is just as often used as a thick condiment. Either way, it's crazy delicious and very, very easy to make. Please please please please please please give this a try.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons oil
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
2 minced garlic cloves
2 bird's-eye chiles, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped (I couldn't find these chiles in my 'hood so I substituted 2 whole, chopped serrano chiles...very mild heat, I will probably add a third serrano next time)
1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
1.5 teaspoons coriander seeds (I will grind the coriander seed next time...the blender didn't do a good enough job pulverizing the seeds)
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup bottled clam juice (I see you raising your eyebrows...I was equally skeptical but just roll with it...think of the clam juice as a substitute for crab meat which is a common addition to callaloo...I found clam juice at my local grocery store)
1 cup heavy cream (You could probably add another cup of coconut milk if you are lactose intolerant)
Two 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach (I used 1 16 oz. bag of mixed, chopped collards, mustard greens and kale from Trader Joe's...definitely one of the best things they sell)
Juice of 3 limes

1. Heat oil in a large pot. When shimmering, add the onion, garlic and chiles and saute until the onion is soft and translucent.

2. Add the cumin, coriander, chicken stock, coconut milk, clam juice and heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes.

3. Add the spinach and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until spinach is cooked. (If using the bag of Trader Joe's greens, or if you are using other hearty leafy green, I recommend simmering the cumin, coriander, chicken stock etc. for 15 minutes, throw in the greens and simmer until the greens are mostly limp...it took me roughly 45 minutes)

4. Transfer the soup to a blender, in batches if necessary (definitely necessary), and puree. (Please exercise caution when blending hot ingredients.) Transfer to a bowl and stir in the lime juice. Serve hot.

(Next time, I will add even MORE greens. I was dubious that this amount of liquid would support such a large quantity of veggies but I was dead wrong. In addition, more greens equals a more vibrant color. Hmmm, I can't think of a reason why you couldn't use broccoli in this recipe in place of the greens. Both are from the brassica family, right? Hmmm, the wheels in my mind are spinning...)

Time: An hour, almost all of it inactive cooking time.

Food cost:
Clam juice- $3.15
Chicken broth-~$2.50
Greens- $2.29
Cream- $1.99
Coconut milk- $1.39
Incidentals- Maybe $1.00?
Total- $12.32. If you serve this as soup you'll probably get 4 large bowls so ~$3.00 per bowl. I've been using it as sauce over hot rice...probably 6 servings...~$2.00 per bowl.

Hold On, Little Dude

2009-12-07T19:28:00.000-08:00

Look what I found on today's exploratory walk of Oakland:

I know nothing about botany but is that the last strawberry of the year? Only 4 more months of cold weather! Hold on, spring is right around the corner...

Last Meal: Mine

2009-12-05T14:34:00.000-08:00

Just now, I got the idea to start a series of posts on last meals. That is, if you could control who, what and where you ate your final bite, what would you choose? Somewhat creepy, I know, but I think it's interesting because it cuts to the core of who you are. Here's what I'm all about:

Who: Very tough. A huge part of me wants to include my parents but this is my last meal. I want it to be fun and my parents just aren't all that cool. Ideally, I'd have a penultimate meal with mom and dad and then a bash with my friends. So, final meal, my brothers and close friends. You know who you are.

What: My mom's fried chicken by the bucketful. This was what I always requested for my birthday celebrations. It's magically good...chicken marinated overnight in garlic salt, sesame oil, crushed ginger, crushed scallions, white pepper.....so fragrant and delicious. Coat in some seasoned flour and fry until golden brown. There would also be white rice (I LOVE to make sushi rolls with fried chicken skin and rice) and simple stir-fried Chinese greens. Lots of beer and gin & tonics.

Where: The beach. I love the waves. Very soothing.

There it is. I'm a humble man.

Guest Post: Scallop Sauce with Olive Oil, Garlic and Hot Pepper

2009-12-01T12:03:00.000-08:00

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I just put on a t-shirt. Not only did I put it on inside-out but I also managed to put it on backwards. Maybe I'm not in the best state of mind to write a blog post?

Whatever. This is another of my brother's pastas from my recent trip to St. Louis. For the past 2 years, he's been raving about how great it is and how I really need to make it. He even took pictures of the recipe and e-mailed it to me. However, my near constant obsession with Asian food got in the way and I never got around to it. James decided to chef it up for me so here we go. This recipe is taken from the previously recommended Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan.

P.S. I keep hot sauce on my desk the way most people keep pens and pencils. Just thought I'd share.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb fresh bay or deep sea scallops (my brother swears by the bay scallops, says they're much better than the sea scallops for this recipe)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic chopped very fine
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Red chili flake to taste
Salt
1 lb pasta (cookbook recommends spaghettini or spaghetti)
1/2 cup dry, unflavored bread crumbs, lightly toasted in oven or in a skillet

1. Rinse scallops and pat dry. If using bay scallops, leave as is. If using sea scallops, cut into 3/8 inch thick slices.

2. Put olive oil and garlic in a large pan, turn heat to medium and cook until garlic is colored a light gold. Add parsley and hot pepper, stir and toss in scallops and salt to taste. Turn heat to high and cook until scallops turn white. Taste and add additional salt or red pepper if needed. The cookbook points out that if the scallops shed a lot of liquid, remove them from the pan and boil down the water juices and then add the scallops back into the pan.

3. Toss the scallop sauce with the cooked pasta, add bread crumbs, toss again and eat!

Thanks, James! Really tasty and much, much better than the shaking beef stew. :)

Coi & Commis

2009-11-28T18:13:00.001-08:00

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Coi Photoset. Meals are arranged in order of courses served. M1 is from the first meal, M2 from the second etc.

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Commis Photoset. Meals are arranged in order of courses served. M1 is from the first meal, M2 from the second etc. M3 is a special tasting menu I arranged with Chef Syhabout.

In this piece of required reading (note that the author is one of this post's featured chefs), Chef Judy Rodgers says, "All I care about is making delicious food. When there's plenty of delicious food in the world, then I'll start worrying about creativity." This is stupid because isn't it entirely possible for food to be both creative and delicious? While Chef Rodgers may lack the ambition to create tasty, creative food, chefs James Syhabout and Daniel Patterson do not.

You see, it all started with Alice Waters (whom I am told is a lovely woman. Please don't send your hippie assassins after me!) Back in the 70s, she had a revolutionary idea: Let's get some of the wonderful produce available in the Bay Area and cook it simply and beautifully. I believe it was a direct reaction to the heavy French food which was served in that era's fine dining restaurants. Put another way, it's similar to Mozart's reactionary light, clean writing to Bach's heavy, stodgy German compositions. However, Bay Area restaurants (and Bay Area tastes) haven't developed and many of the most highly rated eateries in this area still faithfully follow Ms. Waters' original conceit. Commis and Coi are different because they bring a different perspective to Bay Area dining.

Now, I've got nothing against excellent ingredients. In fact, I believe quality produce is the first step towards quality food but it's not the last. Because great restaurants have access to great produce, it's what you do with those ingredients which makes me stand up and take notice. Furthermore, there is nothing intrinsically wrong with technique if done with intelligence and sensitivity. Take a carrot dish from Coi (pronounced "Kwah"), a Michelin ** restaurant helmed by Chef Daniel Patterson. In it, carrot coulis and carrot shavings sandwich burnt rice porridge, cocoa nibs and micro cilantro, the carrots providing sweetness and lubrication for the rest of the dish. This tiny, 3 bite dish really encapsulates Chef Patterson's mindset of local, seasonal food with a bit of manipulation, more of which can be read here.

Coi needs a bit of explanation. The restaurant is divided into two halves. On one side, the fine-dining dining room where you are fed a set menu. On the other side, a casual lounge where you can order the entire fine dining menu, individual courses from the fine dining menu or items off of the separate lounge menu. I am a lounge devotee because I love the flexibility. When I eat there, I typically look through the tasting menu and target one or two dishes. After that, I look at the lounge menu. Patterson always has a terrific Soul Foods Farm chicken dish...I know, it's just chicken but the quality of the bird and its seasonal accompaniments are FANTASTIC. However, I wish he'd put some seafood on his lounge menu...I bet he could work wonders with some local squid or sardines. If you're squeamish about wine, the service staff will be more than happy to pour you something that they think will go well with the food. I've yet to be disappointed with my dining strategy.

While Daniel Patterson is very vocal about his views, it's hard to get anything out of James Syhabout, head chef at the newly Michelin starred restaurant Commis. Chef Syhabout might be the quietest, most humble cook I've ever met. I almost always sit at the chef's counter and I rarely hear him say a word. However, his food speaks volumes. He adheres to the same principles of local, seasonal food which is de rigeur in the Bay Area but his plates are more intricate than what you might find at other places. While Patterson's fare leans towards acid and a cleaner flavor profile, Syhabout's food seems more lush and luxurious. His liberal use of butter adds a rich dimension to his food which Patterson's lacks. However, this richness is also the source of my one criticism. I find that his food, specifically the big meat dishes, can be a little TOO big. That is, they start to bore me halfway through. I start to crave an acidic/bitter counterpoint because all that richness becomes monotonous. I am specifically thinking back to my last meal and a dish of guinea fowl, confit leg, bread crumbs and escarole. The roulade of fowl was great but to add a large serving of confit leg? Meat overload. More bitterness or acid, please.

However, I am always excited to go to Commis because Syhabout has the ability to come up with smart yet unexpected flavor combinations which make you wonder "Why didn't I think of that?!?!?" In short, go early (meal pacing gets a bit long if you go during rush hour), sit at the chef's counter and watch one of the Bay Area's best chefs do his thing.

Anyhow, I'm not really a food writer so kudos to you if you made it through my rambling paragraphs. The next time you find yourself thinking about dining out, do yourself a favor and consider one of these two restaurants. If you're as sick as I am of generic Cal-Mediterranean restaurants, it's up to you to vote with your pocketbook. And, in the case of Coi and Commis, your mouth will thank you. Happy eating!

Coi
373 Broadway
San Francisco, CA 94133
Phone: 415-393-9000

Commis
3859 Piedmont Ave.
Oakland, CA 94611
Phone: 510-653-3902

Guest Post: Bucatini all'Amatriciana

2009-11-28T12:09:00.000-08:00

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Loyal readers might remember these two posts: #1 & #2 and my little brother is back for another round of pasta posts! I'm not much of an Italianophile but his pasta is pretty much the best I've ever had. That's right, I went there.

My brother's Italian food bible is the excellent and widely available Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan.

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 medium onion chopped fine
A 1/4 inch thick slice of pancetta, cut into strips 1/2 inch wide and 1 inch long (Pancetta is salt and spice cured like American bacon but isn't smoked. James also doubled the amount of pancetta and cut it into simple chunks)
1.5 cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, drained and cut up
Dried red chili pepper flakes to taste
Salt
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons freshly grated romano cheese
1 pound pasta (James used bucatini pasta. So fun to eat! It's kinda like spaghetti but hollow on the inside.)

1. Put oil, butter and onion in a sauce pan and heat over medium flame. Saute the onion until it is a pale gold then add pancetta. Cook for a minute. Add the tomatoes, chili flake and salt. Gently simmer for 25 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

2. Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce. Add cheeses, toss thoroughly and eat!

So easy and so good. Please try!

St. Louis Eats

2009-11-27T18:37:00.000-08:00

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I just returned from a trip to St. Louis. It's not exactly a gastronomic capital but my brother and I decided to focus on two things: BBQ and fried chicken. We succeeded on both fronts.

1. Let's start with the BBQ. Pappy's is, without question, the best BBQ I have ever had. I'm no expert when it comes to BBQ'd pig but I can not imagine BBQ'd ribs which taste better than this. These Memphis style ribs (dry rub only, no sauce) have a great texture. They're toothsome enough to resist but still tender so that you can cleanly rip the meat from the bone. Sauce is served on the side if you are into that sort of thing. In addition to the ribs, I ate some brisket (not a huge fan), BBQ'd chicken (dark meat, really moist and tasty) and the best BBQ'd sausage of my life. I LOVE THIS PLACE. I think the coleslaw is a must. It's not the mayonnaise-y stuff you find at most joints but is just a simple cabbage, celery seed, vinegar and sugar concoction which works beautifully as a palate cleanser. My brother, a semi-regular, says that it's essential to go during busy hours as Pappy's times its meats to coincide with the lunch and dinner crowd. If you are at all interested in BBQ and find yourself in St. Louis, you owe it to yourself to check this joint out. AWESOMELY GOOD.

Fried chicken, oh how I love thee. I am a fried chicken fanatic. It is my favorite food and has been for quite some time. In fact, my mother would always ask us what we wanted for our birthday dinners and the answer was always "Fried Chicken!!!!!" This river runs deep so it was with great excitement that James and I embarked on our hunt for poultry perfection.

2. Newstead Tower Public House- This establishment bills itself as a restaurant which "specializes in high-quality food a step above the more basic 'pub grub.'" I guess their claim to fame is that they were voted "Best Hamburger in St. Louis" back in 2008. At any rate, we went on a drizzly Sunday night to experience their hamburger but were side-tracked by the Sunday night fried chicken special. It cost around 28 bucks for the entire fried bird and came with roasted potatoes and a well-dressed side salad. Sundays are also 1/2 off canned beer night but we're not talking Miller Lite...think Fat Tire etc. in cans for half off! Anyhow, the chicken was technically well done. It's breadcrumb crust was completely greaseless and the flesh was quite moist. We also found the flesh more chicken-y than most other birds because Newstead uses free range chickens from Benne's farms. You can really taste the difference although some diners might find the chicken a little too flavorsome. Anyhow, the bird was very well fried but just didn't satisfy that lip-smacking craving we both have when eating fried chicken.

3. Porter's Fried Chicken- Our winner of the fried chicken challenge. Porter's is in a janky little storefront location but its appearance belies the quality of the bird. This chicken came incased in a thin, yet crispy, crust. We could not stop eating this chicken. James must've pounded down 6 pieces and I stopped at 4. In addition, we ate nearly an entire order of fried gizzards. PHENOMENALLY good gizzards. The chicken was definitely on the greasy side but we both loved the slick of oil the chicken deposited on our lips and fingers. Healthy fried chicken just doesn't feel right, ya know? A definite must visit when I return to St. Louis.

4. Hodak's- Along with Porter's, Hodak's was the other name mentioned most often when we did our fried chicken research. It wasn't bad but it sorta fell into the Newstead camp of fried chicken. A great, greaseless fry job but the meat was sorta bland and it just didn't have that lip-smacking goodness. However, I have to give them props for the insanely juicy chicken breast. I think it was the first time in my life where I ate the breast before tackling the thigh. Also, we split an order of toasted ravioli. Toasted raviolis (or T-Ravs as they are commonly called) are a St. Louis original and consist of meat ravioli which are breaded, deep fried, dusted with parmesan and served with marinara sauce. Eh, they weren't bad but once is enough for me.

5. Wei Hong Seafood Restaurant- My brother has a fairly serious allergy to soy products so it's really nice for him to find a Chinese restaurant which is willing to work with him. However, this isn't the only way in which Wei Hong is extraordinary. First, it's in an old movie theater so it's absolutely cavernous on the inside. Second, the lights like to dim themselves mid-meal so it's a fun variable. Third, THE WAITRESSES DOUBLE AS THE COOKS. Let me say this again: Not only do they take your order but they also cook your food! I've never been to another restaurant like this. And not only is their service friendly and gracious but they're also pretty good cooks. James tends to stick to a fairly standard set of dishes so that's what I ate. The best thing? Harbor-style crab...Dungeness crab which is stir fried with pork, garlic, ginger, green onion etc. Really, really tasty. Also, you can't go wrong with stir-fried pea shoots. A very enjoyable meal, even given that I have pretty high standards for Chinese food.

All in all, a pretty fun food trip. Much better than I was expecting and, given the quality of Pappy's and Porter's, I've got two GREAT restaurants to look forward to on future visits.

Pappy's Smoke House
3106 Olive Street
Saint Louis, MO 63103
Phone: 314-535-4340

Newstead Tower Public House
4353 Manchester Ave
St Louis, MO 63103
Phone: 314-535-7771

Porter's Fried Chicken
3628 S Big Bend Blvd
St Louis, MO 6314
Phone: 314-781-2097

Hodak's
2100 Gravois Ave
St Louis, MO 63104
Phone: 314-776-7292

Wei Hong Seafood Restaurant

7740 Olive Blvd.

University City, MO 63130

Phone: 314-726-0363

Oven-Crisped Chicken with Maple Vinegar Sauce

2009-11-06T11:44:00.000-08:00

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

All right! Given that I am unemployed, I am 1. Cooking more at home & 2. Have tons of time so you can expect lots of future excitement! And can any of you tell me why custards are baked in an oven but custard sauces are cooked on a stovetop? I need answers people, not excuses!

This recipe is from The Elements of Taste by Gray Kunz and Peter Kaminsky. It's an interesting book which has a unique view on food and taste. In it, the authors dissect taste into 14 distinct profiles. For instance, "Tastes that Push" contains 3 subdivisions: Salty, Picante and Sweet and each one of these subdivisions has a few recipes which demonstrate the characteristics of the subdivision. It's an intellectual approach to flavor which is quite different from other cookbooks. Additionally, there are "Taste Notes" on how each recipe tastes. Here's the "Taste Note" from this chicken recipe:

First a tangy vinegar aroma and, right along with it, nuttiness from the almonds and butter. The crunchiness from the chicken skin and intense saltiness follow. There's a smooth overall sweetness from the maple syrup, cut by the bitter cranberry and the nuts. The cranberry also has tang, which works with the vinegar to pull out more meaty taste. The flesh of the chicken gives texture and punctuation, plus a full meaty aroma. The end notes are sweet, meaty, and salty.

Neat, right? I really like the perspective this book provides but, at the end of the day, would not recommend it to beginning cooks. The recipes are a little bit complicated and it lacks the kind of clear instruction beginners need. Furthermore, the food might be a bit too adventurous for middle-America. Although today's recipe seems fairly benign, this book contains recipes such as "Poached and Crisped Turkey Leg Provencale with Lemon Pickle and "Okra-Bell Pepper Ratatouille with Mung Bean Curry Crepe." Not the kind of food most people crave on a busy weeknight.

And we're off!

Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped shallots
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup maple syrup

1. Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally until they are soft and transluscent.
3. Add the pepper and nutmeg.
4. Add the vinegar, bring to a boil, then add the maple syrup.
5. Return the sauce to a boil and reduce by half. Set aside.

Chicken
1 3-4 pound spatchcocked chicken
Salt and Pepper
Vegetable Oil

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Make an incision in each of the chicken's thighs, then tuck in the legs. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil in a large heavy ovenproof skillet. Place the chicken, skin side down in the hot pan and transfer pan to oven.
4. After 10 minutes, flip the chicken. Continue to roast until the thigh juices run clear. This will take somewhere around 30 minutes.
5. Remove chicken from pan and allow it to rest.
6. Pour fat from the roasting pan. See all those little brown bits crusted to the bottom of the pan? Those taste good so we're going to deglaze the pan with the pre-made sauce. Pour the sauce into the hot pan. You should be able to scrape up the brown bits. Set the sauce aside.

Topping
3/4 cup slivered almonds
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup leeks, sliced and THEN measured
1 tablespoon dried bread crumbs
Salt and Pepper

1. Combine almonds and butter in a skillet. Heat and cook the almonds until they turn golden brown.
2. Add the cranberries and leeks. Cook for another minute.
3. Add the bread crumbs, stir, and season with salt and pepper.

Cut the chicken into serving size parts. Arrange the chicken on a plate, spoon the sauce over the chicken, then the topping and serve.

Done!

Cost- I forget. I made this a while ago. Serves 4 hungry adults.
Time- Mebbe 45 minutes? It doesn't take long.

Corn, Tomato and Bacon Salad

2009-08-17T19:23:00.000-07:00

I'm back...sorta. Anyhow, this is easy, fast and everything you need is probably at your local farmers market or grocery store.

1. Saute 2 pieces of bacon until brown and crisp. The bacon fat is the only oil in this dish so don't get rid of it.

2. Throw in half of a minced red onion and half of a minced jalapeno (or more to taste). Saute until onion is translucent. Add salt.

3. Throw in the kernels from one ear of corn. Cook for roughly five or so minutes.

4. Allow corn mixture to cool slightly and then add in lime juice to taste and some chopped tomato. I used one large, fist sized heirloom tomato.

5. Add some corn mixture to plate.

6. Grab a few handfuls of salad greens and add to the remaining corn mixture. With any luck, the warm corn mixture will slightly wilt the greens.

7. Adjust seasoning...lime juice, minced jalapeno and salt.

8. Add salad green/corn mixture to plate.

9. Optional. Garnish with toasted bread. I mashed up some avocado with lime and salt and used that as topping.

10. Eat!

Time- 20 Minutes

Cost: 40 cents for avocado, 1 buck for salad greens, 1 buck for bacon, 50 cents for corn, 2 bucks for tomato, incidentals 75 cents. 'Bout $6.00, total.

Nopa

2009-07-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco. I'm not big on the whole Cal-Mediterranean thing (wood burning ovens are de rigeur in this city) but NOPA has one of my favorite dishes EVER. Little fried fish. I dream about these things. The rest of the menu is solid, affordably priced and they have a neat cocktail menu. Loud and crowded if you go during prime time but they're open until 1AM so going late is a definite possibility. Grazing on nothing but appetizers is how I usually roll when I go. Try to score a seat at the bar in front of the open kitchen---if you're lucky, the chef will be working the pass next to you and you can grill him (no pun intended) on what's good. Dinner and theater, all rolled up in one.

560 Divisadero St
(between Fell St & Hayes St)
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 864-8643
www.nopasf.com

Mixed Fruit Crisp

2009-06-30T15:54:00.000-07:00

Boy, I've never blogged from my office computer so don't blame me if this sucks. I need a dual-core processor to properly do this, see?

Keith, this one is for you. Recipe is taken from The New Best Recipe.

I made a double recipe which fits nicely into a 9x13 baking dish.

INGREDIENTS

Topping

3/4 cup AP flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

pinch of salt

1 stick of butter cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1.5 cups of chopped nuts...I used walnuts...feel free to use whatever you have on hand.

Filling

3 lbs (or so) of cut up fruit--i used approximately 3 lbs of nectarines/apricots (post-chopping weight) and 1/2 lb of boysenberries

zest of 2 lemons

3-5 tablespoons of lemon juice (use your taste buds)

1/3 to 2/3 cup of sugar (again, use your tastebuds...if your fruit isn't very sweet, add a bit more sugar...if you over did it on the lemon juice, add sugar to compensate)

(Advanced move...I made a corn starch slurry with the lemon juice to help thicken the filling...feel free to do the same if you so wish)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Whisk together flour, sugar, spices and salt. Add cubed butter and, using a pair of knives, "cut" the butter until it is pea-sized. If you're lazy, just squeeze the butter and flour/sugar mixture until it's totally homogeneous. Nobody will know the difference. Mix in the nuts until evenly distributed. Refrigerate the topping for at least 15 minutes.

Process the fruit. If you're using stone fruit, please make sure you're not an idiot like I am and don't buy clingfruit. Freestone, please. At any rate, you just want chunks of fruit. See picture:

Toss the fruit with the lemon zest, sugar and lemon juice.

Distribute the chilled topping over the fruit:

Place crisp into oven. Bake for about an hour.

Serve! It's great warm or room temperature. Great with whipped cream or ice cream. It's a winner.

Time-15 minutes of active work, an hour of baking time.

Cost-Depends on where you buy your fruit. If you buy organic nectarines from the farmer's market, it'll cost an arm and a leg. Say, anywhere from 3-15 bucks total depending on food cost.

Random Food

2008-12-29T20:24:00.000-08:00

I've been hella lazy with posting recipes. As a consolation prize, have a looksie at the random things I've eaten over the past month.

Featured Restaurants (in order of appearance):

Han Il Kwan

1802 Balboa St
(between 19th Ave & 20th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 752-4447

Tartine Bakery

600 Guerrero St
(between 18th St & 19th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 487-2600

Vietnamese Noodle House

726 Clement St
(between 8th Ave & 9th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 668-8896

Golden River

5827 Geary Blvd
(between 22nd Ave & 23rd Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 668-5105

Delfina

3621 18th St
(between Guerrero St & Oakwood St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 552-4055

Layaly

2435 Clement St
(between 25th Ave & 26th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 668-1676

Luna Park

694 Valencia St
(between 18th St & Sycamore St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 553-8584

Tanpopo

1740 Buchanan Street
(between Post St & Sutter St)
San Francisco, CA 94115

Dragon River

5045 Geary Boulevard
(between 14th Ave & 15th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94118

Ton Kiang

5821 Geary Blvd
(between 22nd Ave & 23rd Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 752-4440

Swan Oyster Depot

1517 Polk St
(between California St & Sacramento St)
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 673-1101

The Cheese Steak Shop

1716 Divisadero Street
(between Bush St & Sutter St)
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 346-3712

Although I love my Chinese food, I'm having an affair with Italian. I checked out A16, Delfina and Oliveto Cafe. With more to come.

Panda Country Kitchen...my favorite Chinese restaurant in San Francisco.

4737 Geary Blvd
(between 11th Ave & 12th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 221-4278

Anyone?

2008-12-27T11:14:00.000-08:00

Do any of you have experience with re-teaching yourself to play a musical instrument? I am looking for a three month plan with about 5 hours of practice per week. My goal is to get to a decent enough level to join some other amateurs for a public performance night at a local coffee shop. My background: 20 years of violin lessons, attended a prestigious music conservatory where I studied with, his-eminence, Victor Danchenko. I was playing at a fairly high level when I quit but went cold turkey for 7 years. There is significant rust.

I am thinking scales and arpeggios (played against a drone to check intonation), double stops (thirds, fourths and sixths), and slow bow exercises for the first month. With a metronome, of course.

After the first month, let's hit up some Kreutzer etudes! With rhythms and bowings.

For the third month, I think I'll play it by ear (no pun intended).

I also need to buy new strings and get my bow re-haired.

Wakakusa Nabe

2008-12-22T10:51:00.000-08:00

I am currently testing hot pot recipes for an upcoming cookbook which is slated for an October 2009 release. Although I am not able to post recipes, I thought I'd post a few pics. This first hot pot featured pork and a whole mess of greens...napa cabbage, mizuna, spinach, shungiku and watercress. The broth is mirin/dashi/soy. Really, really terrific. I will definitely make this again.

Help Needed

2008-12-14T20:13:00.000-08:00

Hi gang. Sorry for not posting for nearly a month but, aside from a notable exception, I've not cooked anything worth mentioning for quite some time.

Anyhow, I'm here to see if any of you want to help out in my kitchen and be a taste-tester! I'm doing some recipe testing for an upcoming cookbook on Japanese hot pot dishes and have three recipes I need to create and taste. Given that the recipes make far too much food for one person, I need mouths to food! So, you help out in the kitchen and, in return, get fed!

If you are interested, drop me a line at mikeczyz@gmail.com

The Omnivore's Hundred

2008-11-18T19:41:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late to the party but here goes:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOBAMA

2008-11-04T22:17:00.000-08:00

That is all. GObama!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T21:03:00.000-07:00

I hope that you had a good time. I'm currently sitting at home drinking martinis (gin, ftw) listening to Mozart ( K. 365) at an ear-splitting volume while contemplating whether or not I should shower and head out for the night. I think I'll walk to a bookstore and browse cookbooks....

And, oh yah, I'm really bummed. My favorite part of Halloween is handing out candy to the lil' trick-or-treaters. Not. A. Single. One. Not one. Seriously, parents. Do your damn job and take your kids out on Halloween!

NYRD06

2008-10-27T19:24:00.002-07:00

Sexy reader Nyrd06 writes,
"exactly when do you plan your meals? do you plan a week's worth the weekend before? or do you plan for two weeks? I'm curious because I'm looking for more efficient strategies/ routines for planning my meals. It's been especially hard lately because I've been busy this semester plus my dorm this year (and thus the kitchen) is not nearly as big as the one I had last year..."

Well, I typically spend 30 minutes to an hour on a Saturday or Sunday deciding what it is I want to make for the upcoming week. My final choice is a function of what we have in the 'fridge, what I'm craving, what the weather is like, whether I feel fat or not (don't laugh...this actually does play a part), what I think I can find at the local markets, which cookbook I've been reading, what I've recently seen on TV, what friends have suggested...etc. I'll generally have two index cards with shopping lists. There's usually one ingredient which might be hard to find so, if I can't find that ingredient, I have another shopping list for a different dish. Kind of anal but it's saved me on many an occasion.

I do almost all of my cooking on weekends because I have next to no time on weekday nights. I get off work around 6, grab a bus home and get back around 7. I go running most weeknights so there's another 40 minutes. I really don't have the time to go grocery shopping and cook. I need cooked meals already in the fridge.

Let's talk about how I planned for this week's meals: On Saturday, I purchased some apples at the farmers' market. I decided to cook something with those apples. I'm awful at dessert so I needed something simple...so, voila, apple crumble. That part was easy.

For the savory component of the upcoming week's meals, I peeked in the fridge. We had somewhere around 40 eggs, all nearing expiration, so I decided that I needed to do something with eggs. A frittata popped into my mind. My usual frittata recipe involves onions, potatoes and cheese. Eggs=breakfast=sausage so I decided to toss in some pork sausages. I used a combination of breakfast links and mild Italian sausage.

Frittata, even a 14 egg frittata is only going to get me through 6 meals (breakfast and dinner Monday-Wednesday...I eat lunch in the office cafeteria). I knew I needed four more meals so I kept that in mind while on my grocery shopping trip. While at the butcher, I saw some good looking steak on sale. In addition, it was still in the vacuum bag so it would last longer than an unwrapped steak. I talked to the butcher and he said that the steak would be fine until Wednesday night. Great, so I can finish the frittata on Wednesday night, cook the steak, and be set for Thursday and Friday. I need something to eat with steak so I grabbed some salad greens/lettuce. I get a little bored of rice so I grabbed some whole wheat lavash. A ha. An idea...sliced, grilled steak, lettuce...I'll make steak wraps for Thursday and Friday. Done. So, I've got dessert for the week, frittata for the first three days and steak wraps for the last two. Not a bad plan.

I find that stews, soups, braises etc. also work really well for this kind of schedule. Not only are they super convenient (just pair them with the starch of your choice), they actually taste better the longer they sit (up to a certain point...don't be an idiot about it). I guess this is why I make so many chicken curries...they're affordable, go great with rice and work well on my schedule. Also, hearty soup, bread and side salad is a fine meal although I don't do that as often.

Thinking ahead and going grocery shopping with a general plan is absolutely key. I'm definitely not one of those people who goes to the store with an open mind. Nope. If I see a great sale or an ingredient which looks especially good, I'll find a way to fit it in but I generally know exactly what I'm cooking before I go shopping. Just think about your schedule and what you can do with it. Hope this helps.

Black Bean Sauce Chicken with Onion

2008-10-20T21:13:00.000-07:00

Super duper basic chicken stir fry. This recipe uses very few odd ingredients. I'm writing on a weeknight so no time for an introduction--I'll get straight to the recipe.

This recipe is from "The Breath of a Wok" by Grace Young and Alan Richardson. If you're interested in how to cook in a wok, this is the book for you. Stir-frying, steaming, smoking, this book shows you how to use your wok in a multitude of ways. Although I've mostly only cooked the stir-fry recipes, they've all been dependable and delicious. Recommended, although the scope of this book is rather narrow. Definitely an enthusiast level cookbook but, if you're into the subject matter, it's fantastic. Does that make sense? I hope so.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thigh cut into bite sized pieces

1 tablespoon of soy sauce plus an extra dash

1 teaspoon of Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry

.5 teaspoon sugar

.5 teasoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon fermented black beans, rinsed

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon minced ginger

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4 small whole shallots, peeled (about 1/2 cup) (I used large pieces of diced onion)

1/3 cup chicken broth (or veggie broth, I used water and it was fine)

1 green onion, chopped

Combine the chicken, tablespoon of soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, salt and white pepper in a bowl. Mix to combine. Add the corn starch and mix. The mixture should be slightly sticky.

In a small bowl, combine the black beans, garlic, ginger and dash of soy sauce. Mash with a fork.

Heat up a wok over high heat. Toss in a few tablespoons of oil. Add the chicken mixture and spread flat. Allow the chicken to brown. Depending on your heat source, temperature of the chicken, how long you allowed the wok to heat up etc., this might take a few minutes. When brown, stir fry for a few minutes, just so the chicken changes color on all sides.

Toss in the black bean mixture and onion (or shallot). Stir-fry for a few minutes. Toss in the broth and bring to a boil. You'll see it thicken and give the rest of the dish a glossy sheen. Toss in the green onion, give it a quick stir and you're done!

Time-15 minutes

Cost-3 bucks for the chicken, 1 dollar for the rest. Will serve 2 as a single course stir-fry dinner or more depending on how many other dishes you serve.

Liuyang Black Bean Chicken

2008-10-18T09:27:00.000-07:00

Did you know that my original chicken, tofu and black bean post is the most widely read page on this blog? Even if you take into account that that post has been up the longest, it still kills every subsequent entry. Given that I think the original chicken/black bean post sucks (not the recipe, just the post), I decided to do another chicken and black bean stir fry. Is this redundant? I don't think it is because the flavors are very, very different. Also, it involves an interesting technique. Chinese food aficionados already know that the Chinese LOVE to cook things multiple times. There are countless examples of this in Chinese cookery and, in this recipe, the chicken is twice cooked in hot oil and then stir-fried.

This recipe is from "Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook" by Fuchsia Dunlop. I absolutely love Dunlop's cookbooks because they focus on under-represented regions and cuisines. Her masterpiece on Sichuanese cooking is considered one of the all-time English language Chinese cookbook classics. While her volume on Hunanese cuisine doesn't quite scale those literary heights, it is still an excellent addition to any Chinese cooking enthusiasts' library and comes highly recommended.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. boneless (and skinless, if you like) chicken thighs
salt
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 head of garlic, separated into cloves and peeled, larger cloves cut in half
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
4 scallions, green parts only, cut into 1.5 inch segments
4 tablespoons of fermented black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon of Shaoxing rice wine or other Chinese rice wine
3 teaspoons of dried chili flakes (I used Korean chili flakes...they provide an outrageous amount of color to the final dish but you can use whatever you have on hand even if it's leftover chili flakes from pizza)
2 teaspoons unseasoned, rice vinegar ( I actually used more because I like a bit of vinegar tang)
1 teaspoon sesame oil (I omitted the sesame oil from my version because I was out)
2 cups of oil

Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Add to a bowl and season with salt and the soy sauce. Mix well.

Organize all of the other ingredients, other than the oil, into little ramekins or bowls. The cooking process goes quickly so you want to be prepared.

Heat up the oil in a wok. Wait until it is good and hot or, if you have an oil thermometer, until it's 350-400 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the chicken and cook until the color has changed. Remove the chicken. Allow the oil to heat up to 350-400 degrees and add the chicken. This time, cook the chicken until it's golden-brown. When done, set the chicken aside.

Pour off all of the oil except for a couple of tablespoons.

Put your pan on medium heat, toss in the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry until the garlic is soft. Toss in the black beans and rice wine. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Toss in the chili flakes and stir-fry until they've colored the oil.

Add the fried chicken to the pot along with the vinegar. Stir fry. Add salt to taste. At this point, the chicken should be mostly cooked but grab a piece and check. Toss in the green onions and stir-fry for 30 seconds. The onions should be slightly wilted, not cooked through.

Turn off the heat, add the sesame oil and serve with plenty of rice.

Time- 15 minutes. Fast enough for a weeknight dinner.

Cost-
Chicken- 3 bucks.
Incidentals- 2 dollars
5 bucks total, will serve 3-4 people as part of a multi-dish stir-fry dinner. Or two people as a single-dish dinner.

Post

2008-10-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

No new post for this week as I made another batch of this recipe. I LOOOOOVE curry leaves.

To be served with dal and brown rice. Cauliflower and potatoes on the side.

Chicken with Honey, Lime, & Chile Glaze

2008-10-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

I had a craving for something homey and delicious so I decided to make a few roasted chickens. This first one features a sweet, sour and spicy glaze. The next, which I won't discuss today, is brined in a Mexican flavored brine. I'll discuss the chemistry behind brining in a future post. Anyhow, for this chicken, I asked the butcher to spatchcock it but they just butterflied it. The distinction, AFAIK, is that a spatchcocked bird has the backbone and sternum removed and a butterflied bird is just cut in half. Anyhow, the reason to do either one is so that it cooks more evenly.

The glaze recipe is from John Ash Cooking One-On-One: Kitchen Secrets From A Master Teacher by John Ash. I don't really have an opinion on this book. It's organized in chapters which deal with specific techniques and then specific ingredients. As always, please try to use a naturally raised bird.

The Glaze:
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup honey
1.5 tablespoons of Ancho or Guajillo chile powder
.5 teaspoon of ground coriander
.5 teaspoon of ground cumin
.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 4-5 pound chicken, cleaned
Salt and peppr

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Liberally season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the bird, skin side up on a baking sheet or roasting pan.

Whisk together the ingredients for the glaze. I found that microwaving the honey to melt it and then whisking in the other ingredients made for an easier mixing process.

Toss the bird into the oven. Let it cook for, say, 1/2 an hour. I'm sorta improvising the cooking times. The recipe says to start brushing the bird with the glaze after 20 minutes but I disagree because the bird still has 30 minutes before the thighs are cooked through and the glaze has a tendency to burn if left on the bird for that long. After the initial glaze, keep brushing more on every 10 minutes. Don't let the glaze puddle on the skin. Just paint the bird with the brush...it's actually pretty cathartic.

After 50 or so minutes of total cooking time (poke the thighs and see if the juices run clear), remove the chicken and let it rest for 10 mintues. Cut it up and serve. If you want, keep a little extra glaze on the side to use as a dipping sauce.

Time- About an hour.
Price- REALLY depends on the price of the bird. My naturally raised chicken was $3.99/lb. So, about 20 bucks for my monster roaster. The rest of the ingredients are cheap.

Serves 5 comfortably.

Kalbi/Galbi

2008-09-28T19:39:00.000-07:00

I'm BAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCKKKKKKK.

Seriously, I'm back. I won't be posting quite as often because I'm not cooking quite as much but the blog is far from dead.

Today's post is from Croquet Day. Jorge decided to have a Croquet/BBQ so I pitched in by making kalbi. Kalbi (or galbi...my McCune-Reischauer is rusty) is a beef dish...marinated flanken style short ribs. I should mention something about the cut of meat. This is not your normal, boxy, rectangular short rib. The cut for this dish is done across the bone. Click here for a picture. You can find this cut of meat in Asian markets. If you don't have an Asian market near you, I'm pretty sure your local grocery store will be able to do it if you place a special order.

Anyhow, the marinade is really, really simple.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup of soy sauce
1 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of mirin
1 small onion, roughly chopped
1 Asian pear, peeled and roughly chopped (There is an enzyme in the pear which helps tenderize the meat...if you're familiar with short ribs, you already know that they're quite chewy unless properly cooked or otherwise tenderized)
5 Tablespoons of minced garlic
3 tablespoons of dark (use Korean or Japanese) sesame oil
5 lbs of flanken style short ribs, cut 1/4 inch thick
Sesame seeds

Chuck the first 8 ingredients into a food processor or blender. Process. If you don't have a food processor, just grate the onion and Asian pear. It'll take a little more time but the result will be the same. Mix the short ribs into the marinade. Sprinkle in some sesame seeds and mix again. Marinate overnight.

When you are ready to eat, prepare your grill or use your broiler. Remove the meat from the marinade and rub off the excess marinade.

Cook. You'll need to be careful because there's enough sugar in the marinade so that the meat chars at a fairly high rate. However, I think that a bit of char is essential. It helps offset the sweetness of the meat and gives the ribs more character.

The dish is traditionally served in lettuce leaves. Take a lettuce leaf, add a bit of rice and then a piece of the cooked meat. Eat. I usually get some sort of fermented soybean paste whenever I'm in a Korean BBQ joint but I don't know what it's called.

I've seen all sorts of recipes for Kalbi. Ginger is sometimes used. Other times, rice wine vinegar is added. I also like to add some red pepper flake to mine.

For the nerds out there, I'm pretty sure that the enzymes in the pear which help break down the meat are bromelain and papain. Don't quote me on that but I'm pretty sure that I am right.

Time- 5 minutes to marinate the meat. However long it takes to cook.

Food Cost-
Beef- $5.00/lb. $25 bucks for 5 lbs.
Incidentals- 2 bucks. Will feed many, many hungry mouths especially if you do the rice/lettuce thing.

Soon, very soon.

2008-09-21T22:45:00.000-07:00

As soon as budget planning season is over, I'll be back with new stuff. Work has been keeping me busy.

Another thing...my friend suggested that because I am now very busy working man, my blog should reflect this new condition. So, I'm tossing around an idea of showing people how to cook/plan 5 days worth of food. Just an idea.

Strawberries for Supper

2008-08-23T21:46:00.000-07:00

Strawberries are one of those foods which are seasonally dependent. Sure, you can find them year round at your local Safeway but those tasteless, cotton-filled impostors should be avoided at all cost. I went to the farmers' market and picked up a pint of summer strawberries and, in my opinion, the only thing better than strawberries and cream is strawberry shortcake. For supper, I made my own strawberry shortcake free-form plate. Just mix and match the components and make your mouth happy!

A yummy and fun dinner...If this is what it is like to be a vegetarian, I might convert. :-)

Click the picture to learn about each component:

My Friend Matt

2008-08-10T18:49:00.000-07:00

If you have a chance, click here to vote for him. He is in a NYC TV stations competition to find the city's best busker. FYI, busker is synonymous with subway musician.

Click here to vote for my homie.

No New Posts Until My Commute Concludes

2008-08-09T23:01:00.000-07:00

This is just so everyone knows what is up. I'm AWOL.

Pasta with Tomatoes and Anchovies

2008-07-14T21:16:00.000-07:00

If this isn't my little brother's signature recipe, it should be. It is ridiculously easy but yields disproportionately delicious results. When I made it for a Sunday supper, all you heard was "slurp, slurp, yummm, slurp, nom nom nom." Don't be scared of the anchovies...they aren't particularly fishy...just ultra savory.

INGREDIENTS
1 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes in juice (James recommends Muir Glen)
1 2.5 oz. container of anchovies
3 cloves of minced garlic

1 box of spaghetti
1/4 cup of good quality olive oil (important because the olive oil is very present)
1/4 cup of rough chopped Italian parsley

Take the tomatoes and remove them from the can. Leave the juice behind. Rough chop the tomatoes and place in a bowl. If any juice from the rough chopped tomatoes collects in the bottom of the bowl, that is okay. You just don't want to use all the juice from the can.

Drain the anchovies and cross cut. Mash with a fork and set aside.

Start heating up your water for the pasta. Salt the water.

Heat up the quarter cup of olive oil. You don't want to color the garlic...just get a mild sizzle going to help release the garlic flavor into the oil. After a minute of two of this, toss in the mashed anchovies and distribute. Mash the anchovies into the oil and cook for another minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and bring to a simmer. You will want to cook the sauce for 15-20 minutes. The sauce is done when the tomato juice has evaporated and, when you slide a spatula through the pot, the tomatoes part and the bottom of the pan is clearly evident. Add a touch of salt...remember, the anchovies are quite salty.

About 10 minutes into the tomato sauce simmering time, toss in the pasta. It'll take 8 or so minutes to cook. Drain the pasta.

By now, the sauce should be done. Dump the drained pasta into the tomato sauce and mix well. Toss in the parsley and mix again. Dish up and dig in!

Time- 25 minutes, most of it is inactive.

Food cost-
Tomatoes- $2.59
Garlic- Like 4 cents?
Pasta- $1.00
Olive Oil- $0.19
Anchovies- $1.49
Parsley- Ummm, another 4 cents?
Total- $5.35...3-4 servings so $1.78 or $1.33 per serving.

PANCAKES

2008-07-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

I love pancakes. There's just something about them, a certain je nais sais quoi which I can't put into words. For this batch, I used whole wheat flour in conjunction with white flour. My younger brother was aghast at my decision to use whole wheat flour. Indeed, his response was so extreme that it made me think that using whole wheat flour was morally reprehensible in some way...a sin against breakfast foods. Anyways, I've been on a whole grain health kick over the past few weeks so that's why I decided to mix flours. Furthermore, I read a recipe which called for the addition of cooked quinoa to the pancake batter. To accompany my pancakes, I made a ghetto peach compote.

INGREDIENTS:
1 Peach
4 tablespoons of sugar
Juice of one lemon
3 tablespoons of butter
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 cup of white flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
1 egg
1 cup of buttermilk

For the peaches:
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Make a small, x-shaped incision on the bottom of the peach. When the water is boiling, drop the peach and cook for 30 seconds. Remove the peach. When cool enough to handle, peel the peach. The skin should be easy to remove. Cut the peach into bite sized wedges. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a small pan and drop in the peach wedges. Cook for a minute or so. Add sugar...how much is up to you...personal taste....I must've used 1.5-2 tablespoons. Allow the melted butter, peach juice and sugar to form a caramel. When the peaches start to take on a bit of color, turn off the heat and squeeze in some lemon juice. How much is up to you...just enough to add a bit of acidity. Set the peach compote aside.

For the pancakes:

Combine the whole what flour, white flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl.

Melt the remaining two tablespoons of butter in a microwave. Allow it to cool for a minute...you don't want the residual heat to scramble the egg. Whisk the butter and egg together. Whisk in the buttermilk. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix to JUST combine...no more than that. Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes. If you wanted to incorporate the cooked quinoa, now would be the proper time. Add about 3/4 of a cup.

If you are planning on cooking all of the pancakes before eating, you'll probably want to keep the first few batches warm. I use my oven...just preheat it to 200 degrees and put a plate in there. I place a cotton cloth on the plate and place the cooked pancakes under the cloth...a pancake blanket. This method works well.

Heat up your pancake pan. I spray it with a bit of oil but a light glaze of butter also works well. I use an ice cream scooper to scoop up the batter. I used about two scoops per pancake. Expect the first batch to suck...it's just an inviolable rule of pancake cookery.

I can't really tell you how long to cook the pancakes...you'll find your own groove.

Serve with maple syrup and peaches (if you made them). Done!

Time- 30 minutes, total. Includes 10 minutes of batter resting time.

Food cost- Too cheap. Not going to bother with it.

Bar Vs. Liquid

2008-07-11T22:17:00.000-07:00

After much deliberation, I have made the switch to liquid bath soap. Thus far, I am quite pleased with the change.

A food post coming on Sunday. I would do it tomorrow but I'll be at work.

No Updates...Sorry!

2008-07-08T21:01:00.000-07:00

I am swamped with work. This leaves me unable to update my blog. However, I will try to put something up tomorrow night...

Until then, check this out. Definitely NSFW....tastefully NSFW.

Calling All Math Nerds....err, Mathletes

2008-07-04T13:02:00.000-07:00

So, I'm currently reading this book which is one of the most thought provoking books I've ever read. I e-mailed my older brother one of the sections from the book and it led to a vigorous and animated discussion. During the course of the argument, we started thinking about a math problem and neither of could solve it on the spot. Having given it some thought, I've come up wiht my solution and have recreated it for all of you with the hopes that you might be able to show me if and where I've gone wrong.

Assume that we have a two person population, STD+ and STD-, with STD+ composing 75% of the population and STD- = (1-STD+). Given that we have a two person population, there are three kinds of interactions that can occur:

1) STD+/STD+
2) STD-/STD-
3) STD+/STD-

Our goal is to figure out how many NEW STD+ people there will be at the end of the night assuming that all individuals successfully couple with another individual, no discrimination or preferences are evident, the STD is 100% contagious and that there is no use of STD prevention devices.

The first two couplings are irrelevant because they do not create any new STD+. Only in the third coupling will there be a new STD+ person. With this in mind, it should be easy to compute.

1) (.75)(.75)= .5625
2) (.25)(.25)= .0625
.5625 + .0625= .625
1-.625= .375

So, in a 1,000 person population constrained by our above conditions, there will be 375 new STD+ people created.

Seem right?

edit: Studly reader Mark R has written in with what seems to be the correct solution. Read the comments to see what he has to say...

Happy 4th!

2008-07-04T11:08:00.002-07:00

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor

I LOL'd more than a few times.

Prince Cafe

2008-07-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

Let's get this out of the way...you don't go to the Prince Cafe for delicious food. Oh sure, it's totally acceptable Chinese food....if you live in Arkansas. Given the plethora of nearby Asian options on Geary Blvd, you'd be insane to declare Prince Cafe the monarch of Asian eats. However, it is cheap as all get out. Incredibly cheap. That's the main attraction here. You'll eat the food and wonder (especially at happy hour) how the hell they turn a profit. It's an intellectual exercise mixed with a bit of physical sustenance. Go for the experience, NOT the food.

I first went to Prince Cafe for breakfast...it is one of the few places in my neighborhood which serves congee aka jook aka rice porridge aka Chinese gruel. I ordered the classic preserved egg & salted pork. It's fair, not great. Certainly no Hing Lung. Needed salt. The side order of Chinese donut was pretty crappy. Coffee is acceptable. Milk tea is somewhat poor. Toast with butter is acceptable. On subsequent visits, I tried the side order chow fun and chow mein. Chow mein is great but it is a horribly greasy start to your day. Chow fun is a little better. Tried a few other porridges...assorted giblet is good...lots of fun bits of offal in there.

Lunch rice bowls are a pretty good deal. Soup and a rice bowl for a little under 5 bucks. Soup is vegetable beef. Sounds strange but it's a Hong Kong style Chinese joint...they do spaghetti with ketchup and things like that. Fusion. My rice bowl, though, was pure Chinese. Soy-braised pork belly with mustard greens and ground fish meatballs. FANTASTIC. Easily the best thing that I have ever eaten at Prince Cafe. Pork belly is richly flavorful without being greasy. A delight. Sparerib and pepper with black bean sauce rice bowl is okay...be prepared for lots of bony bits.

Happy hour ($2.88 per plate!) is a mixed bag. I get the feeling that you need to know what to order. Some of the stuff we ordered was pretty good...most of it fell flat.

Same with dinner. The dinner menu deal is rice, soup, 3 main plates and dessert for 18 bucks. Again, I feel that you need to know what to order to maximize your experience. However, for 18 bucks, it is a hell of a deal.

Anyhow, I will end with this...the Prince Cafe is one of the few Chinese restaurants where I get decent service. I dunno...the servers are friendly. Not the surly bunch you find in most other Chinese.

PRINCE CAFE
5423 Geary Blvd
(between 18th Ave & 19th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 876-2828

First Day At My New Job

2008-06-30T21:04:00.001-07:00

After last summer's debacle of a commute, I told myself that I'd never again take a job which involved a 4+ hour daily commute. Well, Oops!....I Did It Again!

However, it is a mixed blessing. I get plenty of time to read! Yay for words!

Sorry So Slow

2008-06-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the lack of quality content. Not only did we have an internet outage but I have been getting ready for my new job. I start in less that 12 hours.

Wish me luck!

Oh Noes!!!1!

2008-06-29T10:49:00.001-07:00

I've recently been informed (from Han through George) that LOLCats "are sooooo 2 years ago." So, even though LOLCats give me great pleasure, I will defer to my more trendy friends and no longer feature them on this site. Thanks for pissing on my parade, boys.

No New Posts for the Next 7-10 Days...

2008-06-22T20:48:00.001-07:00

...because we are changing the home internet service and will have an internet "outage."

How will I survive?!?!??!

Mexican-Style Zucchini Tacos

2008-06-19T21:15:00.000-07:00

So many thoughts running through my head! I am having a really, REALLY hard time focusing on any one thing so this post might be desultory and/or spastic. Desultory...now THAT'S a good SAT word.

This is the final installment in the taco trilogy. Hot weather provides tacit encouragement for the consumption of vegetables and I thought that this recipe would be appropriate...however, I failed to take into account the richness and lush texture that 2/3-cup of whipping cream would add. FAIL. This recipe is from Bayless' Mexico One Plate At A Time. As before, I consider this an excellent introductory book to the art of Mexican cuisine. If you happen to go looking for it, don't be perturbed by the gringo on the book's front cover. You might be obsessed with finding a Mexican cookbook by a Mexican but I assure you that Bayless and, by extension, this book are legit. The real deal.

INGREDIENTS

1.5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
18 ounces of canned, whole tomatoes in juice, drained
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 large fresh poblano chiles (I used three because I really like the flavor of poblano chiles...Poblanos are large, fresh, green chiles with a vegetal flavor and mild spice...If you've ever had a chile relleno, you already had a poblano without knowing it!)
1 large ear corn, husked and kernels cut off (Canned corn would be fine, I suppose...use1 cup)
4 medium (1.5 pounds total) of zucchini (I used Mexican zucchini) cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (or, if you can find it, leaves from 1 sprig fresh epazote)
2/3 cup crema, creme fraiche or heavy whipping cream
salt
Crumbled queso fresco or other crumbly fresh cheese

Pour oil into a large (12-inch) skillet and set over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until well browned...recipe says 8 minutes. While the onion is cooking, puree the tomatoes in a blender. Add the garlic to the browned onion and cook for a minute, stirring, then add the tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the skillet and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Roast the poblanos over a gas flame or on a baking sheet 4 inches under a hot broiler, turning regularly until the skin is charred and blistered. Cover the peppers with a kitchen towel (or place into a bowl and cover with saran wrap) and wait 5 minutes. Rub off the blackened skin and pull out the stems and seed pods. Rinse BRIEFLY to remove any stray seeds and bits of skin. Slice into 1/4 inch strips.

Set the skillet with the tomato mixture over medium-high heat. Stir in the poblanos, corn, zucchini, cilantro, and the crema (or the substitution). Cook, stirring frequently until the zucchini is cooked through and the liquid is thick enough to coat the vegetables. This took me about 10 minutes. Season with salt.

Serve with warmed tortillas and the crumbled queso fresco. Done!

Time-Roughly 40 minutes, some of it unsupervised.

Food Cost-I'm not going to break this one down because I don't have the receipts in front of me but it's around 6 bucks total. Should make enough filling for ~20 tacos. About 30 cents per taco, 3 or 4 per person so $.90-$1.20 per serving

LOLCat This one is kind of a toughie...Click here for an explanation:

Midweek Mayhem

2008-06-18T22:16:00.001-07:00

So, the nice thing about having all this Mexican stuff in my fridge is that I can quickly throw together a meal...for an evening snack, some leftover brown rice, a fried egg, some avocado salsa, a few shakes of bottled hot sauce (some homemade stuff is in the works), and some crumbled queso fresco.

Delicious! And incredibly cheap! I've also been doing some recipe research for the rest of the week...Mexican zucchini tacos, some Mexican chicken broth, tortilla soup (with the homemade chicken broth) and something with the shredded chicken from the broth. Enchiladas? I dunno.

Potato-Chorizo Tacos with Simple Avocado Salsa

2008-06-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

This is one of the easiest recipes that I've ever blogged. Very few ingredients, easy technique and the only specialized piece of equipment is a food processor. Mexican for noobs. From Mexico One Plate at a Time...which, by the way, is one of my favorite Mexican cookbooks. I'm gonna say it. I "heart" Rick Bayless. Ugh. I've defiled my moral core.

INGREDIENTS

12 Ounces of Yukon Gold or red-skin potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Salt
12 ounces of Mexican chorizo sausage, casing removed (my local Mexican grocer had both pork and beef chorizo...I went with pork...However, in the future, I will be making my own...the first ingredient is "pork salivary glands"...subsequent ingredients were equally unsavory)
1 small white onion, finely chopped...(yes, I usually let shoddy knife-work rule the day but I decided to actually do some fine chopping for this recipe...I just kept repeating to myself "take some pride in your damn work!")
4 ounces of tomatillos (you should be able to find these in any well stocked grocer...they are related to tomatoes, in the nightshade family, but are NOT unripe, green tomatoes...whenever you go to a Mexican restaurant and see the ubiquitous green salsa, tomatillos are involved...they have a bright, citrusy flavor)
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed
1 large ripe avocado
corn (NOT FLOUR, please God not pasty, flavorless, flour tortillas...actually, I read earlier today that flour tortillas are consumed in Northern Mexico...) tortillas

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the cubed 'taters and simmer until they are tender...took me about 13 minutes. Drain.

Heat a large (12-inch) skillet and add the chorizo and onion. The chorizo will be sorta pasty so you'll have to break it up with the back of a spatula. Stir regularly. I cooked mine for about 10 minutes. You're looking for soft onions and for the sausage to be cooked through. When you've achieved this, look in the pan...if it looks hella greasy, pour out some of the oil. Just leave a light coating.

Add the pre-boiled potatoes and continue to cook. Stir regularly and mash the potatoes into the chorizo/onion mixture. Scrape the bottom of the pan to ensure that nothing burns. Cook for 8-10 minutes. The recipe says that the mixture will look like hash (not that kind, you druggie) and it really does. At this point, you can refrigerate the mixture if you're not immediately eating it or continue on and make the salsa.

The salsa is pathetically easy. Take the tomatillos, and remove the husks. Rinse them and rough chop them. Toss them into the bowl of your food processor. Rough chop the garlic and jalapeno and add to the food processor. Blend it all up.

Add the flesh of the avocado to the food processor and blend. (I should've made a video to show you how to process an avocado but here's a good link). You'll end up with something close to green, light mayonnaise. Season with salt.

Serve the filling in warmed tortillas with some of the avocado salsa on top. Done!

Time- ~35 Minutes from start to finish.
Food cost-
Chorizo- $1.99
Potatoes- $1.00
Tomatillos- $1.00
Avocado- $1.50
Incidentals- $0.50
Total- $6.00...So far, we've had 8 tacos....maybe another 4 left. So, fiddy cents per taco. 4 tacos per person for a decently sized meal.

LOLCat...

"Drunken" Pintos with Cilantro and Bacon

2008-06-17T07:37:00.001-07:00

Mexican food with no beans? Difficult to imagine. My blog without beans? Difficult to imagine. I love beans. Not only are they cheap and delicious, they will be a staple of my month-long Mexi-centric cooking. This recipe is a variation of the slightly soupy Mexican pot beans but with extra flavoring. This recipe (crudely adapted) is from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitche.

INGREDIENTS

1.25 cups of dry pinto beans (yes, you can use other beans)
6 slices of bacon
1 small white onion, diced
1 jalapaneno, stemmed, seeded and sliced
salt
2 tablespoons of tequila
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro (or more to taste)

Pick through the beans and remove any stones or sticks. Rinse the beans and remove any which float. Add the beans to a large pot, throw in 4 slices of bacon and add enough water to cover the beans by an inch. Bring to a simmer and cook until the beans are soft. This will take a few hours so be patient. Make sure that the water is a good .5-1 inch above the beans at all times.

When the beans are done, set aside, cooking liquid and all. Throw out the boiled bacon unless that's what you're into.

Chop up the remaining two slices of bacon into bite sized bits and fry up in a hot pan. When brown and crispy, remove the bacon but leave the drippings in the pan. Toss in the onion and sliced jalapeno. Get a nice deep, dark brown on the vegetables. This will take some time. Be patient and don't turn up the heat to accelerate the process. Don't want to burn the onions/jalapeno, ya know.

When the veggies are well browned, add the beans back into the pan and simmer for 20 minutes. The beans shouldn't be soupy but rather thick and stew-like. If the beans are soupy, continue to simmer until the your ideal consistency is achieved. Alternatively, you can just mash up some of the bean with the back of a fork. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss in the tequila and cilantro. Garnish with the reserved crispy bacon. Done!

Time: 2 hours of initial simmering, 25 minutes after that.
Food cost- Pathetically inexpensive. Not worth talking about.

LOLCat:

Shredded Beef Tacos with Chipotle-Tomato Sauce

2008-06-16T22:30:00.000-07:00

I've been kinda bummed out with cooking...Just couldn't get inspired or excited, ya know? To fix the problem, I spent some quality time with my cookbook collection and found inspiration in the words and pictures of Rick Bayless and Diana Kennedy. For those of you who don't know, Bayless and Kennedy are the world's foremost Caucasian experts on Mexican cuisine. They've done it all, seen it all and, thankfully, have written it all down in a series of excellent cookbooks. In addition, finding quality purveyors of Mexican ingredients is quite easy in San Francisco so Mexican food is pretty easy to recreate. I am going to cook Mexican food until I am sick of it and long to taste the flavors of a different cuisine.

To begin, I decided on a series of tacos. The first is this shredded beef taco. I've taken a general recipe from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen (it's a classic) and modified it to suit my tastes and what was available at the local upscale butcher. The recipe calls for pork shoulder but I found some terrific looking beef chuck so that's what I bought. And oh, this is my ghetto version. If you want to get fancy, you can roast the tomatoes and all that. But I wasn't feeling it and the ghetto version is still really tasty. Lastly, I'm terrible at re-warming corn (wait, you were gonna use flour? don't EVER return to my blog) tortillas...I guess they should be steamed but I don't have the patience. I wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave them.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 of a white onion, diced
6 cloves of peeled garlic
2 pounds of boneless beef chuck, cubed
salt
3 chipotles in adobo (pretty easy to find...any well-stocked grocery store should have them)
10 ounces of diced, canned tomatoes
1/4 teapoon of freshly ground cloves
Olive Oil

Put 5 cloves of garlic, the meat, and the onion into a pot and cover with well-salted water. Bring to a simmer and skim off the nasty meat foam. You'll probably need to skim 3-4 times. Simmer until the meat is tender...It took me 1.75 hours. Allow the meat to cool (in the broth) and then shred with your fingers. Pour off the broth and set the shredded meat to the side. It's okay of there are a few onion/garlic bits mixed in with the meat.

For the sauce:
Blend the chipotles, the tomatoes, the remaining clove of garlic and the ground cloves. Just get it nice and smooth. Heat up a pan and add a few tablespoons of olive oil. You need to sear the sauce. Get the oil good and hot (add a drop of the tomato/chili sauce to see if it vigorously sizzles) and add the tomato/chili sauce. Here is a video:

After 5 minutes, the sauce will be thicker and darker in color. Don't let it burn. Add salt to taste. This step cooks the sauce and gets rid of the raw flavor.

Set the sauce aside. Heat up another pan and add a few tablespoons of oil. When the pan is hot, add the shredded meat. Allow it to brown a bit and then add in the sauce. Cook for a minute...just enough to let the flavors mingle. Meat is done!

Make tacos...garnishes might include pickled onions, fresh onion, fresh chopped cilantro, queso fresco, lime juice, any number of salsas...really, it's up to you. Have fun with it!

Time- Not much at all...2 hours to simmer meat, 10 minutes to make the sauce, 5 minutes to brown meat.

Food Cost-
Beef- 10 bucks...$5 per pound, two pounds total.
Chipotles- about a third of a can, 2 bucks per can, 66 cents.
Can of tomatoes- $1.25
Incidentals-50 cents.
Total- About 12 bucks. Not sure how many tacos I am going to get out of this one batch of meat.

LOLCat (they bring so much joy to my life...the "bukkit" is sort of a LOLCat insid):

Sooo....

2008-06-13T22:09:00.000-07:00

Given that I have basically no social life, I am making a concerted effort towards weekend socializing.

So...my Friday night has consisted of watching a movie, drinking liquor and CONSIDERING leaving the apartment. the CONSIDERING part is, for me, a step forwards.

i hope to have a recipe post up by Sunday...I made a huge batch of chickpea stew on Monday and have been (slowly) working my way towards the bottom of the barrel...maybe some sort of stewed pork...pork vindaloo? we'll see. earlier today, i treated myself to a plate of salt and pepper squid. salt and pepper squid is one of those dishes that I HAVE to order when I see it on a menu...something about the tender, supple squid flesh with salt and hot pepper just really gets me going. To know salt and pepper squid is to love salt and pepper squid.

on a completely unrelated note, isn't it interesting that both Italy and France could, potentially, be knocked out of the Euro Cup? I mean, in the "Group of Death" featuring Italy, France, Netherlands, and Romania, what bold prognosticator would've figured that both Italy and France would be eliminated in the group stage? Nostradamus, that's who. It is confusing, to say the least. Just like love....love is also quite confusing.

I'm going to sign off before I embarrass (I remembered the second "r" in "embarrass") myself. laters! Hope your Fridays were more interesting than mine!

Alaskan Food Stuff

2008-06-12T16:12:00.001-07:00

So being a food focused blog, I decided to make a specific post for food related things which I experienced in Alaska. The first photoset is just some random food which I ate:

This next photoset is restaurant-y stuff from Alaska:

This final set is an actual recipe! It uses a...wait for it, wait for it...Rachael Ray recipe! I find her TV personality extremely irritating but don't mind her all that much because I think she does encourage and draw people into the kitchen who wouldn't otherwise attempt to cook. Anyhow, my mom is a cherry freak and she wanted cherry cake.

INGREDIENTS:

4.5 cups flour (Weight measurements would be nice.)
1.5 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg
.5 cup buttermilk
.5 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
two 10-ounce bags frozen cherries, thawed and drained (I see no reason why you can't use other types of frozen fruit.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. In a bowl, combine 3 cups flour, the brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix in all but 2 tablespoons of butter until large crumbs form; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, the egg and the buttermilk.

In another bowl, stir together the remaining 1.5 cups of flour, the granulated sugar, baking powder and the remaining .5 teaspoon salt. Add the egg mixture and stir to form a thick, smooth batter. (This is where I ran into trouble. The egg mixture was totally insufficient to produce a smooth batter. I ended with a sticky mess so I kept adding buttermilk until a batter texture formed...I think I ended up quadrupling the initial quantity of buttermilk.)
Fold about a third of the reserved crumb mixture into the batter; spread evenly into the prepared baking dish.

Scatter the cherries over the batter; sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture on top. Bake the cake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes (Mine took closer to 1.25 hours..the home oven runs cold, I guess. And I used the toothpick to see of the cake was done...stick a toothpick into the cake...if the toothpick comes out clean, it's done.). Transfer to a rack to cool for about 20 minutes before serving.

A very, very solid cake. It was actually really tasty. Maybe a tad bit overly sweet and buttery but it was very well received by my mom and dad.

Time- about 1.5 hours...most of it baking time.
Cost-I dunno...my dad paid for the ingredients

I Am Back!

2008-06-10T11:05:00.000-07:00

Back from Alaska.

Tour of my bedroom:

Flickr with my Alaska pics:
Click me!

Red Cabbage with Apples and Honey

2008-06-03T16:34:00.000-07:00

I want to play the greatest game ever so this is going to be quick and dirty. This recipe is from this cookbook. We had it with roast pork. It would be equally at home with a roast chicken or braised chicken/pork.

INGREDIENTS

4 cardamom pods
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 cup honey
4 cups apple juice
1/3 cup white wine vinegar (both George and I agreed that the dish needed more acidity..so maybe a little more that 1/3 cup)
4 ounces smoked country bacon, cut into 1-by-1/2 inch strips
2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 head red cabbage, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and diced

Put a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 300F.
2. In a spice grinder or coffee grinder, finely grind the cardamom and coriander seeds. Bring the honey, ground spices, apple juice and vinegar to a boil and reduce by half.
3. In a medium cast-iron pot or Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the red cabbage and apples and cook, stirring, until softened about 15 minutes. (Unless you have a really large pot, you might have to add half the cabbage, cook until wilted and then add the other half.) Pour the reduced honey-apple mixture over the cabbage and toss to coat. Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven.
4. Braise for 2 hours, or until the cabbage is very tender. Taste for seasoning...shouldn't need much salt.

Btw, the cold cabbage is delicious on sandwiches. Just take the leftover roasted meat, some good, strong mustard, cabbage and bookend it with hearty bread.

Time-10 minutes of prep, 2.25 hours of cooking time.

Cost-Cheap...I think the most expensive part of this recipe is the apple juice.

No LOLCat for you!

Rabbit Stew

2008-05-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

There were some pretty strong reactions when I told my friends that I was going to make rabbit stew. One friend called me a "rabbit murderer." My response? "The rabbit is already dead, I just happened to buy him from the market!" However, I do understand why people get a little bit upset over rabbit. After all, they're cute and cuddly mammals. It's not like a chicken...nasty little peckerhead. However, I don't make a distinction between animal proteins. To me, an animal has died so I can eat. Their sacrifice demands my respect no matter how ugly or cute the beastie might've been. I feel like Hawkeye and Chingachgook from Last of the Mohicans. If you understand this, you get an automatic pass into the Budget College Cook pantheon of fame.

Kind of a funny story how I found myself buying a rabbit. Since I'd recently finished my final year of college, I considered going out to a fancy dinner. However, I didn't exactly have the money but still wanted to celebrate. I settled on buying some sort of protein that I had previously avoided due to its prohibitive cost. The other contestants were duck breasts, Kobe beef and squab but rabbit won. And it certainly wasn't cheap...around $10.50/lb. Having purchased the rabbit, I wasn't really sure what to do with it so I had to do lots of research. Stews seemed pretty easy and most books said that a rabbit is actually pretty easy to cut up...just follow the natural lines of the meat and the rest basically takes care of itself. I've made two videos. WARNING--NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH. AVOID-AVOID-AVOID IF YOU DON'T LIKE REMEMBERING THAT MEAT COMES FROM ANIMALS!

Pre-Butchering

Post-Butchering

I hope you found the videos interesting. I know I do so I thought I'd share what I find to be a fascinating subject.

This recipe comes from The River Cottage Meat Book. As I haven't really had the time to fully explore this book, I hesitate to enthusiastically recommend it but what I've read so far has been a call to arms regarding factory raised meat. The author really creates a strong, logical argument for abstention from mass-produced meat while simultaneously building a case for naturally, lovingly raised meat. I've met a few vegetarians who turned veg because of factory farming practices. However, taking a stand against factory farms doesn't necessarily mean that you need to stop eating meat...just stop eating factory farmed and start eating family farmed! At the very least, if you're in a bookstore and see this book, pick it up and read the first 10-15 pages. Remember what Socrates said: "The unexamined life is not worth living."

Oh yah, let me also make a confession...I had assumed that because I bought the rabbit at the fancy, expensive butcher that the bunny had previously led a pampered existence. WRONG! When I got home and did some research, it was a rabbit factory farm. The lesson? Don't be afraid to ask the hard question while at the butcher.

INGREDIENTS (Quantities have been slightly altered)

1 rabbit (mine was around 3 pounds)
4 ounces of bacon (Try to find bacon made from naturally raised pigs...not as difficult as it sounds.)
olive oil
1 large onion, thickly sliced
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1.5 inch lengths
4 celery stalks cut into 1.5 inch lengths
2 bay leaves
a sprig of thyme, if handy (the recipe's wording, not mine)
2 cups of hard cider (the cookbook is English and I have no idea what English hard cider is like...I ended up buying an artisinal French hard cider which was fermented completely dry...I don't recommend this...get something with some leftover residual sugar)
1 teaspoon honey
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan. Gently fry the bacon until it is lightly browned and the fat runs. Transfer the pieces of meat to a flameproof casserole but leave the frying pan on the heat. Brown the rabbit pieces in the bacon fat, in batches, transferring them to the casserole as they are done. Finally, sweat the onion in the same pan but do not allow it to color. Add the carrots, celery, bay leaves and thyme to the casserole. (I kinda avoided this whole casserole business. I cooked the bacon and transferred it to a bowl...browned the rabbit in the bacon fat and transferred the browned pieces to a plate. Sweated the onion in the bacon fat and moved the onions to another bowl. He just wants you to have, from bottom up, bacon, rabbit, onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves and thyme...how you get there is your own business!)

Push everything around so it is fairly tightly packed, then pour over the cider. Add a little water if necessary to cover the meat. Add the honey and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook at a very low, tremulous simmer for 1.25 hours or until the rabbit is completely tender. You can also cook this in a 250F oven with a lid on the pot. (I used the oven.)

Serve with plenty of the juice ladled over, with mashed potatoes.

Time-30 minutes of prep work, browning. 1.25 hours of cooking.

Cost-
Rabbit- $33.00
Bacon- $2.00
Cider- $8.50
Veggies- $2.00
Total- $45.50..I'm going to get 6 meals out of the stew...so $7.58 per serving...pretty expensive, by my standards.

LOLCat:

Split Pea Soup with Smoked Ham Hocks

2008-05-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

I love soup and I love pork so this is a no-brainer recipe. It's also ridiculously easy. Chop stuff, shovel it into a pot and let it cook. It's not much more complicated than that. For those of you who don't know what a ham hock is, a hock is the lower part of a pig's hind legs. Think above the foot but below the lower end of the meaty part. So a ham hock is that cut of meat which has also been smoked. It's a pretty tough piece of meat filled with gristle, bone, connective tissue and some meat so you would never want to quick cook ham hocks. They need a nice, long stewing to transform the meat into something palatable. Beans and ham hocks are classic as are ham hocks and greens. In the south, they commonly throw in a smoked ham hock when they're cooking collards and things like that. In that same vein, I also like ham hocks with braised cabbage.

This is my recipe and, as I mentioned before, it's pretty basic. There are lots of ways to jazz it up so get creative!

INGREDIENTS

3 cups of green split peas picked over, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
2 carrots peeled and cut into 1/4 inch thick coins
2 onions peeled and cut into a large dice
2 stalks of celery cut into half inch pieces
2 cloves of peeled garlic, roughly chopped
salt
pepper
1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper (optional; it doesn't add much heat but a nice roundness of flavor)
12 cups of water
3 pounds of ham hocks (I have the butcher cut them lengthwise)

Heat the oil and butter until the butter melts. Add the carrots, onions, celery and garlic to the pot. Season with a teaspoon of salt and a few generous grinds of pepper. Cook over medium heat until the onions are translucent and soft. Add the drained split peas and cayenne pepper. Stir well and cook for a few minutes. Add the water and ham hocks. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat until the soup is just simmering. Make sure you stir the soup every now and then so the peas don't stick and burn.

After about .45-1 hour of cooking, I usually remove the hocks and place them into a bowl. Leave the peas in the pot to continue cooking. I like the meat to have a bit of texture so I try not to cook it to the point of being completely soft. When cool enough to handle, I peel the skin off the hocks and discard. I then remove the meat and break it up into bite size pieces. Set aside. I usually freeze the leftover ham hock bones because there's still quite a bit of flavor in them.

After around 1.5 hours, the veggies and peas should be completely soft. I turn the heat off and wait for 15 minutes. I then blend the soup with an immersion blender or with a regular blender. Use some care as the soup will still be very warm. Taste the soup for seasoning. Undersalting isn't a bad idea because the ham hocks will add a nice hit of saltiness. When the soup is blended, stir in the ham hock meat and you're done!

Feel free to have fun with the seasoning. Maybe go Indian? I mean, I make Indian lentils all the time and lentils aren't too far from split green peas so I think it would be delicious.

As for garnishes: croutons, freshly minced herbs, olive oil, pumpkin seed oil, tangy yogurt, sauteed carrots, onion or celery, shucked, blanched green peas...ummm, this is right off the top of my head. I'm sure you can think of a few for yourselves!

Time- About 10 minutes of prep, 1.5 hours of cooking...most of it unattended, passive cooking.

Food Cost-
Peas- $1.35
Veggies- $1.50
Ham Hocks- $12.00 (Somewhat expensive, I know...gotta hate the upscale butcher's prices)
Total-$14.85...18 cups of soup. Say, 2 cups per serving? $1.65 per serving

LOLCat:

Bay to Breakers 2008

2008-05-22T16:16:00.000-07:00

SOOOOOOO much fun. For those of you who don't know, Bay to Breakers is an annual, 7.5 mile race which started waaaaay back in 1912. Participants fall into two distinct groups: Racers and everyone else. The racers are as you might expect...lithe, swift Kenyans and the like. The rest of the participants come in all shapes and sizes. It's basically an excuse to wear a costume (or none at all! waaaaay too many naked men) and drink. Essentially, it's a city wide party with 60,000 people.

There are always lots of interesting costumes. I liked the group of Imperial Stormtroopers, complete with a TIE-Fighter Pilot. There's also a group of people who wear fish hats and pretend like they're salmon swimming upstream...they go against the flow of traffic. A bold move. In addition, there are tons of floats and lining the streets are house parties, DJ's spinning music, clusters of friends who hang out and drink (at 7AM!) and a motley assortment of other activities. Anyhow, just watch this video...it'll give you some idea of what's going on:

I can't wait for next year!

2 Week Hiatus

2008-05-19T17:12:00.001-07:00

Yes, yes, I am going to Alaska for the next two weeks. However, I am going to use Blogger's post scheduling option to auto-post some content...thank's Blogger! And speaking of Blogger, I met a guy who works for Google and, more specifically, Blogger! He's a computer programmer and boy, did I let him know just how much I hate Blogger's photo uploading. I think he appreciated the feedback but couldn't really tell.

Anyhow, breakfast today:Tartine Bakery. Morning bun with cinnamon-orange sugar and coffee. Delicious bun. Really, really good but the place is just so damn crowded. I don't know if I'll ever go back. Maybe if I'm already in the neighborhood but I won't make a special trip. BTW, if the name of the bakery sounds familiar, it's because I've made brownies from the Tartine Cookbook.

Lunch:Rosamunde Sausage Grill. Longtime readers will know that I go ga-ga for sausage. I love ground meat in tube form and the Rosamunde Sausage Grill does nothing but create excellent sausages. There have something like 10 varieties ranging from The Hungarian (smoked pork) Duck and Fig, Chicken and Cherry, Smoked Chicken with Habanero and Tequila, Bratwurst, etc. You get the drift. It's a small operation...one store-front with a grill, cashier and a stainless steel counter with 6 stools. If the stools are occupied (a definite possibility given the Grill's popularity), you can wait next door at the Toronado and they'll call you when your sausage is done. This isn't fast food. From order to eating, it's probably a 10 minute wait but it's soooo worth it. I had the Hungarian...redolent of paprika and garlic, it was flavorful and juicy. Some grilled onions on top and I was a happy man. If I lived closer to the Rosamunde Sausage Grill, I would eat there 5 times a week.

Finally, a random video of my neighbor's dog. Sam loves to jump and bite low-hanging leaves. Just take a look!

Heat Wave

2008-05-17T16:31:00.000-07:00

Day two of the heat wave. I decided that I had to get out of the apartment and go somewhere with air conditioning. My first thought was a movie theater but I've already seen Iron Man and there was nothing else I wanted to see. Iron Man is, btw, quite good. Iron Man was, along with The Mighty Thor, my favorite Marvel superhero so I might be slightly biased but the movie is well reviewed. Anyhow, no movie for the heat wave so I decided on a museum. Get some culture and all that. Seeing as how I live 10 minutes away from the DeYoung museum, the choice of venue was obvious. It was a pretty good day. Sensationally beautiful, if hellaciously hot. The DeYoung is in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Anyhow, some pictures and video for my loyal readers.

BTW, I still hate eating outside. I gave it a try with my breakfast...sit in the 9:00 AM sun enjoying a scone and coffee but all I could think about was how damned hot it was. I don't understand how people can eat underneath a blistering sun...imo, it's too distracting.

Took some time to make a panorama. It's pretty big so click it, save it and zoom in a few levels..you should be able to get some nice detail. It really IS a beautiful area.
Click me for a panorama

Lamb Curry

2008-05-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

This recipe might look a bit intimidating given its length but I encourage you to give it a try. It really is quite easy once you get past some of the chopping and prep work. Also, this curry was very well received by George & Carrie, my chief taste-testers, so that might give you the extra bit of incentive you need to tackle this recipe.

This recipe is from The Soul Of A New Cuisine: A Discovery Of The Foods And Flavors Of Africa which I've never cooked from. The author, Marcus Samuelsson, runs a couple of very well known NYC restaurants. When you hear the name Samuelsson, you might imagine a Swede and, in this case, you're half right. Samuelsson was born in Ethiopia, orphaned at the age of 3 and moved to Sweden shortly thereafter. His adopted Swedish parents raised him in a typically Scandinavian fashion...ice skating and all of that. He returned to Ethiopia when he was 28 years old and wrote this cookbook as a tribute to his native continent. In doing research, he discovered that relatively little had been written about African cuisine and he took it upon himself to change that. The fruit of his labor is a really neat book which is enlightening from an ethnographic perspective. I like to read books which focus on how people relate to food and this book sates my curiosity. It also satisfies my hunger so let's get to the recipe!

Keep in mind that my pictures reflect a double batch.

INGREDIENTS

For the spiced butter:
1 pound unsalted butter
1/2 medium red onion, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
One 3-inch piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
8 basil leaves

Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over low heat, stirring frequently. As foam rises to the top, skim and discard it. Continue cooking, without letting the butter brown, until no more foam appears. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue cooking for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from the heat, let stand for the spices to settle. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve before using.

1/2 cup Spiced Butter (or 1 stick unsalted butter)
2 medium red onions, sliced
two 3-inch pieces ginger, peeled and grated
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 Thai chiles, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped (if you can't find these, just substitute...say, 4 seeded and de-ribbed serrano chiles)
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground coriander
4 cardamom pods
2 bay leaves
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 teaspoon powdered saffron (I omitted the saffron...BUDGET college cook and all)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, cut into 2-inch cubes (i used lamb neck...cheaper and more flavorful...)
6 tomatoes, chopped, or 3 cups chopped canned tomatoes
1 cup coconut milk (I used light coconut milk...I figured with the butter and lamb fat, the dish would be rich enough)
4 cups water
3 large Yukon Gold potatoes (1.5 pounds total), peeled and cut in half
2 cups 2-inch pieces okra
1 cup plain yogurt

(Man. Some little bastard just threw an empty Gatorade bottle through the open, front windows of my apartment. Ughh. Stupid disrespectful bastard kid.)

Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Stir in the onions, ginger, garlic and chiles and saute until the onions are transluscent, about 10 minutes. Add the paprika, coriander, cardamom, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, saffron, turmeric and peppercorns and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the lamb and tomatoes, bring to a simmer, and simmer, uncovered, fro 5 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and 2 cups of the water and bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 1.5 hours. (At this point, I added salt.)

Add the remaining 2 cups of water and simmer, uncovered for 40 minutes. (I didn't understand this part. Why not just add all four cups of water at the same time? Does this make sense to anyone?) Add the potatoes, cover, and simmer until the meat is tender, about 40 minutes longer. (I tasted for salt and adjusted accordingly.)

Add the okra and cook for 10 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat, remove the bay leaves, and stir in the yogurt. (I actually took my yogurt and blended it up with a bit of the hot cooking liquid. I find that when I add yogurt directly to a hot pot of food, I get these little yogurt pebbles...It looks kinda gross. So, to avoid this problem, I take some hot cooking liquid and temper the yogurt with it. The easy way is to just blend it in a blender....maybe a 2:1 ratio of yogurt to hot liquid.)

Re-taste for seasoning.

Done!

Pretty good recipe although there was a self-inflicted problem. The choice of lamb neck...it has fantastic flavor, texture and is very affordable but the amount of marbling in the meat means that there is quite a bit of fat released during cooking. I chose to skim off some of the fat. Normally, this isn't a problem but there is no way to segregate the spiced butter from the lamb fat so, by removing lamb fat, I also removed some spiced butter. This is unfortunate because the spiced butter has such a neat flavor. Next time, I might use a leaner cut of lamb...maybe well trimmed lamb shoulder? Something to keep an eye on but if you use the leg of lamb, as the recipe requests, you should be all right.

This recipe does nothing but encourage me to use this book sometime in the near future.

Time- 40 minutes of prep. This includes making the spiced butter. Actual cooking time is a few hours but it's just inactive simmering. No real work.

Cost- (For my double batch)
Lamb- 4 lb. at $2.99/lb= $12.00
Butter- $2.00 (Not really sure...George bought the butter)
Tomatoes- $3.00
Coconut Milk- $0.89
Potatoes- $2.75
Okra-$3.00
Incidentals- $3.00
Total-$26.64--Double batch serves 12-16 so $2.18-$1.66 per serving.

LOLCat:

More Random Stuff

2008-05-15T13:36:00.001-07:00

San Francisco is in the middle of a heat wave. It is oppressively hot and I hate it. However, when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade! Or, in this case, elderflower soda! An old math professor of mine swears by a gin & tonic with a splash of elderflower syrup and ever since he mentioned this, I've been looking for an excuse/reason to buy some elderflower syrup. Anyhow, elderflower syrup is a pretty common thing in Germany/Austria and one of the most common uses is as an ingredient in homemade soda. Just take soda water (or regular) and mix it with some syrup. My syrup recommends a 5:1 ratio of water:syrup. So what's it taste like? Hard to describe...honeyed peaches, apricots, something floral, maybe a little chamomile. All in all, it tastes VERY familiar even though I've never had it before. I've got a big old bottle in my refrigerator and a couple more ideas. Chocolate truffles, anyone?

The above rectangles are Chinese radish cakes. When I say cake, they're savory, not sweet. They're a pretty common item in dum sum joints and, to me, they're total comfort food. You buy them in thick blocks, cut them into individual serving sizes and cook them. I prefer to cut them thick so you get a nice crust which serves as a pleasing contrast to the creamy interior. Flavored with dried shrimp and, if you're lucky, a bit of Chinese sausage, I love these things.

To help beat the heat, I decided that dinner should be something cool, something which required minimal cooking. I decided on lettuce wraps but instead of doing them in my usual Vietnamese style, I was inspired by a lamb sausage. The local store has some lamb sausages flavored with Middle Eastern spices so that's where I started. I ended up with bulgur pilaf with minced jalapeno, red onion, cilantro, olives and a few capers. I made a dressing from fresh squeezed lemon and lime juice, olive oil, honey, cinnamon and ground coriander seed. Grilled lamb sausage on top. Just grab some lettuce, spoon in some pilaf and a piece of lamb. It turned out sensationally well...sweet and sour from the vinaigrette, spicy from the jalapeno, salty from the olives and capers...some nice char on the lamb sausage, I really couldn't ask for anything more.

edit: some sort of moisture-laden condiment would've been nice...maybe something yogurt based? something to consider for next time...

Sri Lankan White Curry

2008-05-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

Yet another South-Asian vegetable dish. This one is a keeper not only because it's crazy delicious but because it involves a flavor which I don't normally associate with coconut milk curries. The secret ingredient? A bit of fish! The recipe calls for Maldive fish which is "small dried chunks of tuna that are crumbled or shredded and added to many dishes." The authors of the cookbook state that this product can be found in Sri Lankan grocery stores. Terrific, if you have access to a Sri Lankan grocer. Thankfully, they include a substitute, bonito, which is MUCH more widely available. Bonito is a Japanese food ingredient and it is the dried, shredded flesh of a fish in the tuna (or mackerel, I can't seem to find a definitive answer) family. It releases a wonderfully smoky aroma when added to whatever you are cooking and is a basic building block of dashi, the staple Japanese stock. Bonito can be found in any well-stocked Asian grocer or Japanese grocer. Go find some...it's really great stuff.

Anyhow, this dish is GREAT. Phenomenally cheap, REALLY, REALLY delicious and super easy to cook, it is something I encourage ALL of you to try. A definite A++++++ for this recipe. And, click this if you don't know anything about Sri Lanka. C'mon, click it...at least do it so you can figure out where Sri Lanka is on a map!

Oh, and yes, I do realize that "white curry" is somewhat inaccurate...the dish, as you might have noticed has a definite jaundiced hue. "White curry" in Sri Lankan cuisine refers to the presence of coconut milk. There is your fun fact for the day.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes (Waxy potatoes refer to the white-skinned or red skinned potatoes...Russet baking potatoes would NOT be good.)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (maybe an equal amount of curry powder if you can't find fenugreek)
1 teaspoon Maldive fish or substitute bonito flakes, finely ground (I used my spice grinder to pulverize the bonito...works well.)
1/3 cup chopped shallots
2 green chiles, thinly sliced
8-10 curry leaves (no real substitute, omit if you can't find them)
1 teaspoon salt (I used considerably more)
1.5 cups water
1/2 cup canned or fresh coconut milk
1 teaspoon lime juice (use more if you like lime...I added extra because I liked the extra bit of zip)

In a large pot, combine the potatoes, turmeric, fenugreek seeds, Maldive fish or bonito, chopped shallots, chiles, curry leaves and salt. Pour in the water, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender. (Took me about 20 minutes)

Stir in the coconut milk, bring back to a gentle boil. Remove from heat, stir in lime juice. Serve.

See how easy that was? Just dump a bunch of stuff into a pot and cook it. Pretty much dummy proof.

Time- 10 minutes of prep, 25 minutes of inactive cooking time.

Food cost- Too cheap to cost out. The most expensive thing in this recipe might be the $0.89 can of coconut milk.

LOLCat...another classic...there are tons of derivatives based on ceiling cat:

Nepalese Asparagus Stir-Fry

2008-05-07T23:38:00.000-07:00

More South-Asian vegetable goodness. As I type this, I am also watching season 2 of "The Office." The dynamic between Dwight and Jim is priceless. Anyhow, I've got alot of work ahead of me so I better get right to this. Not much to say about this recipe. Pretty simple stir-fry but it is quite tasty. From Mangoes & Curry Leaves Culinary Travels Through The Great Subcontinent.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 pounds of asparagus
1 teaspoon mashed or minced ginger
2 teaspoons mashed or minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons of oil
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (Might be hard to find, I'd say that it's okay to leave it out but the dish won't taste quite as exotic. maybe substitute a few pinches of curry powder)
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1/4 teaspoon turmeric (might be hard to find)
salt
1/2 cup water

Rinse and drain asparagus. Remove the bottoms if they are dried out. (Ever have fibrous, woody asparagus? I break off the bottoms...I just sorta bend the asparagus until the bottoms naturally break. I figure there'll be an organic break point between the tender part and the tough part. The possibility exists that you might lose some good asparagus but better that than woody, inedible asparagus that you have to spit out.)

Mix the ginger, garlic and ground coriander together.
Heat a wok or skillet on med-high. Add oil and, if using, the fenugreek seeds. Add the onion and cook until softened and a little brown. (This took me a good 8 minutes....if your onions are starting to burn but aren't yet soft, just turn the heat down!) Add the garlic/ginger/coriander paste and stir to distribute. Add the asparagus, turmeric and salt. Briefly stir-fry to mix everything together. Add 1/4 cup of water and bring to a boil. (Recipe called for 1/2 cup but I found that excessive.) Cover the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes. (Recipe says 2-3 minutes. 2 minutes was a bit much...I would cook for a minute, taste a piece of asparagus and go from there. Cooking time will, of course, depend on the thickness of the asparagus...mine were quite thin.)

Remove the lid, taste for seasoning and eat!

Time-10 minutes from start to finish.

Food cost-
Asparagus- $3.29
Incidentals- $0.50
Total- $3.79

LOLCat-This one is a classic in the world of LOLCats.

Cucumber Raita

2008-05-07T16:41:00.000-07:00

Standard issue yogurt condiment here. I like eating it plain although it's nice with spicy food. Something about the yogurt helps cool down spicy food. This recipe is from Mangoes & Curry Leaves Culinary Travels Through The Great Subcontinent.

Ingredients

1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 of a peeled English cucumber (1 cup chopped)
Salt
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup coriander leaves or 2 tablespoons mint leaves
Black Pepper

Line a sieve with cheesecloth. Place sieve over a bowl and place the yogurt into the cloth-lined sieve. (I guess you could skip this step but it's cool to see the yogurt's transformation.) Let it drain for 30 minutes.

Finely dice the cucumber. Sprinkle the cucumber with salt, toss and let it sit for 20 minutes.

Transfer the drained yogurt to a bowl and whisk it with a fork. Add the water and whisk until smooth. Add the cucumber but not the juice. Stir the cucumbers into the yogurt. Taste for salt.

Just before serving, cut the mint and add it to the yogurt. Stir it all together and serve.

Time- 30 minutes, much of it inactive.

Cost- Cheap. Very cheap. Not going to cost it out.

Recipe Formatting

2008-05-05T13:15:00.001-07:00

Earlier today, I was on the telephone with my little brother James. He is only somewhat experienced in the kitchen so I trust him to give me the "Average Joe's" feedback regarding my blog and its recipes. We were discussing the new blog format: picture widget--introduction--ingredient list--directions--closing comments. One of his criticisms, a long, meandering descriptive recipe, has been addressed by the new format but he still had something to say regarding the ingredients list. He would like to see something, maybe an asterisk, next to hard to find ingredients. He makes a good point: It is horribly demoralizing to find a recipe and make a shopping list which includes an obscure ingredient but be unable to find/purchase the ingredient. I have been there and, for that very reason, usually go shopping with shopping lists for three or four dishes. If I can't find the special ingredient necessary for dish #1, I shop for dish #2. By providing an asterisk next to a hard to find ingredient, my readers can quickly scan an ingredient list and figure out if the recipe is cookable given their specific situation. I guess I would have to use common sense to determine what is "hard-to-find."

However, the issue of hard-to-find would be negated if I didn't cook such exotic food. One of the main reasons I write this blog is because I am trying to get people (read: fat Americans) out of McDonald's and back into the kitchen. I figure if my readers see a normal guy, such as myself, cooking good food on a regular basis, it might provide the impetus they need to give it a try for themselves. If there is anything I can do to make the transition from fast food restaurant to home cooked meal a little bit easier, I am all for it. The problem, as I mentioned before, is that I like to cook and eat exotically spiced food. How many of you already have ground turmeric, kalonji, ajowain and fenugreek seeds in your pantry? I fear that most of the things I cook are literally foreign to the majority of my readers which puts me in a quandry: Do I start cooking turkey sandwiches and spaghetti to make the recipes friendlier or do I continue on my current path? The clear answer, at least to me, is to cook the food I love to eat and hope others see the light.

During my discussion with James, I pointed out that missing an ingredient shouldn't necessarily prevent someone from executing a recipe because there are usually substitutes. This is where his advice was really, REALLY appreciated. I sometimes forget that I have a great deal more experience cooking than do most of my readers so James used this example: A cooking newbie comes to my blog and finds a recipe for Thai red curry. The newb can't find coconut milk and figures, "How important could it be? I'll leave it out." The result? Inedible disaster. The point is that I can't depend on my readers to figure out for themselves what ingredient is replaceable or omit-able.

In light of James' request, I will start asterisk-ing strange ingredients and, if possible, providing what I think is an acceptable substitute.

Any thoughts?