Vichyssoise (Leek & Potato Soup)
Smoked Trout Spread
Ajitsuki Tamago (Soy Sauce Eggs)
Lobster Onigiri
#OnigiriAction
Washoku
In 2013 Washoku or Traditional Japanese Cuisine was added to the list of intangible cultural heritages by UNESCO in 2013. (United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural, Organization). The organization's explanation of washoku reveals why it is so much more than food, and why it deserves to be enshrined as an invaluable part of world culture. UNESCO defines washoku as a "social practice based on a set of skills, knowledge, practice, and traditions related to the production, processing, preparation and consumption of food." Washoku favors use of natural and mostly local ingredients, such as rice, fish, vegetables and other plants, and emphasizes the seasons with the choice of ingredients and appearance of dishes. I am honored to be working with the Japanese non profit organization, table to table to bring Washoku educational programs to the San Diego area. Stay tuned for Washoku events that I'll be putting on throughout the San Diego area. Come out and join us and learn about washoku and experience how Japanese food culture emphasizes healthy eating and has driven Japanese people to have the longest life expectancy in the world.
Eggplant Ricotta Bake
Golden Plum Sorbet
Summer is Here!!!!
Summer is here and boy is it hot this week! Time for some more sorbets. I made this White nectarine Blueberry Sorbet today
Japanese Pistachio Pesto
This is a great recipe for summer. This versatile pesto can be used on many things. Add more vinegar and it's transformed into a flavorful Chimichurri sauce.
Daikon Fettuccini with Truffle Miso Dressing
Lychee Meyer Lemon Yuzu Koshu Sorbet
Golden Kiwi Lemon Blueberry Sorbet
Ancient Grain Tabouli with Sous Vide Red Beets
I found some beautiful beets at the Farmer's Market today. I bought a bunch of red and golden beets. I peeled them and got them ready for the sous vide. Sous vide works well with beets, it's much different than roasting them. I season them and add balsamic vinegar then put them into vacuum sealed bags. In the sous vide the beets cook in their own juices and seasonings and it multiplies the beet flavor.
Mint Condition
The Wonderful World of Sorbet
Fresh fruit sorbets are wondrous things to eat in the summer, especially when stone fruits come into season. With peach, plum and nectarine season coming up I wanted to polish up my sorbet skills and get ready to make a variety of refreshing summer sorbets. Sorbets mostly require two things: 1) peak of quality fruit 2) sugar. Yes there are sometimes other things that are added but that's pretty much it. I know you think that sugar is bad but it doesn't come out with the same texture if you use a sugar substitute such as honey, agave, or maple syrup. You can however use corn syrup, but I don't use that. The proper ratio of sugar content when you scientifically measure it is 20-30%. A good rule of thumb is to use one cup of sugar for 4 cups of fresh fruit puree. (4:1 Fruit or juice to sugar) I typically use homemade simple syrup to add to fruit purees to make sorbet. You can simply add sugar to your fruit puree and stir or blend until it is thoroughly dissolved. I use simple syrup to make sure all of the sugar molecules are broken down and suspended in liquid form. I also make flavored simple syrups for an additional level of flavor. Adding mint leaves to simple syrup makes a mint flavored syrup that you can use for juleps or to sweeten tea or coffee.
Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower Steaks
Cauliflower Rice Risotto
Golden Heirloom Tomato Soup
Watermelon Lime Ginger Soup
Nothing says summer quite like watermelon. Now that summer is coming upon us it's time to get ready for watermelon! Making watermelon soup is a quick and easy refreshing dish to serve all summer long. It used just a few fresh ingredients and it will be a hit with children and adults alike.
Easy Roasted Chicken for all purpose uses
Chicken remains one of the most economical and healthy protein choices we have available today. Shredded chicken is also one of the most versatile things you can have on hand in your refrigerator to make quick and easy meals at home. I know you can get a rotisserie chicken at your local grocery, but do you actually know how long it has been sitting under the heat lamp at the store and did you know that these are usually pumped full of salt water and other preservatives? It's so easy to roast your own chicken for shredded chicken that you should be doing it at home. We'll be featuring recipes using shredded chicken here in the near future. By roasting your own chicken you also get to control the quality of your chicken and how it's seasoned. A couple of weeks ago my local sprouts had organic whole chickens on sale for .69¢/lb. making a 5 pound chicken under $4.00 which is significantly cheaper than buying an already prepared rotisserie chicken by a long shot.
Preparing the chicken is easy. Simply rub the outside with your favorite EVOO and liberally sprinkle it with salt and pepper. We're not going to be using the skin so we won't be so concerned with making the skin crispy and delicious. I always roast my chicken in a heavy aluminum roasting pan. Put the chicken in the your roasting pan breast side down, cover your pan with foil to keep it from splattering oil all over your oven. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees and put the chicken in when it reaches temperature. Set a time for 25 minutes. We are going to roast the chicken for 15 minutes per pound, so roughly 75 minutes for a 5 lb. chicken. After the first 25 minutes, turn down the oven temperature to 350 degrees and roast for the remainder of the time. When the chicken has finished cooking, it should be fork tender and all of the bones should easily be removed. The chicken will be hot, but use tongs to remove all of the bones and shred the chicken in the roasting pan to incorporate all of the pan juices from the chicken. The chicken should be moist and tender and ready for use in your favorite recipes.
Carrot Ginger Blood Orange Soup
Happy Earth Day everyone! Today is April 22nd, Sunday, so that means the Leucadia Farmer's Market is in session. I found some beautiful organic carrots today so I decided to make a carrot soup. I guess I'm kind of the Encinitas Soup Nazi these days.
Roasted Cauliflower and Leek Soup
If you know me you know I love to browse the farmer's markets to get inspired by the farm fresh produce and products that they showcase. I found these organic leeks and and cauliflower that were so fresh I had to get them.
Asian Mushroom Noodle Salad
Honey Ginger White Balsamic Vinegar Beet & Pear Salad
Butternut Squash Yam Pineapple Coconut Soup
Teriyaki Swordfish Kabobs
Last week Sprouts had swordfish on sale for an unbelievable price of $6.99 per pound. I could not resist and I bought a beautiful 1 ¼ pound filet. They also had pineapples on sale for $1.98 ea. so I bought one of those too. This recipe is an easy one as it will probably take you longer to cut up the peppers onion and pineapple than it will take you to cook the kabobs. The secret is to marinate the swordfish for long enough to get the teriyaki garlic, ginger flavor into the flesh of the fish. I made a fresh Korean style teriyaki sauce, you can of course use your favorite bottled teriyaki sauce. I also made an Asian remoulade for basting and dipping.
Applewood Smoked Pork Loin
Boneless pork loin roasts were on sale this week at Ralph's for $1.99/lb. We got a 3lb. boneless pork loin roast for $6.49. I made a quick brine and brined it for an hour before I put it into the smoker. I smoked it for 2 hours at 225 degrees in the electric smoker over a combination of applewood and cherry wood.
This is a quick way to make a brine and use it immediately to add moisture to lean meats that you want to cook low and slow. By using ice it cools down the brine yet keeps it cold enough that you don't have to worry about refrigerating the meat or poultry and you can immediately bring it to room temperature to cook it ASAP.
Ceviche
Ceviche is quick and easy to make, well relatively quick, you need to let it marinate for at least an hour for the fish to cook in the citrus juices. It's easy to make an Asian variation Ceviche as well by adding coconut milk, mint, diced, mango and a dash of fish sauce to the Ceviche.
Blood Orange Miso Ginger Glaze
This recipe makes a sweet, tart, hot and spicy glaze or dressing that's packed with umami flavors. It makes a great marinade for ceviche as well as a dipping sauce for dumplings. It's quick and easy to make and goes great with fish, chicken and meats.
Asian Chili
As we get ready for the NFL Playoffs and other football related food activities, many people turn to making Chili. Whether you're tailgating or just cooking for a crowd, Chili is certainly a crowd pleaser. I decided there should be an Asian themed Fusion Chili so with some inspiration from my daughter Krystle I decided to throw one together. For this recipe you can buy everything at your local Trader Joe's store.
Ingredients:
1 can diced and fire Roasted Tomatoes with green Chiles
1 jar Thai Green Curry Simmer Sauce
2 Cans each White Kidney Beans, Black Beans, Garbanzo Beans
2- whole Chipotle peppers with some adobo Sauce, diced
1- Fresh Jalapeño pepper, diced
2- Fresh Green Bell Peppers, diced
8-10 sliced Shishito Peppers with seeds, sliced, remove stems
1- Whole Medium Red Onion, Diced
1- Tsp Fresh Ginger, Peeled and diced
1/2 Bag (4 oz) Candied Ginger Pieces
1/2 Bag, (8 oz) Frozen Mango Chunks
1 whole Yam or sweet potato, peeled and finely diced
1/4 teaspoon Yuzu hot sauce
2 Tablespoons Red (Aka Miso) or Dashi Miso
1/4 teaspoon fish sauce
1/8 cup Soy Sauce
2 Tablespoons Ponzu Sauce
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
Options:
1- Can Corn
1- peeled and diced medium Yukon Gold Potato
1- Tablespoon Mango Ginger Chutney
Chunks of Paneer (Indian Cheese) or cheese curds (white cheddar)
Yes, I know there is a lot of ingredients in this, but believe me each one adds something. This is pretty easy to make and it doesn't take a lot of preparation.
Put some EVOO or your favorite oil into a large stock pot and turn your burner to low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until it's translucent, then add the peppers, (if you want more heat add the seeds from the jalapeño), fresh ginger, and diced yam or sweet potato. Add all of the canned ingredients, and mix well. Add the Chipotle, and candied ginger, Yuzu hot sauce, soy sauce, ponzu, miso, fish sauce, and Thai Green Curry Simmer Sauce. Cook at least until the sweet potatoes are tender and cooked through. When the sweet potatoes are finished cooking, add the frozen mango chunks and stir well to incorporate. Simmer with the lid off until the chili reaches your desired consistency. Make sure you taste it as it cooks, We're going for a sweet, hot, and sour flavor profile with lots of umami hints. It will also get hotter (spicy hot) as it cooks. It will start out White Girl Spicy, but can easily progress to Brown Girl Spicy.
To serve it, add it rice crackers and crunchy wasabi peas with fresh cilantro and mint to add some crunch and freshness. You can add sour cream, Mexican Crema, Creme Fraiche, or Greek Yogurt.
This Chili would be great on a spicy sausage on a sweet Hawaiian Roll with Kimchi, or in a Burrito with grilled chicken and cilantro-lime rice. The possibilities are endless.
Sushi Omakase
Omakase simply means Chef's choice. Sushi Omakase is the essential way to enjoy sushi, just put your faith in the chef and he'll serve you the freshest and most delicious fish that they have in stock. It most cases it will probably be very expensive and in some cases very, very expensive. At it's essence sushi is the purest form of cooking, it requires pristine ingredients and meticulous preparation. Recently I was lucky enough to experience a Japanesque Omakase Sushi experience in the historical hutong area of Beijing.
Surf & Turf
My friend Bill Coy is an avid fisherman and I'm enough on his good side that he gives me some of his fresh catch when he goes fishing. This time he gave us some fresh Ono. I made a Greek style remoulade that features fresh oregano, garlic, mint, parsley, and lemon zest, combined with Mt. Olympus dry seasoning from the Savory Spice shop and garlic olive oil. I coated the Ono in the remoulade too keep it moist as it's grilled as well as to keep it from sticking on the grill.
For those who have never eaten Ono, it's a mild white fish native to the Pacific and commonly found near Hawaii. It's a close relative to the King Mackerel. It's also know as Wahoo. In Hawaiian Ono means "sweet, very good to eat" and it certainly is. It cooks up snow white with a tuna like texture eaten raw in sushi and sashimi, it has a smooth mouth feel and buttery taste.
We combined the Ono with petite filet mignon seasoned simply with smoked salt and fresh ground black pepper.
For those who have never eaten Ono, it's a mild white fish native to the Pacific and commonly found near Hawaii. It's a close relative to the King Mackerel. It's also know as Wahoo. In Hawaiian Ono means "sweet, very good to eat" and it certainly is. It cooks up snow white with a tuna like texture eaten raw in sushi and sashimi, it has a smooth mouth feel and buttery taste.
We combined the Ono with petite filet mignon seasoned simply with smoked salt and fresh ground black pepper.
Smoked Turkey
It's easy to smoke meats especially if you have an electric smoker and plenty of time. The key to a succulent smoked turkey is brining before you cook it. We used a standard brine that is cooked to make sure the flavors meld and that all the salt and sugars are dissolved.
- 1 gallon vegetable broth, homemade or canned.
- 1 cup kosher salt.
- ½ cup packed brown sugar, light or dark.
- ½ cup Honey
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns.
- 6 cloves of garlic cup of honey
- 8 Bay Leaves
- Zest and juice of 3 lemons
Brined porkloin, rubbed with olive oil and then dry seasoned ready for smoking. Smoke until the interior temperature reaches 140 degrees.
Once the interior temperature reaches 140 degrees, remove from the smoker and let rest for 30 minutes. If you prefer you pork loin cooked less, (like I do) cook it to 130 degrees then removed and let it rest covered under a drape of foil.
Cajun Grilled Scallops with White Bean Artichoke Puree
Scallops were on sale at Sprouts for $8.99/lb. You can easily cook delicious scallops at home. They may seem intimidating but by using a couple of simple tips you can cooks them flawlessly. I made a white bean artichoke puree to serve with the scallops. You can put together the puree while the scallops cook.
Sousvide Fresh Ahi Tuna Salad
Sousvide is a great way to cook tuna to make your own tuna salad. Once you try it you may not use canned albacore again. Sousvide tuna steaks are much juicier and tender than canned tuna and you can also add your own seasonings to kick your tuna salad up a notch or two. As I'm trying to stay carb and starch free for the most part, I added the tuna salad to power greens and made a salad instead of a sandwich. Don't worry I'll also probably make sandwiches too.
5 Minute Power Soup
You can make a quick and nutritious soup in 5 minutes or less. It features many of the same seasonings that we used in the white bean puree. You can use other types of beans as well but I like the taste and texture of white beans. I also used red miso to add more depth of flavor. Feel free to add as much greens as you like to your soup. In Italy is common to see beans served just with olive oil and seasonings. This is kind of a riff on this. I turned it into a soup by adding enough vegetable broth to just cover the beans. I also used the entire can of beans, brine and all. You need to add some heat to enhance the flavors so I used both sambal and Yuzu hot sauce. This is so easy! just put the beans in the pot and heat with the olive oil and seasonings to taste. Once the soup comes to a boil turn it off and add your greens to wilt them into the soup and that's it! literally 5 minutes and so delicious and healthy!
White Bean Puree (Hummus)
I made a simple but flavorful white bean puree that has multiple uses, that is if you don't eat it all with a spoon immediately after you make it. This is literally a 5 minute recipe. It should last for at least a week in the fridge. You can use this as a great spread as an appetizer, you can use it as a base for a salad dressing by adding EVOO and vinegar and whisking to emulsify, you can add use it as a base for a soup, smear it on your plate as a base for a juicy steak, spread it on your sandwiches, use it as a base for a yummy vegetable sandwich and I'm sure you'll come up with more uses. I used Cannellini (white kidney beans) which is packed in a brine. Drain the beans you don't need to use the added salt from the beans. I used 4 cloves of fresh garlic, if you use roasted garlic it will give your puree an added depth of flavor. I used one teaspoon of white miso paste, white miso is milder than red miso and less salty than dashi miso. I'll write a post about miso so you can learn all about miso and why you should be using it. Throw everything in your processor and grind until smooth. Add your seasonings one at a time and add to taste that way you can tailor it to how you like it. Feel free to tweek it as you like. For a more Peruvian flavor you can add Aji Amarillo hot sauce. For a more Asian flavor you can add ginger and wasabi. Have fun with it.
Vishyssoise (Leek & Potato Soup-Hot or Cold)
Leek & Potato Soup is one of my favorites especially when leeks at the farmer's market look so good and fresh. Vishyssoise is made with only a few ingredients usually and I simplified it even more but not using any dairy ingredients, except for a bit of butter. I added fresh ginger and white miso for umami flavor and the addition of a variation on the Lemon Chimichurri brightens up the soup hot or cold.
By adding fresh mint and oregano to the lemon chimichurri in the recipe below, you now have a completely different tasting refreshing condiment for your soup.
Lemon Chimichurri Grilled Swordfish
Chimichurri sauce is usually associated with beef or chicken and is a traditional sauce made by Argentinean gauchos who wanted a bright, piquant sauce that would help cut the richness of open wood fire grilled beef, chicken, pork and lamb. I made a variation of Chimichurri adapted for fish and seafood. It features lemon and uses just a splash of red wine vinegar. I used mostly traditional Chimichurri ingredients: Parsley, Cilantro, garlic, Olive Oil, red vinegar, red chili flakes, but I also added the zest of one whole lemon and the juice of 1/3 of a fresh lemon, and 1 whole shallot minced. I also added 1 teaspoon of fish sauce to add umami flavor (do not omit the fish sauce, trust me on this) Traditional Chimichurri also uses oregano which you can also add, I didn't have any so i didn't use any. You should also let your Chimichurri sauce sit a bit to let the flavors come together it will mellow a bit as it gets older. You can also freeze your Chimichurri Sauce. This Chimichurri sauce is also a great dressing for potato salad (and so is the remoulade). I'll make that later! Enjoy this Chimichurri Recipe and I'm sure you'll find Chimichurri is a versatile sauce that you'll find plenty of uses for.
Ingredients:
1 bunch of Cilantro
1 bunch of Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
4 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 Shallot, minced
Zest of 1 medium Lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
pinch of salt (optional)
Red pepper flakes to taste (I used smoked chipotle pepper flakes)
dash of Red Wine Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Fish Sauce (not optional)
Should yield 1 1/2 to 2 cups of Lemon Chimichurri Sauce
1 bunch of Cilantro
1 bunch of Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
4 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1 Shallot, minced
Zest of 1 medium Lemon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
pinch of salt (optional)
Red pepper flakes to taste (I used smoked chipotle pepper flakes)
dash of Red Wine Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Fish Sauce (not optional)
Should yield 1 1/2 to 2 cups of Lemon Chimichurri Sauce
Vegetarian Butternut Squash Laksa
Laksa is a Malaysian/Singaporean comfort food. It's sweet, spicy, sour, rich and tasty with coconut notes, fruit notes and hints of chili. If you want to add shrimp to this or even chunks of fish that would be OK too. This version is all vegetable and healthy. It features guavas which are a super food and tumeric which is a known anti inflammatory agent. For our protein we are using baked Tofu. Traditioan Laksa often includes a hard boiled egg as well. I didn't have any fresh eggs so I didn't add one. The egg adds another layer of richness to the soup.
The Original OG Foodie we all grew up with
Cookie Monster is also getting his own cooking show on Sesame Street. Who better to teach kids and adults about food than our favorite blue furry monster? On Cookie Monster's cooking show, he runs a food truck and visits farms and factories to show kids where the food on their plates comes from. Next Cookie Monster will be competing on Beat Bobby Flay and I bet he'll be making something cookie centric.
Lemongrass, Ginger, Miso, Cream of Celery & Pear Soup
Celery was on sale this week at the Zion Market for the ridiculous price of 3 bunches for 99 cents so I thought I'd make some soup. Celery is an underutilized vegetable. In this soup Celery is the star with the help of some umami flavor from miso, some acidity from the minced lemongrass and spice from fresh ginger. I used pears to add sweetness as well as richness. For cream soups I don't like to use cream, so I thicken my soups with potatoes. I use russets as they are the starchiest and most of the time the cheapest. This soup is super easy to make. Peel the ginger (use a spoon not a knife) and grate the ginger and save the juice as well. Peel the potatoes and roughly dice. Cut the pears in half and remove the seeds and tough stem, no need to peel, then roughly chop the pear into smaller bits. Dice the celery into roughly 1/4" pieces, leaves and all. Once you have all these prepared, dice the onion and garlic and sautée in the pot with some olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add 1 cup of dry white wine and stir until it is all incorporated. Then you can dump in the rest of the diced ingredients followed by the broth. You can use either vegetarian or chicken broth. Add the zest of one whole lemon and the juice of half of it. Turn the heat down to simmer, cover the pot and simmer until the pears and potatoes are fork tender. Add 2 tablespoons of Shiro (white) Miso along with 1 teaspoon of minced thai lemongrass. I also added a healthy dash of yuzu hot sauce to add some kick. Blend with your immersion blender until smooth. Garnish with Katsuo Mirin Furikake (dried, smoked bonito flakes with seaweed and sesame seeds) and togarashi red pepper.
Tandoori Roasted Butternut Squash & Cauliflower Soup
Click on the above window to see how easy it is to make this soup. It's vegetarian friendly and spicy and delicious. I used a ready made tandoori spice mix to give it some Indian heat.
French Onion Soup with a Twist
Today I made Vegetarian French Onion soup. Traditionally French Onion Soup is made with rich, beef stock sometimes fortified with a bit of demiglace or veal stock. I wanted to make a vegetarian friendly version so I was looking for a way to enhance the richness of the vegetable stock to mimic beefy goodness. I used red miso to provide both umami and a rich flavor profile. As the red miso is salty, I did not use any salt, just togarashi pepper and smoked black pepper. To enhance the flavor I added some not so typical asian tastes such as lemon grass and some heat from Yuzu hot sauce. From beginning to end this soup took about 40 minutes to complete. We all know the best part of French Onion Soup is the croutons and cheese on top. I like to use Gruyere and crusty French Bread.
Guavas Guavas Guavas
Guavas are now in peak season. Farmer's markets throughout San Diego will be bustling with farmers selling their ripe guavas. Like most people the only relationship we've had with guavas is in the form of guava nectar that we see in the cartons of Kern's Nectars in the dairy section of the grocery store or with guava jam. Guavas are grown in tropical and subtropical climates. Native to Mexico and Central and South America, Guavas are a staple in tropical cuisines. Guavas have amazing health benefits as well.
Guava is a good source of energy, dietary fiber, and vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin C, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, thiamine, and riboflavin. It also contains essential minerals like calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, and potassium.
One of the most important benefits of adding guava to your diet is its ability to inhibit the growth and metastasis of cancerous cells. There have been numerous studies done in recent years on guava’s effects primarily on prostate, breast, and oral cancers. Guava leaf oil acts as an antiproliferative and has actually proven to be more effective than some leading modern medicines in reducing cancer cell growth. Guavas are also rich in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that can reduce prostate cancer risk. The same antioxidant has also shown its efficacy in inhibiting the growth of breast cancer cells, though more tests are to be done to support this finding.
We should be putting a big red "S" on guavas as they are an unheralded superfood. You can eat them whole skin and all. They smell fragrant and sweet when they are properly ripe eat some while they are in season.
One of the most important benefits of adding guava to your diet is its ability to inhibit the growth and metastasis of cancerous cells. There have been numerous studies done in recent years on guava’s effects primarily on prostate, breast, and oral cancers. Guava leaf oil acts as an antiproliferative and has actually proven to be more effective than some leading modern medicines in reducing cancer cell growth. Guavas are also rich in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that can reduce prostate cancer risk. The same antioxidant has also shown its efficacy in inhibiting the growth of breast cancer cells, though more tests are to be done to support this finding.
We should be putting a big red "S" on guavas as they are an unheralded superfood. You can eat them whole skin and all. They smell fragrant and sweet when they are properly ripe eat some while they are in season.
Farmer's Market Flat Bread
There are usually fewer vendors at the Wednesday Market but you can always find fresh ,organic, peak of the season fruits and vegetables as well as some killer prepared foods.
I met Daniel Vereker of Nicolau Farms Artisan Cheese. They produce artisan goat's milk and cow's milk cheeses. He let me sample all of their flavors of Chèvre. Great Chèvre comes from happy goats. I chose their Honey Lavender Chèvre for my roasted beet & arugula salad ( will post later) as well as my farmer's market flatbread. You can learn all about Nicolau's happy goats at www.nicolaufarms.com |
Every Wednesday night I'm blessed as I have 2 farmer's markets close by. Encinitas Station Farmer's Market runs from 4:00 -7:00 & Carlsbad Village Farmer's Market runs from 3:00-7:00. Last night after my walk on the beach I stopped by the Encinitas Station Farmer's Market to see what they had. I hadn't been in a long time and I was pleasantly surprised. As I typically do when I visit the farmer's market I get inspired by what I find that day. In the video below you'll see how I made great organic ingredients with minimal transformation into a satisfying, quick and easy dinner.
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These definitely are one of my favorite fruits
Kiwi berries are in season now. They are more than just miniature kiwis without the fuzzy skin. They are packed with more vitamin C than an orange, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin B2 and fiber. They taste just like their larger cousins but are sweeter. Native to Japan, Korea, Siberia, and Northern China, they are now being grown in Oregon, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Washington, and Maryland. They have a short season September through early October. I got mine at Sam's Club get yours ASAP. Put them in salads, cocktails and just enjoy eating them out of hand. Put some in your kid's school lunch and they will be the coolest kids in school.
Garlic Shrimp with Spicy Haricot Vert (Green Beans)
This recipe only uses 3 ingredients for the most part. 1-Sambol Oleek (Garlic, Chile Sauce) Teriyaki Glaze, Fresh Minced Garlic. We blanched the Haricot Vert in boiling salted water then to stop the cooking we immediately quenched them in an ice bath. The shrimp were marinated in teriyaki glaze and 2 cloves of minced garlic for at least 20 minutes. For two servings of Potato Cheese Galatte, we used one medium russet potato and shredded cheese. Start the potato galette first as it will take the longest time to cook. Peel your potato and slice very thinly, use a mandolin if so inclined. Then soak the sliced potato for 5-10 minutes to remove excess potato starch then drain and dry the potato slices. Start a nonstick fry pan on low heat and add 1 tsp of olive oil and 1 tsp of butter to the pan, when the butter is melted, add the sliced potatoes in a thin layer over the entire pan. Cover and let cook for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes add shredded cheese, as much as you like and cover again. For the Haricot vert sauce, we mixed 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced, 1 Tablespoon of Sambal Oleek with 3 tablespoons of teriyaki glaze. The sauce should be thick. Add 1 tsp of EVOO to a sauce pan and heat until shimmering, then add one tsp of butter, this is optional, but if you use it it will add a nice mouth feel to the green beans. Then add the Sambal/teriyaki garlic mixture and marinated shrimp cook the shrimp for 1 minute on each side then add the green beans and stir to coat everything evenly. When the green beans are heated through you're ready to plate. Turn up the heat on the potato galette and cook the bottom until it is golden brown and crispy. then cut it and serve hot with the green beans and shrimp.
Blackened Rockfish with Grilled Artichokes
Today I made blacked rockfish with grilled artichokes. The secret to good grilled artichokes is to either steam them or microwave them first before grilling them. By cooking them first with moisture they will not dry out on the grill. As with most of my recipes, we layer flavors starting with the base layer of olive oil. Use you favorite blackening spice rub and evenly coat both sides of the fish after it's been rubbed with oil on both sides. As with any protein, let the marinate/dry rub do its thing for a minimum of 20 minutes.
I made a simple chipotle remoulade for the artichoke with only 4 ingredients: ¼ cup mayonnaise, I clove of garlic, finely minced, Dried Cumin to taste and 1 Tablespoon of Chipotle pepper with adobo sauce, also finely minced. Mix all the ingredients and let sit in the refrigerator for a minimum of 20 minutes to let the flavors come together.
To prepare the artichoke, trim off the sharp ends of the leaves and trim the stem as desired, don't forget that if your artichoke is fresh you can eat most of the stem, if it's a bit older and dried out just cut it off. Drench the artichoke with water, making sure you get the entire inside of the artichoke wet. Artichokes are one thing that the microwave cooks extremely well. I know Maddie hates the microwave, and she does have many valid points as to why she doesn't use it, but that being said, if you have a microwave try cooking your artichokes in it. Here's how you do it. Place you trimmed and wet artichoke in a microwave safe bowl with a ¼" of water at the bottom. Cover the artichoke with plastic wrap so it is sealed inside the bowl. Cook the artichoke on high for 10 minutes. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then remove the plastic wrap, be careful it will be really hot. Drain the water from the artichoke and carefully cut it in half. Use a small spoon to remove the choke in the middle of the artichoke and discard the choke and the fuzzy part. Now your artichoke is cooked and ready for the grill.
Fire up your grill and while it is heating up, get out the remoulade and coat both sides of the fish with it and also the flat side of the artichoke. When your grill is hot put the fish and the artichokes onto the grill and let the fish cook on one side for 3 minutes. The fish will cook pretty fast so don't walk too far away. Flip the fish over and cook on the other side for only 1-2 minutes until the fish flakes easily. By coating the fish with the remoulade it keeps it moist and keeps it from sticking to the grill. The remoulade also ties all of the flavors together.
I made a simple chipotle remoulade for the artichoke with only 4 ingredients: ¼ cup mayonnaise, I clove of garlic, finely minced, Dried Cumin to taste and 1 Tablespoon of Chipotle pepper with adobo sauce, also finely minced. Mix all the ingredients and let sit in the refrigerator for a minimum of 20 minutes to let the flavors come together.
To prepare the artichoke, trim off the sharp ends of the leaves and trim the stem as desired, don't forget that if your artichoke is fresh you can eat most of the stem, if it's a bit older and dried out just cut it off. Drench the artichoke with water, making sure you get the entire inside of the artichoke wet. Artichokes are one thing that the microwave cooks extremely well. I know Maddie hates the microwave, and she does have many valid points as to why she doesn't use it, but that being said, if you have a microwave try cooking your artichokes in it. Here's how you do it. Place you trimmed and wet artichoke in a microwave safe bowl with a ¼" of water at the bottom. Cover the artichoke with plastic wrap so it is sealed inside the bowl. Cook the artichoke on high for 10 minutes. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then remove the plastic wrap, be careful it will be really hot. Drain the water from the artichoke and carefully cut it in half. Use a small spoon to remove the choke in the middle of the artichoke and discard the choke and the fuzzy part. Now your artichoke is cooked and ready for the grill.
Fire up your grill and while it is heating up, get out the remoulade and coat both sides of the fish with it and also the flat side of the artichoke. When your grill is hot put the fish and the artichokes onto the grill and let the fish cook on one side for 3 minutes. The fish will cook pretty fast so don't walk too far away. Flip the fish over and cook on the other side for only 1-2 minutes until the fish flakes easily. By coating the fish with the remoulade it keeps it moist and keeps it from sticking to the grill. The remoulade also ties all of the flavors together.
Asian Fusion Mushroom Artichoke Soup
I know it's been a while since I posted a recipe, truth is I haven't been cooking ( or eating) much lately, but here's a new vegan friendly soup recipe that combines a variety of milder Asian mushrooms with Miso and Artichoke hearts. It's vegetarian and vegan friendly and makes a great starter soup. You can find Beech mushrooms in your local Asian grocery stores. Beech mushrooms grow on fallen beech trees and are commonly grown in Japan and China. They have a mild flavor and chewy texture. Beech Mushrooms are one of the only natural sources of vitamin D. Miso provides a lot of umami flavor so you really don't need to add any additional salt. I always add a bit of salt when i sauté onions as the salt draws out liquid and enhances the sweetness of the onions. As you know I am a big proponent of layering flavors and seasonings, and as you season each layer make sure you taste each layer for seasoning, that way at the end you don't have to add much if any seasoning and you don't have to worry about over salting.
Chinese Supermarkets
Chinese supermarkets are not really so different to ours. In fact some Western supermarket chains are common in China, both Carrefour from France and Tesco from the UK have supermarkets in China. Both Carrefour and Tesco have more than just groceries, they pretty much have everything ala Walmart, which they also have but not so many.
Chinese supermarkets, even the local Chinese chains such as Wumart pretty much are on par with Western supermarkets. The one thing that is interesting is that the Chinese love snacks and they group all the snack items together in one glorious homage to junk foods. There are potato chips and cookies from all over the world with flavors you can only imagine.
Porkilicious bits in the local supermarket
The Chinese have a long history with pigs. Historians say the first wild boars were domesticated in Southern China some 10,000 years ago. Miniature clay pigs were found in Han dynasty graves as far back as 206BC. Pigs have been at the center of Chinese family life, culture and cuisine for thousands of years. From trotter to tail Chinese eat the entire pig and the pig's face is considered a delicacy.
China produces and consumers more than 500 Million pigs per year, which is about half of the world's consumption. As China's prosperity grows so does China's appetite for pork. In 1949 the average Chinese citizen gleaned only 3% of their calories from meat. Many Chinese baby boomers only ate meat 2-3 times per year for special occasions. Eating meat became of symbol of prosperity and success and eating meat has become a symbol of triumphing over hardship. Today the average Chinese citizen eats 39kg of pork per year, or about a third of an entire pig, which is even more than the average American and 5X more per capita than in 1979. China's appetite for pigs has sweeping global impact as fields around the world are being purchased to grow porcine feed stocks. More than half of the worlds arable land is allocated to support Chinese feedstocks. Livestock emissions (pig and cow farts) account for a significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change. Hormone administration to livestock has also contributed to the advent of global superbugs and antibiotic resistant strains of diseases. A few in China—a very few—are beginning to question the benefits of eating more and more pork. Meat consumption is beginning to plateau among the very rich; health scares have boosted sales of organic food, though it still accounts for a tiny share of agricultural production. Vegetarianism is growing, but is generally thought eccentric. The ambition of most Chinese continues to be to devour as large a slice of the pork pie as possible. In much of the rich world meat consumption is stable or falling but in the Middle Kingdom it soars unrestrained.
I think Maddie is on the right track, we shouldn't be eating as much meat and should be moving towards eating a more sustainable vegetable based diet. As the Chinese become more prosperous they will soon turn to eating more and more organically raised and will soon be turning back to the ways of eating of their ancestors. It's the circle of life.
China produces and consumers more than 500 Million pigs per year, which is about half of the world's consumption. As China's prosperity grows so does China's appetite for pork. In 1949 the average Chinese citizen gleaned only 3% of their calories from meat. Many Chinese baby boomers only ate meat 2-3 times per year for special occasions. Eating meat became of symbol of prosperity and success and eating meat has become a symbol of triumphing over hardship. Today the average Chinese citizen eats 39kg of pork per year, or about a third of an entire pig, which is even more than the average American and 5X more per capita than in 1979. China's appetite for pigs has sweeping global impact as fields around the world are being purchased to grow porcine feed stocks. More than half of the worlds arable land is allocated to support Chinese feedstocks. Livestock emissions (pig and cow farts) account for a significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change. Hormone administration to livestock has also contributed to the advent of global superbugs and antibiotic resistant strains of diseases. A few in China—a very few—are beginning to question the benefits of eating more and more pork. Meat consumption is beginning to plateau among the very rich; health scares have boosted sales of organic food, though it still accounts for a tiny share of agricultural production. Vegetarianism is growing, but is generally thought eccentric. The ambition of most Chinese continues to be to devour as large a slice of the pork pie as possible. In much of the rich world meat consumption is stable or falling but in the Middle Kingdom it soars unrestrained.
I think Maddie is on the right track, we shouldn't be eating as much meat and should be moving towards eating a more sustainable vegetable based diet. As the Chinese become more prosperous they will soon turn to eating more and more organically raised and will soon be turning back to the ways of eating of their ancestors. It's the circle of life.
Global Hipster Coffee House Chain
Next time you're traveling in Asia and/or Europe, visit one of these local coffee houses some are open 24 hours and all feature free WiFi access and food.
Dim Sum
Dim Sum is the classic Cantonese lunch which started with yum cha or drinking tea. During the 3rd century all along the silk road tea houses were set up as places for weary travelers to rest. It was discovered that tea was a great digestive aid so these tea houses began to serve small snacks with tea. For all the hipsters out there, Dim Sum was the original Tapas, small plates with a variety of dishes that are steamed, braised, stewed and fried.
The unique culinary art dim sum originated with the Cantonese in southern China, who over the centuries transformed yum cha from a relaxing respite to a loud and happy dining experience. In Hong Kong, and in most cities and towns in Guangdong province, many restaurants start serving dim sum as early as five in the morning. It is a tradition for the elderly to gather to eat dim sum after morning exercises. For many in southern China, yum cha is treated as a weekend family day. More traditional dim sum restaurants typically serve dim sum until mid-afternoon. However, in modern society, it has become commonplace for restaurants to serve dim sum at dinner time (hipsters); various dim sum items are even sold as take-out for students and office workers on the go.
The unique culinary art dim sum originated with the Cantonese in southern China, who over the centuries transformed yum cha from a relaxing respite to a loud and happy dining experience. In Hong Kong, and in most cities and towns in Guangdong province, many restaurants start serving dim sum as early as five in the morning. It is a tradition for the elderly to gather to eat dim sum after morning exercises. For many in southern China, yum cha is treated as a weekend family day. More traditional dim sum restaurants typically serve dim sum until mid-afternoon. However, in modern society, it has become commonplace for restaurants to serve dim sum at dinner time (hipsters); various dim sum items are even sold as take-out for students and office workers on the go.
There are number of Dim Sum spots in San Diego some upscale hipster and some hole in the walls. So far I've only been to Dumpling Inn for Xiao long bao, which in itself is suddenly hipster now.
Here's what we are looking forward to when DTF opens at UTC later this year (hopefully)
Din Tai Fung is the worldwide undisputed king of Xiao Long Bao with locations in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, and Thailand. Founded in Taiwan in 1958 DTF has spread out throughout the world with critical acclaim. The Hong Kong branch received it's first Michelin Star in 2010. If the grand opening of other locations are any indication we can expect hours long waits at the new branch opening at UTC.
Sous Vide Boneless Leg of Lamb
I cooked boneless leg of lamb with Chimichurri rub. Fresh shallots and chopped garlic was combined with lemongrass, dried Chimichurri seasoning (parsley, red pepper flakes, oregano) Litchi passion fruit balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar, ponzu sauce, & a dash of fish sauce for extra umami flavor. The Chimichurri was allowed to sit for 2 hours to let the flavors blend. Remove the elastic net without cutting it as we will use it bind the leg closed after we season the inside. Open up the boned leg and butterfly it to even out the thickness of the meat so it can cook evenly. Season the outside with smoked salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Rub the Chimichurri paste on the inside of the leg and roll it back up and slide the elastic net back over the rolled leg. Place the leg into a zip lock bag and use the water displacement method to remove all of the air from the bag and seal it up. Let it marinate at least 2 hours (overnight is better). when you're ready to cook take the leg of lamb out of the fridge to bring it up to room temp. Preheat the Sous Vide to 132° F to get ready to cook the lamb. I like my lamb medium rare and that's 132° degrees. Put the room temp lamb into the Sous Vide when it comes to temperature and set your timer for 3 hours. If you like you can cook your lamb for up to 8 hours. After your lamb is cooked, remove it from the bag and save any juices for sauce, (we'll get to that later) and dry the leg thoroughly as wet meat is the enemy of good browning. Preheat your oven to 450°F and cook the outside of the roast turning it so it browns on all sides. Alternatively you can brown it on the stove top in a heavy skillet. Back to the sauce, take the juices from the lab and add it to 1 cup of red wine and simmer on the stove top until it is reduced by half. Add butter to taste and to smooth out the sauce. If you like you can also add some finely chopped fresh mint to the sauce. You can also make a variant of this sauce by adding some Blackberry jam to the sauce and dissolving it into the sauce.
Summertime Favorite Watermelon
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Perhaps nothing represents summer better than ice cold watermelon. Watermelon is the most popular melon consumed by Americans by a huge margin. The first recorded watermelon harvest was in Egypt over 5,000 years ago. Cleopatra probably seduced Marc Antony with watermelon. The Watermelon Advisory Board, at www.watermelon.org is a great source to learn about all things watermelon. You can keep up with all the latest watermelon related news by signing up for "the slice" their very own watermelon blog. You have to check out the section on watermelon carving for sure. There is also a compendium of watermelon recipes that use watermelon in ways you've never thought about.
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Watermelon at its most basic, just sliced and chilled is delicious and refreshing. With some simple enhancements you can kick up the flavor of your favorite red melon a couple of notches. Salt and pepper, yes black pepper, enhances the flavor of most summer fruits, you should also just try stone fruit (peaches, plums, apricots & nectarines) with some fresh cracked black pepper. Use some fresh julienned mint to enhance the flavor of your watermelon. You can also grill your melon on a screaming hot grill or caramelize or Brûlée it with brown sugar and your favorite blow torch. Watermelon is a great ingredient to add to Poke and ceviche-Are you listening Poke places?
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I like to peel my watermelon, that way I know I have gotten all of the rind off with minimal cutting into the sweet red flesh. You need a sharp knife to "peel" your watermelon but your knives should be sharp anyway, as a sharp knife is a safe knife, in fact the sharper it is the safer it is as you don't have to use much force to cut, use of too much force can result in knife slippage and loss of control and that's when you're more likely to cut yourself. To start you cut off the bottom of the watermelon so that it can sit up right on your cutting board. then cut off just the very top of the watermelon so you can get an idea of how thick the rind is. Then just cut down from top to bottom following the curve of the melon. Don't worry if you leave some of the white pith of the rind on, as you can go back and shave the pith off later. Once your melon is completely peeled you can cut it into smaller pieces in any way you like.
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Porkilicious Sous Vide
I found pork on sale this week at Ralphs 50% off all pork roasts, chops, shoulders and other assorted porcine parts. I picked up some pre-seasoned applewood smoke flavored St. Louis ribs and a Santa Maria seasoned petite boneless shoulder. As they were already vacuumed packed I thought they would be ideal candidates for sous vide. I put them both into ziplock bags as I didn't want the stickers and labels to come off in the water and potentially gum up my Anova sous vide. I cooked them at 170° for 8 hours.
After 8 hours the shoulder was juicy and tender, as no juices can escape the confines of both the vacuum bag and ziplock bag. It was easily shredded with the dual fork technique and the juices made a flavorful jus for the smoky seasoned pulled pork. I'll Probably hit the ribs with the torch before eating them to get a little bark on them.
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with an 8 hour cooking time we cover the sous vide vessel to reduce evaporation
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Post Torching St. Louis Ribs
Ribs with Cheesy Cauliflower
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Dog Days of Summer
Summer is for BBQ's at the beach and in the backyard, baseball at the park and stadium. Perhaps the quintessential food of summer is the hot dog. We grill them, boil them, steam them, and dress them up and eat them plain. There are bratwursts, Italian sausages, Hot Links and even Dodger Dogs.
The traditional all beef Chicago Dog with sport peppers, fluorescent green relish, onions, dill pickle, on a steamed poppy seed roll. It's usually served with tomatoes and a sprinkle of celery salt. Never put Ketchup on a Chicago dog.
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Los Angeles isn't widely recognized as a haven for hot dogs but we have our own signature hot dog, the L.A. Street dog, made famous by street vendors selling them on the corners in downtown L.A. The LA Street dog is an all beef dog wrapped in bacon and served with grilled onions and grilled jalapeños. You can smell them cooking from a mile away. If you've ever been to an event at the Staples Center, you've no doubt smelled these cooking. They usually sell for $4 ea. but if you bargain hard you can get two for $6 if the lady likes you.
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Japadog was born in Vancouver, BC in 2005. An ambitious couple moved to Vancouver from Japan with the dream to create a world famous food stand. They froze in the early years selling their Japanese style hot dogs in the cold Vancouver winters. Their persistance paid off and their popularity grew by word of mouth. Some days they had to close early because their hands became numb from serving so many hot dogs. During the Vancouver Olympics people waited for more than two hours for a Japadog. If you're in Vancouver or Los Angeles you have to try a Japadog.
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5 minute Dinner for 4
By using a preached, prepared salad mix and a rotisserie chicken, you can make a quick and healthy dinner for 4 in 5 minutes. By the time you get home from the store the chicken should be cool enough to handle easily. I like making Asian Chicken Salad and it's so easy to do especially when you don't feel like making any involved or if it's been a hot summer day and you don't want to heat up the kitchen.
The breast meat should be enough for 4 people, simply shred the breast meat into the chopped salad mix and dress with the enclosed dressing and crunchy bits. Add a little salt and pepper to the salad mix before you add the shredded chicken.
BBQ Sous Vide Shrimp & Cheesy Grits
OK, Sous Vide shrimp is already pretty good, so when shrimp went on sale this past week I picked up a pound and set off to make BBQ shrimp and grits. Sous vide is a great way to cook shrimp as the shrimp don't lose any flavor to the poaching liquid and they don't get over cooked and rubbery. I decided to make the classic low county southern dish BBQ shrimp and cheesy grits, as cheesy grits are quick and easy to make.
For Cheesy Grits (per portion, side dish sized portion)
¼ cup grits
¾ cup of your favorite broth, (you can also use water if you like)
1 clove mince garlic (I like garlic so I will use 1-2 cloves per portion)
Fresh ground pepper
shredded cheese-pick your favorite, I used cheddar, cause that's what I had on hand and use as much cheese as you like, you can never have too much cheese.
Bring your broth up to a boil and add the minced garlic and let the garlic cook for just a minute or so before you add in the corn grits.
Stir in the grits until well mixed with the liquid, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes add the cheese and stir until well incorporated and cheesy. Add fresh ground black pepper and that's pretty much it. Add the heated shrimp to the top and you're ready to serve it with a dollop of your favorite salsa or just serve it plain with crusty bread on the side to add some bulk.
For Cheesy Grits (per portion, side dish sized portion)
¼ cup grits
¾ cup of your favorite broth, (you can also use water if you like)
1 clove mince garlic (I like garlic so I will use 1-2 cloves per portion)
Fresh ground pepper
shredded cheese-pick your favorite, I used cheddar, cause that's what I had on hand and use as much cheese as you like, you can never have too much cheese.
Bring your broth up to a boil and add the minced garlic and let the garlic cook for just a minute or so before you add in the corn grits.
Stir in the grits until well mixed with the liquid, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes add the cheese and stir until well incorporated and cheesy. Add fresh ground black pepper and that's pretty much it. Add the heated shrimp to the top and you're ready to serve it with a dollop of your favorite salsa or just serve it plain with crusty bread on the side to add some bulk.
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Sous Vide Tri Tip
OK, I cooked sous vide tri tip roast today and I have to admit it came out better than I anticipated and I can fully recommend that you add a sous vide to your kitchen arsenal. I purchased an untrimmed tri tip roast on sale last week for $3.49/lb. I trimmed it and marinated it with my favorite Korean kalbi marinate from the Zion Market. It sat in the marinate for 2 days in the fridge and I rotated it daily to make sure it was evenly marinated. I cooked it at 130°F for 4 hours, then I used my new Iwatani butane torch to brown it. It turned out perfectly cooked, juicy, medium rare from edge to edge, fork tender, with a sweet savory taste that we love about kalbi short ribs.
Sous vide is definitely a modernist (hipster) cooking method, and it's much cooler to say I cook sous vide than I use a crockpot.
Sous vide is definitely a modernist (hipster) cooking method, and it's much cooler to say I cook sous vide than I use a crockpot.
If Blueberries are on sale this week...
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This week Blueberries were on sale. I know you don't need an excuse to make and eat blueberry pancakes but when they are on sale just go for it. I made a baked blueberry pancake using buttermilk pancake/waffle mix.
½ cup of buttermilk pancake mix ½ cup of milk 3 eggs 4 tablespoons of butter (½ stick) heat the oven up to 425 degrees put all ingredients into a blender, I used a magic bullet type blender, and blend until well mixed then add 8 oz of fresh blueberries. Put the butter into a 10-12" omelet pan or cast iron skillet and melt the butter but watch it so it does not burn or brown. When the butter is melted add the batter and put the pan in the oven for 18 minutes then turn down the oven temp to 300 degrees and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Let the pancake cool for a bit before dusting with powdered sugar and a squeeze of lemon. Serves 2-3 |
Ethnic Grocery Stores Revisited
Ranch 99 might be the King of Ethnic supermarkets with 45 Asian food themed stores in California, Oregon, Washington, Texas & New Jersey. Founded in 1984 in Westminster, California, Ranch 99 Markets are a one stop shop for all varieties of Asian foods, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Malay, Indonesian, Filipino, Singaporean & Indian cuisines are supported. If you are looking for the freshest fish at the best price try Ranch 99. They also have the hard to find parts of pigs, chickens, ducks, and cows that Asians like to cook and eat.
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As you can see in the video Ranch 99 has a great seafood selection of both live fish and freshly dead fish. The fishmongers will clean, scale and even fry your fresh fish right on the spot. You know Asians like low prices so you'll find the freshest fish at the best prices at Asian grocery stores. Every Ranch 99 also has a hot deli section where you can get Chinese entrees to take home and they also have a bakery where you can find a whipped cream covered cake for any occasion without having to order it in advance.
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Refreshing Cold Cantaloupe Soup for Summer
It's cantaloupe season now and what better way to use cantaloupe than for a refreshing soup. This cold fruit soup is great for a summer Sunday brunch. It uses only a few ingredients and will certainly surprise your guests. Many people have asked me how do you select a ripe cantaloupe. Select your cantaloupe by looking at the color of the skin under the "netting" it should be beige/creamy colored, not green, then smell the stem end where it was removed from the vine, it should smell sweet and cantaloupe like, if it doesn't smell sweet it won't be sweet. I believe you're better off not buying a cantaloupe if you can't get a properly ripe one-just say no!
This is the color you are looking for under the netting of the cantaloupe
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Ingredients
Cantaloupe 1-2 sprigs of fresh mint Zest and juice of 1/2 to 1 lime depending on how much soup you want to make 1 tsp fresh grated ginger Crema or creme fraiche fresh squeezed juice-here you can be creative, use orange, lemonade, limeade, tangerine, pineapple or combination of juices simple syrup or sugar (optional) This is the easy part, dice up the cantaloupe and put it into a blender with all of the other ingredients and blend. Put the blended soup in a container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours so the flavors can blend. Before serving garnish with a sprinkle of chili lime. |
Perfect Sunday Brunch-seared ahi tuna salad with mango and avocado with cantaloupe soup.
Most delicious thing you can cook in 45 seconds
It's grilled romaine lettuce for a deconstructed Ceasar Salad!
Make sure your grill is smoking hot before you grill your romaine. We use a Misto oil sprayer to light coat the halved romaine with olive oil, if you don't have a Misto you can just use a brush to put on a light coat of oil on the face of the romaine.
Make sure your grill is smoking hot before you grill your romaine. We use a Misto oil sprayer to light coat the halved romaine with olive oil, if you don't have a Misto you can just use a brush to put on a light coat of oil on the face of the romaine.
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Make sure you season it with at least salt and pepper, or with any seasonings that you like, for example you can use your favorite Cajun blackening seasoning to make it Cajun flavored. Once the grill is hot, put it on the grill oiled side down for 45 seconds to get some good grill marks on the face of the split romaine. Use a potato peeler to thinly slice parmesan or your favorite hard cheese on top the grilled romaine and serve it immediately, You can serve Ceasar dressing on the side if you like for dipping along with fresh bruschetta.
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Cape Gooseberry Tomatillo Salsa
Cape Gooseberries aka ground cherries, are a strange fruit that grow native in Brazil. The delicious yellow-orange fruit grow inside paper-like husks similar to tomatillos, that are easy to peel. Maddie has a bush next to the house that is two years old and it's producing lots of gooseberries. Their taste is hard to describe, it's a cross between a cherry tomato and a kiwi fruit, it's neither sweet or tart and they taste good. I thought the sweetness would be a great addition to a spicy tomatillo sauce.
Since they seemed similar to tomatillos we thought they would work well in a tomatillo salsa. we used a classic tomatillo salsa recipe with serrano chilis, jalapeño chilis, tomatillos, and garlic. We coated all of the ingredients with oil and roasted them on the grill.
After a good blackening of the skins, we put them into the blender with a the juice of one lime and 6 cloves of garlic. We blended until smooth and served it with our grilled fish and shrimp tacos. This would be a great sauce for Pork Chili Verde, Enchiladas of all kinds and as a topping for grilled fish.
Portland-Land of Hipsters & Donuts
We were in Portland this week, fun city to visit, definitely lots of delicious things to eat and lots of hipsters everywhere. I wonder if the explosion of the food scene here has anything to do with the legalization of recreational use of marijuana? Things that make you go hmmmm. Visit the travel blog page to see our rough guide to Portland.
Passion Fruit Cocoa Nib glazed, Blackberry Fritter & Blueberry Basil glazed Donuts from Blue Star Donuts
Really late night dining after KTV
After a long night of cavorting with sexy ladies at your local KTV, where do you go to eat at 3:00AM and what do you eat? Well in Shanghai, you eat weird grilled things on sticks and hot and spicy things. If you're a Boss you can take the girl out of the KTV and have her peel your crawfish for you and hand feed you. Note in the pictures you'll see what looks like a carton of milk, it's actually a sweet yogurt drink similar to kefir designed to put out the fire in your mouth from all these spicy items. The food as strange as it looks was really tasty and delicious.
Sous-vide Mushroom Risotto
True, last week everything I cooked and ate was from the sous-vide. Yesterday I made mushroom risotto the old fashioned way. I used a bouquet of dried mushrooms that Maddie got for me at the mushroom vendor at the Ferry Building farmer's market in San Francisco. I reconstituted them in mushroom broth to make them extra mushroomy. I also used a new condiment that I found at the farmer's market, a black mojo, that is made out of 3 different kinds of mushrooms.
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I strained the hydrating broth to eliminate any dirt that might have been on the dried mushrooms. We'll use that broth later as we cook the risotto. I used parmesan, truffle white cheddar, gouda parmesan, and a bit of smoked gouda and mozzarella cheeses. I sautéed the sliced baby bella mushrooms in butter and truffle oil. The sautéed mushrooms were added at the very end after the cheeses were added and mixed in. Used truffle salt and truffle spray as finishing touches.
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Sous-vide
Sous-vide is a French term that means "under vacuum" It's the new hipster cooking method that has its roots way back in 1799. Sous-vide is a method of cooking where the food is put into a vacuum sealed bag and plunged into a constant temperature, circulating water bath or bain marie at a temperature that is lower than that typically used for cooking, usually around 55 to 60 °C (131 to 140 °F) for meat, higher for vegetables) for an extended amount of time. The intent is to cook the item evenly ensuring that the inside is properly cooked without overcooking the outside while retaining moisture.
You can see how the Sous-vide heats and circulates the water in the stockpot
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The kids were kind enough to get me an Anova Sous-vide for X-mas. I finally decided to break it out as it was way too late to try to return it. The first thing I decided to try to Sous-vide was fish. I bought a beautiful piece of swordfish that was a little over one pound. I marinated it in Sprouts Mango Coconut Vinaigrette with a pinch of dried red pepper. I put it into a quart sized ziplock bag and let it marinate for a couple of hours. I used the water bath air evacuation method (Basically you evacuate the air from the ziplock bag by sealing it all but a small corner of the bag and putting it into a large body of water so that the pressure of the water pushes out the air in the bag) of vacuum sealing the bag so it was as close to vacuum sealed as I was going to get. I set the Anova to 130 degrees and waited for it to get to temperature then I put the bag of fish in and let it cook for 20 minutes.
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Sous-vide Steak
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Sean's friend Tim is a noted steak aficionado and connoisseur, he says the best steak he's ever eaten was a sous-vide steak. Being a known skeptic, I had to try my hand at sous-vide steak the holy grail of sous-vide. I got a bone in New York Strip and a T-bone to experiment on. I usually season with dry rub and put the steak wrapped in paper in the fridge for a couple of days before I cook it to allow the salt to break down and tenderize the meat. I put the steak into a quart sized ziplock bag and cooked it for 80 minutes at 126 degrees. The steak was cooked uniformly from edge to edge medium rare. It was juicy moist and the cartelized outside with seasoning added just enough texture to the steak. Is it better than grilling over wood? not sure, but it is uniformly consistently cooked and it was certainly tender. Overall it took 90 minutes to cook vs. 15 minutes if I would have wood grilled it, well maybe 30 total as I have to wait for the wood fire to get hot enough to grill. Jury's still out Chicken breast is next for the Sous-vide. Will keep you posted. Overall I'm hipster enough to use a Sous-vide so I'll go overboard with it like a good hipster chef should then it might go back into the drawer for safe keeping.
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There's a Leek in the boat!
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This my favorite pun the the animated movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. When you get a chance look it up on Netflix and you'll get it. Leek and potato soup is one of my favorite soups. It can be served hot or cold. It's easy to make and uses just a couple of ingredients. You can make it thick and creamy or thin and more broth like.
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Ingredients
Yukon Gold potatos 4 cups or one box of chicken broth or vegetable broth 3 Leeks 1 tsp lemon grass 1 cup half and half slice the leeks and soak them to wash all of the sand out of them. I like to use some of the green parts of the leeks as they have a slightly different flavor than the whit parts. Sauté the leeks in butter at medium low heat until they are tender and slightly translucent. Add the diced potatoes and cover them with broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until the potatoes are soft and a knife passed through them easily. Use your immersion blender to puree the soup until it is smooth. Add the half and half and blend again. Season to taste and serve with croutons |
Chinese Potato Chips
Chinese are obsessed with snack foods, but aren't we all? We visited a Chinese supermarket and they had an enormous snack food department. All of the snack foods were all in one place, chips, nuts, candies, dried fruits, cookies and crackers were all in one place. Anytime I travel to a foreign country I always try to find some potato chips to see what crazy flavors the locals are into. In China they seem to like steak/beef flavored, chicken flavored, roast pork flavored and Sichuan spicy flavors. The craziest flavor we saw this time was Mango flavored ripple chips. Mango flavor you say? YES Mango flavored! these were un expectedly really good! they had a faint taste of coconut and a strong flavor of sweet mango with the salt and crunch of a ripple potato chip. Now every time I visit China I'm going to be looking for these.
YES! Mango Potato chips
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Salts #13 & #14
We went to the Spring Encinitas Street fair this past weekend. It was a beautiful day to be outside. Twice a year downtown Encinitas closes down for the street fair. Music venues, carnival rides, food booths, and the standard assortment of street fair merchants plying their wares. I bought salts #13 & 14 a ginger salt and an everyday seasoning salt. We also bought a braid of heirloom volcanic grown garlic and some Peruvian Aji Amarillo hot sauce, which will be great for ceviche.
Roasted Beet Salad with Seared Ahi Tuna
Roasted beet salad is a spring time treat from the garden. Sweet peas, greens, and berries from Maddie's garden combined with roasted fingerling potatoes, Opal Apples, goat cheese and walnuts make for a fresh main course salad. We wash and cut up the beets and potatoes, rub them in olive oil, add salt and roast them in the oven at 375 degrees until they are tender. We remove them from the oven and let them cool while we sear the Ahi and prep the salad.
Yams & Sweet Potatoes
Yams and sweet potatoes are frequently called super foods for all of the nutrients and vitamins they provide. Sweet potatoes are not just orange, they come in a variety of colors. Purple, white, yellow, and even blue. Sweet potatoes are high in vitamin A, Vitamin C, manganese, copper, vitamin B, potassium, fiber vitamin B3, B1, B2, phosphorus and they are contain the largest concentration of beta carotene available far surpassing carrots. They are both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory in fact purple fleshed sweet potatoes have more antioxidants than berries. They are also available year round so we should all be eating more sweet potatoes.
Sweet Potato Margarita Soup
Yes you read right margarita soup complete with tequila. You can see the mise en place in the photo above. I also added a whole jalapeño pepper for some heat. The tequila adds a distinct flavor to the soup and as we're using classic margarita ingredients it does remind you of a a margarita.
Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes peeled and coarsely diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 orange (zest first then peel)
1 Lime (zest & juice)
1 jalapeño (2 if you like it hotter) diced including seeds
1 1/2 cups of Tequila
3-4 cups broth (vegetable or Chicken)
Chile Lime pepper (Tajin or similar) for garnish
Mexican Crema (optional) if you don't have or can't find Crema you can use sour cream or Creme Fraiche or yogurt
Saut'e the onion with your choice of olive oil or butter until tender and translucent. Add the sweet potatoes, citrus zest and diced jalapeño. Add the tequila and broth and bring to a boil. once the sweet potatoes are tender add the orange (whole orange) and lime juice. Use your immersion blender or use a regular blender and blend in batches until smooth. You can serve this soup hot or cold. Garnish with a swirl of cream and Chile Lime pepper.
Yes you read right margarita soup complete with tequila. You can see the mise en place in the photo above. I also added a whole jalapeño pepper for some heat. The tequila adds a distinct flavor to the soup and as we're using classic margarita ingredients it does remind you of a a margarita.
Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes peeled and coarsely diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 orange (zest first then peel)
1 Lime (zest & juice)
1 jalapeño (2 if you like it hotter) diced including seeds
1 1/2 cups of Tequila
3-4 cups broth (vegetable or Chicken)
Chile Lime pepper (Tajin or similar) for garnish
Mexican Crema (optional) if you don't have or can't find Crema you can use sour cream or Creme Fraiche or yogurt
Saut'e the onion with your choice of olive oil or butter until tender and translucent. Add the sweet potatoes, citrus zest and diced jalapeño. Add the tequila and broth and bring to a boil. once the sweet potatoes are tender add the orange (whole orange) and lime juice. Use your immersion blender or use a regular blender and blend in batches until smooth. You can serve this soup hot or cold. Garnish with a swirl of cream and Chile Lime pepper.
Ethnic Grocery Stores
Here in San Diego we have a plethora of ethnic super markets. Each one wondrous in its own way. We'll be visiting them all and giving you a glimpse of what they have to offer. For sure it's worth your time to visit them and I'm sure you'll be surprised at what you'll find.
Don't throw fruits and vegetables in 4 languages
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Zion MarketZion Market is one of the local Korean Grocery Chains. They have a huge produce section with a wide variety of both Asian and western items at sometimes ridiculous prices. All Asian grocery stores will have a wide assortment of mushrooms and Asian greens. If you want a 25 lb. bag of peeled garlic cloves Zion is the place. Asian markets will also have a huge fish counter with both live and freshly dead fish. We'll post pictures of the fish counter later. The food court and prepared food sections are well worth a try as you can get a taste of native Korean fare at very reasonable prices.
Pure Snail facial masks in the beauty section in Zion, here you can find many Korean cosmetic treasures at low prices
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Asparagus Risotto
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Spring is asparagus season and risotto is a great way to use fresh asparagus. We're layering asparagus flavor on top of itself by combing some of our asparagus soup with our risotto cooking broth. Sharp cheese in the soup combined with smoky and creamy cheese in the risotto makes this easy risotto with complex flavor but easy to make.
We start with a diced small yellow onion that we saute in butter over medium low heat. Cook the onion until it is translucent, being careful not to brown it. Add salt and pepper to the onion as it cooks, by seasoning every layer we build flavors throughout the dish. once the onions are cooked, increase the heat to medium and add the arborio rice. I used a cup and a half of rice. I also added some gremolata olive oil, gremolata is usually lemon, garlic and parsley, gremolata olive oil is extra virgin olive oil flavored with essence of lemon, garlic, basil and parsley. Cook the rice until it is translucent. Then add a cup of your favorite white wine, I used chardonnay and stir until the wine is absorbed. |
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Stir the risotto so it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and the rice cooks evenly. In the video you can see how I stir it in figure eights to keep it well mixed and evenly cooked. Once the rice is cooked, turn off the head and grate the gouda into the rice and add your other cheeses to taste. At the very end stir in the asparagus tips and stalks, we want them to be crisp and not overcooked. I like to finish the risotto with a dusting of smoked salt and sichimi togarashi (Japanese red pepper)
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Asparagus Soup
Asparagus is in season now and most of the grocery stores have it on sale. I'll be making all things asparagus while it's in season. Asparagus risotto, Asparagus soup, Grilled Asparagus, and I'll pretty much be putting asparagus all applicable dishes. Creamy asparagus soup is a great way to use asparagus. You can make as much or as little as you like, rule of thumb is use as much liquid as it takes to cover the cut up asparagus with about ¼" extra. If you cut the asparagus into small pieces it will cook faster. I usually use potato to thicken my soups, but if you're on a low carb diet, you can go old school and use cream. Cheese is a natural complement to asparagus especially hard cheeses like Asiago, Parmesan, Romano, & Manchego, feel free to use aged cheddar too. I use the tops and the mid stalks to saute in butter with onion and garlic. Asparagus also needs some acid, so I usually add some lime or lemon juice along with some zest, it doesn't take much but it does add brightness. If you have some ginger on hand, add some grated ginger as it also adds another layer of flavor that you won't immediately detect but it will be there. I also use the fibrous ends after I remove the dried out parts. the ends I puree with some liquid, you can use broth, wine, or water. I add this puree to the soup at the end as it keeps it's bright green color and brightens up the soup. Once the asparagus is cooked through I use my immersion blender to blend the soup smooth and I add cheese to taste and then add cream to thicken it (if I'm not using potatoes) to thicken it. Croutons are a natural as they add crunch and I like to dust it with smoked salt and red pepper before serving. Mixing a bit of your asparagus soup with your cooking broth will also add more asparagus flavor to your asparagus risotto, more on that later.
New take on camper's toast
Here's a new take on camper's toast that you can easily make for a crowd, I just made 2, but you can easily make more. Instead of cutting out the center of the bread (I used sourdough), just use a spoon to smash down the center of each slice to make an indention that will hold the egg. I cooked mine on a silicon mat, but you can just as easily use baking parchment or even aluminum foil on top of your favorite cookie sheet. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
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I surrounded my egg with sliced country ham and then covered the whole slice of bread with grated cheddar jack cheese. Of course you can use any cheese you like. Cheese is not optional and is required.
Baked at 400 degrees for 7 minutes
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Bake for 7 minutes if you like your egg yolk runny for dipping your cheese toast in. Bake for 10 minutes if you want your egg yolk completely cooked. Take it out of the oven and enjoy immediately.
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Giant dumplings in the home of dumplings
No doubt Xiao long bao is perhaps one of the most sought after hipster food trends of the past couple of years. Here in the U.S., the Taiwan based Din Tai Fung is the undisputed king of Xiao long bao with multiple outlets in Chinese enclaves in Southern California and Seattle. Xiao long bao was even the star subject on an episode of Amazon Video's Emeril Eats the World where Emeril and Mario Batali go to Shanghai to find the best Xiao long bao in the world. These gigantic soup dumplings have so much soup inside that they put a straw in so you can slurp out some of the soup before you attack the dumpling itself. Xiao long bao is associated with Shanghai and at the Yu Garden, perhaps the most famous Xiao long bao parlor is Nanxiang Mantou Dian.
Avocado Toast
My niece who just finished her first year in college told me she ate avocado toast almost every day at school. I didn't understand the attraction until I tried it myself. I have to say now I understand the attraction, it's flavorful, rich, almost decadent with complex flavors and very satisfying. My version uses multigrain toast covered with rich butter (Finlandia) tomatos, parmesean cheese, truffle sesame salt, and togarashi (Japanese red pepper). To kick it up a notch you can also use bacon jam, with heirloom tomatoes. Olive Oil drizzled over avocado toast is also good.
A Field Guide to Apples
How many different types of apples do you think there are? You'd be surprised to know that there are 7,500 varieties of apples grown throughout the world. Apple growers in the U.S grow some 2,500 varieties with 100 varieties grown commercially in 36 states. Apples have been eaten throughout history and were the favorite fruits of the Greeks and Romans. Most grocery stores carry a number of different varieties of apples throughout the year. Americans eat an average of 15.9 lbs. of fresh apples and 28.4 lbs. of processed apples (juice, cider, sauce, etc.) for a combined total of 44.3 lbs. of apples per person per year. We're all familar with probably a couple of varieties of apples, the Red and Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Pippin, McIntosh, Fuji, Gala, Braeburn, Honeycrisp. There are some new varieties that you should also try. The US Aple Association is a great resource to find out all about apples and apple growers in the US.
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Opal Apples
Opal Apples are a new variety of apple. Opals are a cross between a Golden Delicious and Topaz vaarieties. They were introduced in the US in 2010. Their beautiful yellow gold color and their extraordinary ability to not turn brown after being cut make them the most handsome apples on the market. They're crisp and sweet with complex flavors. You can find them at Trader Joe's. Try one today.
You can find out all about Opal Apples at: www.opalapples.com you can sign up for their newsletter and get a coupon for a free Opal Apple |
Envy ApplesEnvy Apples were born in New Zealand. They are a cross between a Royal Gala and Braeburn. They have juicy firm flesh and bright red and yellow skin. Like Opal Apples they don't turn brown when they are cut. New Zealand has introduced many new apples to the world starting in 1948. The first Envy trees were planted in Zillah, Washington in 2008. Envy Apples are now grown in New Zealand, Washington and Chile so they are available all year round.
www.envyapples.com |
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101 things to do with poached Salmon
Twice a month Maddie ends up with lots of poached salmon. She asked me what should she do with it, what can you make with poached salmon? Poached salmon along with rotisserie chickens (We'll be discussing using these in a future post) may be one of the most versatile ingredients that you can use in a variety of recipes. If you don't have poached salmon you can substitute canned salmon. In fact canned salmon is packed with nutrients as it often includes bones and skin which add even more Omega-3 essential oils and calcium. I'll be adding recipes to this section as Maddie gets me more salmon to play with. As I get the salmon already cooked, I won't be describing how to cook it here.
Salt of the Earth
We have been processing salt for more than 8,000 years. Salt is perhaps the oldest food seasoning and salting food was and is an important method of food preservation. Throughout history salt has been pivotal to civilization. The word salary comes from the Latin word for salt because the Roman legions were paid in salt. Now we pretty much take salt for granted.
Lowly unappreciated salt is now enjoying a resurgence I have been using many different kinds of salt for years now. I have 11 different kinds of salt in my cupboard. Don't be afraid to use exotic salts and flavored salts. There are finishing salts, such as truffle salt and wasabi salt, seasoning salts such as apple wood smoked salt and lemon salt. Most spice shops let you taste the various salts so give them a try and bring some home. Here is a list of the salts that I have: Apple wood smoked salt, Wasabi salt, Porcini Mushroom salt, Hawaiian Red salt, Sea Salt, Grey Salt, Alder wood smoked salt, Regular Kosher salt, Himalayan Pink Salt, Black Truffle Salt, Black Hawaiian Salt. Black Truffle black sesame Salt.
Time for rice to get into the spotlight
Did you know that there are more than 40,000 different types of rice that are cultivated? The Rice Association has more than 90,000 samples of cultivated rice species stored at the International Rice Gene Bank. Take a visit to your local ethnic grocery store and you'll see a wide variety of rice (more on ethnic grocery stores later) Many historians believe rice was first cultivated as far back as 5,000 BC. Archaeologists excavating in India discovered rice which, they were convinced, could be dated to 4530BC. However, the first recorded mention originates from China in 2800 BC. The Chinese emperor, Shen Nung, realized the importance of rice to his people and to honor the grain he established annual rice ceremonies to be held at sowing time, with the emperor scattering the first seeds. Nowadays, the Chinese celebrate rice by specifically dedicating one of the days in the New Year festivities to it.
There are basically 2 types of rice: 1) Long Grain, all purpose, 2) Specialty, aromatic rices- such as arborio for risotto and wild rices. Long grain rices are found in Chinese cuisine and most American rice dishes such as jambalaya. If you haven't tried Basmati rice or Jasmine rice, you're really missing out. Basmati rice is the predominate rice used in Indian, Pakistani & Persian Cuisines, it's aromatic and nutty aroma and flavor it requires some technique to properly cook it to extract maximum flavor from it. Jasmine rice is cultivated in Thailand it has a slightly floral aroma to it with a light, soft texture. It's not as difficult to cook at Basmati rice, difficult is a relative term. If you ask your Persian and Indian friends how best to cook Basmati rice you'll most likely get a wide variety of answers, it definitely is or can be a process, it must be soaked for some amount of time before it is cooked at least 30 minutes, some people dry the rice in between soaking and cooking some don't. Some use a special Persian style rice cooker and some just use a traditional pot. Probably there are high tech rice cookers that will soak and then cook the rice properly for you. Full disclosure, I don't have or use a rice cooker, I'm old school and just use a saucepan with lid.
I have a confession, I don't always soak my Basmati rice, I just cook it like I normally cook rice, wash it, add water, bit of salt, oil and/or butter and bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer, put lid on and cook till done. If you do take the time to soak it properly it will turn out better texturally, you'll get those long grains that are characteristic of properly cooked Basmati rice. Yes I know my Persian friends are ranting right now and I know that you eat with your eyes first and if you don't soak it properly it doesn't look right, but I like Basmati rice for the flavor and I don't so much care about the texture, especially if I'm just cooking it for myself (nobody looking).
I have a confession, I don't always soak my Basmati rice, I just cook it like I normally cook rice, wash it, add water, bit of salt, oil and/or butter and bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer, put lid on and cook till done. If you do take the time to soak it properly it will turn out better texturally, you'll get those long grains that are characteristic of properly cooked Basmati rice. Yes I know my Persian friends are ranting right now and I know that you eat with your eyes first and if you don't soak it properly it doesn't look right, but I like Basmati rice for the flavor and I don't so much care about the texture, especially if I'm just cooking it for myself (nobody looking).
This is how to measure the proper amount of water to cook your rice in. Cover the rice with enough water to reach the first joint of your index finger.
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Properly washed, soaked, and dried Basmati rice.
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Passion Fruit Mango Jam
There's only four ingredients, Mangoes, Passion Fruit, Sugar, and Lemon Juice. I can't wait to try it! We'll keep you posted. Maddie used 36 passion fruits, 2 mangoes, 3 lemons and 4 cups of sugar.
She made passion fruit leather with the pulp and seeds. She's making 2 batches using the rinds from the first batch combined with new juice and pulp from 17 new passion fruit in the second batch. Citrus marmalade's use the rinds so why not use the passion fruit rind the same way? Looks kinda the same, well we'll see how it turns out. 
The second round with the rind is a rich red orange color.
Passion Fruit Jam Update
Maddie added pineapple to the second batch and made 3 different versions of pineapple passion fruit jam, passion pineapple, passion pineapple with rum, passion pineapple with Tortuga hot sauce. The original passion mango jam was thick and rich and I think I can now call Maddie the Madame of Mangue Passion Jam. The passion pineapple jams were also delicious and they were more fragrant and they still had rich passion fruit flavor even though they were made with less passion fruit pulp and more pith.
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Maddie has been growing passion fruit vines for the past couple of years. She's finally got enough to make some passion fruit mango jam. There's a story behind passion fruit mango Jam. I bought a 250 gram jar of Bernadette de LAVERNETTE Mangue-Passion Jam at the food emporium at Galeries de Lafayette, the famous Paris department store. For our first breakfast together I cooked sourdough toast with Irish butter and this amazing French jam and coffee. This jam was one of the best things I've ever eaten and Maddie and I were both sad when we ate the last of it. We immediately started planning our trip to Paris to get some more, when I remembered Maddie grew passion fruit and she could become the Bernadette LAVERNETTE of Claremont and so it began. Tonight was the night that Maddie made her first batch of her soon to be famous Mangue-Passion Jam.
36 Passion Fruit and 2 Mangoes made 6 jars of jam
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Blueberry Dutch Baby Pancake
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A dutch baby is a baked pancake that is easy to make, and it's a good blank canvas for adding both savory and sweet flavor profiles. It also looks fancy for brunch with company or for breakfast in bed. I made a blueberry dutch baby this morning. The basic ingredients for a dutch baby are: Milk, eggs, Flour, and butter. You cook it in a skillet or oven safe omelette pan.
Basic Ingredients: 1/2 cup all purpose flour 3 large eggs 3/4 cup whole milk 1/4 cup granulated sugar (optional) 4 Tablespoons Salted Butter-note if you use unsalted butter add a pinch of salt to your batter Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Put all ingredients except the butter into bowl and whisk them together until well blended and smooth. You may also put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth and completely mixed. Melt the butter in your pan on top of the stove until the butter is foamy, be careful not to brown or burn your better. Pour the batter into your pan and put the pan into the oven to cook for 20 minutes. You'll see your dutch baby rise as it's a lot like a popover as it also uses eggs as a leavening agent. This is the basic old school dutch baby recipe, squeeze lemon all over it and dust your dutch baby with powdered sugar, cut it into wedges and eat it immediately. For flavored versions add your flavors after you pour the batter into the buttered pan. For the blueberry version I omitted the sugar and added 1/4 cup of blueberry juice and 1 cup of fresh blueberries. |
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Tiger Tiger Seared Ahi
We met Dave, the owner of Baby Clydesdale, Small batch hot sauce at the Leucadia Farmer's Market. He made a kickass lemongrass BBQ sauce in collaboration with Tiger Tiger Tavern in Northpark. I marinated an Ahi Tuna steak in it and seared it in a grill pan over high heat. We served it over a bed of Asian slaw with lemon ginger sesame dressing. Maddie picked some fresh greens and cherry tomatoes and we sautéed them with garlic and gremolata olive oil. We served it with a side of Oscar's fish stew with a drizzle of Oscar's avocado salsa on top. Oscar's Mexican Seafood with 5 locations in the San Diego area is a destination for fish tacos and ceviche for sure. When you go to Oscar's stock up on their avocado salsa maybe sneak in your own bottle to fill, because you'll find yourself putting it on everything it's that fresh and good.
