So ... feeling adventurous last night, I decided to conduct some kitchen experiments to see how things turn out. I ended up with cold noodles salad and chicken, which, I must say, didn't turn out too bad at all.
The cold noodles salad was made with plain noodles and mixed with a sauce out of some peanut butter, sesame oil, cider vinegar, sugar, salt & pepper. I wanted to add a little something to it to give it a little more texture and taste. I looked around for a cucumber, but couldn't find any. Since I was too lazy to get out to buy one, I rummaged around to find some kind of substitute. Ended up with Japanese take-out packets of pickled ginger. Chopped up a few packets' worth, added some eggs (scrambled and cut up) ... ummm ... no ham at home ... substituted with sliced sandwich turkey meat. It was actually pretty good.
The chicken was interesting. I ended up pan frying the pieces in a pan with a sauce I made with peanut-butter, mustard, tumeric, fennel and salt & pepper with a dash of masala wine. Surprised myself that this odd combination turned out good.
A friend of mine sent me this website about how this guy ate and reviewed a bunch of weird food that most people wouldn't go looking to eat. It was hysterical. Enjoy!
http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives/cat_steve_dont_eat_it.php
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Nostalgia
Been feeling a big nostalgic lately. My parents just moved this past weekend and I went to help with the move, sorting things and other stuff and ended up with a great big box(es) of my old things.
Some of them was old cookbooks of my mom's. Leafing through them, it's acutally kind of weird, in an interesting way. One book keeps listing "pork fat" as ingredient. It comes with a bunch of stories and histories behind some of the dishes, which is really neat. Too bad it doesn't have any pictures. ;-) Another one has a LOT of pictures and it has one of my childhood favorites on it! Sauteed milk!!! I had totally forgotten about that dish until I came across the book.
Sauteed milk is not just a watery puddle, but these light fluffy white stuff, usually served over crispy fried rice noodles. I remember that not many restaurants made them growing up, so it's always a treat whenever I get to have it.
So, it secret turned out to be whipped egg white! I can't wait to try my hand at it.
Other things I really crave include turnip cakes. I've tried making these in the past based on what I can remember mom or grandma doing in the past ... with some degree of success too, I may add (just not all the time.)
Currently wants to make:
fish filet with some kind of summery fruit-based salsa.
braised short ribs with red wine.
sauteed black bean chicken.
pork chop masala.
tea eggs.
veal piccata.
Some of them was old cookbooks of my mom's. Leafing through them, it's acutally kind of weird, in an interesting way. One book keeps listing "pork fat" as ingredient. It comes with a bunch of stories and histories behind some of the dishes, which is really neat. Too bad it doesn't have any pictures. ;-) Another one has a LOT of pictures and it has one of my childhood favorites on it! Sauteed milk!!! I had totally forgotten about that dish until I came across the book.
Sauteed milk is not just a watery puddle, but these light fluffy white stuff, usually served over crispy fried rice noodles. I remember that not many restaurants made them growing up, so it's always a treat whenever I get to have it.
So, it secret turned out to be whipped egg white! I can't wait to try my hand at it.
Other things I really crave include turnip cakes. I've tried making these in the past based on what I can remember mom or grandma doing in the past ... with some degree of success too, I may add (just not all the time.)
Currently wants to make:
fish filet with some kind of summery fruit-based salsa.
braised short ribs with red wine.
sauteed black bean chicken.
pork chop masala.
tea eggs.
veal piccata.
Monday, August 22, 2005
Alternative Cooking Methods
A friend of mine sent me the following article from the New York Times about solar cooking (I'll attach it at the end of this entry for reference).
I've always been fascinated by the whole idea of having food available without actually standing in front of the stove, fussing about. I fancy braising meat in my dutch oven, still experimenting with the crockpot to find the balance between disingrating food in there, or having tough pieces of meat.
I saw a program on TV some time ago where they were introducing different methods of cooking that people have tried. Hot stones (wrapped in foil ... you know ... for cleaniness) stuck inside a pre-seasoned chicken with another couple ones under its wings (or was it the legs?), wrap the whole thing, stones and all, in foil, then multiple layers of newspaper as insulation and then stuck in a backpack. So, by the time you're finished hiking, you get cooked baked chicken! ... Lasagna (in foil pans) over the car's exhaust manifold. Unfortunately, I saw this many years ago and these were the only two that I can remember.
I have yet to try any of these methods personally, but anything different AND food related just gets my curiousity going. Hopefully, somebody will try these and let me know about their whole experience.
As promised ... the article:
August 21, 2005
Kitchen Voyeur: Sunny Side Up
By JONATHAN REYNOLDS
It's getting harder and harder to save the world, particularly in the meteorogicially challenged Northeast. Intrigued by my friend the writer Patricia Bosworth's fervor for solar cooking -- using the sun alone for fuel -- I contacted one of its best-known and most passionate proponents, the figurative painter and sculptor Mary Frank. She enthusiastically invited me to lunch.
But what sort of daffy cuisine would this be? And why would anyone want to cook this way anyhow, unless they were climbing Everest or paddling the Amazon? Don't most meals cook with an environmentally acceptable amount of fuel that's readily available?
Maybe in North America and Europe. But in the third, or emerging, or developing (choose your p.c.) world, solar cooking could be a bona fide revolution. In sub-Saharan Africa and large parts of India and China, one chief source of cooking fuel is wood, and women traditionally spend much of their day collecting or buying it. Forests are stripped, erosion destroys the arable land and the air fills up with ozone-damaging vapors. Diseases caused by fumes from burning wood range from cancer to respiratory problems to blindness.
The good news is, there's good news.
At the first sign of sun, I dashed up to Woodstock, N.Y., to the 11 lovely acres Mary shares with her husband of 10 years, the musicologist Leo Treitler. They had set up two kinds of solar cookers on the back patio of their one-story house-cum-studio: the first, called a CooKit, was a lightweight, folding reflector made of cardboard to which laminated aluminum foil has been attached, looking much like one of those reflectors from the good old days when we thought too much sun at Jones Beach wasn't nearly enough. The second was more elaborate, a 26-by-21-by-9-inch box whose bottom was painted black to absorb the heat, and which was connected to a shiny reflector panel perched at a 45-degree angle above. Sunlight of relatively short wavelengths bounces off the reflectors into the black interior, where it is trapped and turned into heat. ''Cooking With Sunshine,'' by Lorraine Anderson and Rick Palkovic, points out that it's not unlike the heat in a car with its windows closed on a hot summer day. The cookers can be used anywhere between the 60-degree parallels -- say, most of Canada down to Tierra del Fuego -- and the closer to the equator, the longer cooking time you have. Since food safety is a factor of time and temperature, the hours it takes to solar cook renders the food risk-free.
Mary, a soft-spoken and very political 72, was mixing a pound of shrimp with some vegetables and coconut milk in one pot and a chicken with some spices in another. She prepared this in front of her fire-engine red vintage-40's Chambers range, which is right next to her G.E. fridge, on whose aluminum door she has painted orange-and-green nasturtiums because ''I don't see why people want things that look like airplanes in their kitchen,'' she said, placing the ingredients in a black pot and covering it.
''You don't need to add water to anything except grains because the food makes its own liquid. It tastes so good because nothing dries it out.'' The temperature of these cookers hovers between 200 and 275 degrees Fahrenheit, resulting in a slow process not unlike that of a crockpot, so that all the juices and flavors are nudged together.
''Europeans always ask, 'How does it taste?' and Americans ask, 'How long does it take?''' She placed the pot inside a plastic bag, twist-tied it and put the pot in the CooKit. That was it.
''I cooked for 14 Afghan women when they came to visit for a conference -- lamb, tomatoes, onions, pepper, dal, rice. The sun went in and out, like today, but was out enough for everything to cook, and they couldn't believe how good it was!''
We waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Clouds covered the sun, then floated away, then climbed back. The sun came out, went back in. Out! In. Out! In. And so it went for three and a half hours, which is a long time to wait for lunch. The cookers never did manage to get a sufficiently hot temperature for anything that day but the shrimp. And the shrimp was gorgeous.
Undaunted, I drove back up a month later, lured by uncharacteristic altruism and the memory of the intensely flavorful shrimp. I was greeted by Leo and his son, Max, who's a cellist, and wonderful CD's of old French music-hall artists -- Chevalier, Piaf, Mistinguet, Jean Gabin -- playing in the living room. The sun was raging, and a newly confident Mary and Max threw together a pot of mushrooms and potatoes with sherry splashes, a Persian fesenjan (chicken with pomegranate syrup and crushed walnuts), scallops with peppers and peas and a classic peach cake.
As the dishes baked in the sun, Leo sat at the piano, and Max joined him on cello. Light streamed through the windows, and a fan cooled the room, as they duetted on Faure's ''Romance,'' then Ravel's ''Piece in the Form of a Habanera.'' Was there ever a summer afternoon like this?
Mary retrieved the mushrooms after 90 minutes. Beautiful, juice-packed portobellos, made slightly mellow by the sherry. Then the scallops were done, soon followed by the chicken. ''That looks like something out of Bosch,'' Mary said of the scallops, which were swollen and silky. The chicken was piercing and hearty, the peach cake just what you'd want on a summer afternoon.
You can cook almost anything in these things -- breads and cakes, eggs, soup, souffles, fish, stews, almost every vegetable. I've never seen a simpler method of food prep. Not much clean-up either. And you'll infuriate Con Ed, which is always worth doing. There are so many uses for solar cooking -- at picnics or on a rooftop or, on a more profound level, in needy villages all over the world. Mary said, quoting Peter Matthiessen, ''Anyone who pushes a button to turn on the gas or turns a spigot for water doesn't know how most of the world lives.''
There is an enormous range of solar cookers, from the cheapest single-pot reflector, called a CooKit, $25, to one on which 600 meals can be prepared twice a day. To test these recipes, we used the SOS Sport Solar Oven, about $150, at www.solarovens.org.
Mary Frank's Solar-Cooked Shrimp
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 small tomato, cut into 1/2-inch dice
Juice of 1 lemon
10 basil leaves
6 star anise pods
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt.
In a large, dark pot with a tightly fitting dark lid, combine all ingredients. Bake in solar oven just until shrimp are cooked through, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, checking after 45 minutes and then every 15 minutes or so. Spoon on top of rice. Serves 4.
NOTE: To make this in a conventional oven, bake at 250 degrees.
Max Treitler's Fesenjan (Chicken With Pomegranate and Walnut Sauce)
14-pound organic chicken (or duck), boned and skinned by your butcher and cut into 10 pieces, or 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup pomegranate syrup
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom.
If using a whole bird, set wings aside for another use. Trim all excess fat from remaining chicken pieces. Toss poultry with salt. In a large, dark pot with a tightly fitting dark lid, combine poultry with remaining ingredients and bake in solar oven until poultry is cooked through, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours, checking after 1 hour and then every 20 minutes or so. Serves 4.
NOTE: To make this in a conventional oven, bake at 250 degrees.
Peach Cake
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 cups peeled, chopped peaches (about 3 medium).
1. Melt the butter in a dark, 9-inch round cake pan in a solar oven.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. Stir in buttermilk, stirring until smooth. Scrape into the pan over the butter (do not stir). Sprinkle peaches over top, cover with a tightly fitting dark lid and bake in solar oven until puffed and just bubbling around the edges, about 2 hours. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream or whipped cream. Serves 6.
Adapted from ''Cooking With Sunshine,'' by Lorraine Anderson and Rick Palkovic.
NOTE: To make in a conventional oven, bake at 250 degrees.
I've always been fascinated by the whole idea of having food available without actually standing in front of the stove, fussing about. I fancy braising meat in my dutch oven, still experimenting with the crockpot to find the balance between disingrating food in there, or having tough pieces of meat.
I saw a program on TV some time ago where they were introducing different methods of cooking that people have tried. Hot stones (wrapped in foil ... you know ... for cleaniness) stuck inside a pre-seasoned chicken with another couple ones under its wings (or was it the legs?), wrap the whole thing, stones and all, in foil, then multiple layers of newspaper as insulation and then stuck in a backpack. So, by the time you're finished hiking, you get cooked baked chicken! ... Lasagna (in foil pans) over the car's exhaust manifold. Unfortunately, I saw this many years ago and these were the only two that I can remember.
I have yet to try any of these methods personally, but anything different AND food related just gets my curiousity going. Hopefully, somebody will try these and let me know about their whole experience.
As promised ... the article:
August 21, 2005
Kitchen Voyeur: Sunny Side Up
By JONATHAN REYNOLDS
It's getting harder and harder to save the world, particularly in the meteorogicially challenged Northeast. Intrigued by my friend the writer Patricia Bosworth's fervor for solar cooking -- using the sun alone for fuel -- I contacted one of its best-known and most passionate proponents, the figurative painter and sculptor Mary Frank. She enthusiastically invited me to lunch.
But what sort of daffy cuisine would this be? And why would anyone want to cook this way anyhow, unless they were climbing Everest or paddling the Amazon? Don't most meals cook with an environmentally acceptable amount of fuel that's readily available?
Maybe in North America and Europe. But in the third, or emerging, or developing (choose your p.c.) world, solar cooking could be a bona fide revolution. In sub-Saharan Africa and large parts of India and China, one chief source of cooking fuel is wood, and women traditionally spend much of their day collecting or buying it. Forests are stripped, erosion destroys the arable land and the air fills up with ozone-damaging vapors. Diseases caused by fumes from burning wood range from cancer to respiratory problems to blindness.
The good news is, there's good news.
At the first sign of sun, I dashed up to Woodstock, N.Y., to the 11 lovely acres Mary shares with her husband of 10 years, the musicologist Leo Treitler. They had set up two kinds of solar cookers on the back patio of their one-story house-cum-studio: the first, called a CooKit, was a lightweight, folding reflector made of cardboard to which laminated aluminum foil has been attached, looking much like one of those reflectors from the good old days when we thought too much sun at Jones Beach wasn't nearly enough. The second was more elaborate, a 26-by-21-by-9-inch box whose bottom was painted black to absorb the heat, and which was connected to a shiny reflector panel perched at a 45-degree angle above. Sunlight of relatively short wavelengths bounces off the reflectors into the black interior, where it is trapped and turned into heat. ''Cooking With Sunshine,'' by Lorraine Anderson and Rick Palkovic, points out that it's not unlike the heat in a car with its windows closed on a hot summer day. The cookers can be used anywhere between the 60-degree parallels -- say, most of Canada down to Tierra del Fuego -- and the closer to the equator, the longer cooking time you have. Since food safety is a factor of time and temperature, the hours it takes to solar cook renders the food risk-free.
Mary, a soft-spoken and very political 72, was mixing a pound of shrimp with some vegetables and coconut milk in one pot and a chicken with some spices in another. She prepared this in front of her fire-engine red vintage-40's Chambers range, which is right next to her G.E. fridge, on whose aluminum door she has painted orange-and-green nasturtiums because ''I don't see why people want things that look like airplanes in their kitchen,'' she said, placing the ingredients in a black pot and covering it.
''You don't need to add water to anything except grains because the food makes its own liquid. It tastes so good because nothing dries it out.'' The temperature of these cookers hovers between 200 and 275 degrees Fahrenheit, resulting in a slow process not unlike that of a crockpot, so that all the juices and flavors are nudged together.
''Europeans always ask, 'How does it taste?' and Americans ask, 'How long does it take?''' She placed the pot inside a plastic bag, twist-tied it and put the pot in the CooKit. That was it.
''I cooked for 14 Afghan women when they came to visit for a conference -- lamb, tomatoes, onions, pepper, dal, rice. The sun went in and out, like today, but was out enough for everything to cook, and they couldn't believe how good it was!''
We waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Clouds covered the sun, then floated away, then climbed back. The sun came out, went back in. Out! In. Out! In. And so it went for three and a half hours, which is a long time to wait for lunch. The cookers never did manage to get a sufficiently hot temperature for anything that day but the shrimp. And the shrimp was gorgeous.
Undaunted, I drove back up a month later, lured by uncharacteristic altruism and the memory of the intensely flavorful shrimp. I was greeted by Leo and his son, Max, who's a cellist, and wonderful CD's of old French music-hall artists -- Chevalier, Piaf, Mistinguet, Jean Gabin -- playing in the living room. The sun was raging, and a newly confident Mary and Max threw together a pot of mushrooms and potatoes with sherry splashes, a Persian fesenjan (chicken with pomegranate syrup and crushed walnuts), scallops with peppers and peas and a classic peach cake.
As the dishes baked in the sun, Leo sat at the piano, and Max joined him on cello. Light streamed through the windows, and a fan cooled the room, as they duetted on Faure's ''Romance,'' then Ravel's ''Piece in the Form of a Habanera.'' Was there ever a summer afternoon like this?
Mary retrieved the mushrooms after 90 minutes. Beautiful, juice-packed portobellos, made slightly mellow by the sherry. Then the scallops were done, soon followed by the chicken. ''That looks like something out of Bosch,'' Mary said of the scallops, which were swollen and silky. The chicken was piercing and hearty, the peach cake just what you'd want on a summer afternoon.
You can cook almost anything in these things -- breads and cakes, eggs, soup, souffles, fish, stews, almost every vegetable. I've never seen a simpler method of food prep. Not much clean-up either. And you'll infuriate Con Ed, which is always worth doing. There are so many uses for solar cooking -- at picnics or on a rooftop or, on a more profound level, in needy villages all over the world. Mary said, quoting Peter Matthiessen, ''Anyone who pushes a button to turn on the gas or turns a spigot for water doesn't know how most of the world lives.''
There is an enormous range of solar cookers, from the cheapest single-pot reflector, called a CooKit, $25, to one on which 600 meals can be prepared twice a day. To test these recipes, we used the SOS Sport Solar Oven, about $150, at www.solarovens.org.
Mary Frank's Solar-Cooked Shrimp
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 small tomato, cut into 1/2-inch dice
Juice of 1 lemon
10 basil leaves
6 star anise pods
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt.
In a large, dark pot with a tightly fitting dark lid, combine all ingredients. Bake in solar oven just until shrimp are cooked through, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, checking after 45 minutes and then every 15 minutes or so. Spoon on top of rice. Serves 4.
NOTE: To make this in a conventional oven, bake at 250 degrees.
Max Treitler's Fesenjan (Chicken With Pomegranate and Walnut Sauce)
14-pound organic chicken (or duck), boned and skinned by your butcher and cut into 10 pieces, or 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup pomegranate syrup
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom.
If using a whole bird, set wings aside for another use. Trim all excess fat from remaining chicken pieces. Toss poultry with salt. In a large, dark pot with a tightly fitting dark lid, combine poultry with remaining ingredients and bake in solar oven until poultry is cooked through, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours, checking after 1 hour and then every 20 minutes or so. Serves 4.
NOTE: To make this in a conventional oven, bake at 250 degrees.
Peach Cake
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 cups peeled, chopped peaches (about 3 medium).
1. Melt the butter in a dark, 9-inch round cake pan in a solar oven.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. Stir in buttermilk, stirring until smooth. Scrape into the pan over the butter (do not stir). Sprinkle peaches over top, cover with a tightly fitting dark lid and bake in solar oven until puffed and just bubbling around the edges, about 2 hours. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream or whipped cream. Serves 6.
Adapted from ''Cooking With Sunshine,'' by Lorraine Anderson and Rick Palkovic.
NOTE: To make in a conventional oven, bake at 250 degrees.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
To Eat ... To Live ...
"Do you live to eat? Or do you eat to live?"
Eventually, most people I know will encounter this question by me.
Knowing me as I am ... most of my friends' reply were "live to eat". One guy, without hesitation, told me that and then inform me that only animals eat to live, and HE has evolve way beyond that.
To those who eat to live ... I am so sorry!
Eating ... it's no longer just to survive. I mean, there is a reason why there's an "obesity epidemic" around!
It's much more than that. It's a whole sensory experience:
The aroma ... it's not as simple as good, or bad, or sweet, or savory. Sometimes, it brings you back memories. The subtities of spices and herbs.
Then there's the texture. Some are luscious, silky, smooth, grainy, chewy, even bouncy, crunchy ...
The presentation ... ah! Some of these plates are so great looking that I hesitate to break up the harmony of the whole "look". I think my cousin has the right idea in taking a photo first, before chowing down on it.
Ocassionally, there are actually food that will make noise. I'm not even talking about pre-cooked animals here. Who can resist that hot sizzling plate of seared meat? There is a reason why sizzling rice soup has a following. I mean, it's not like the stuff is all that great. Oh, but the brief sound it makes ... it's just so ... fresh and tempting!
Of course, can't enjoy food without taste now, can we? I'm not talking about those who over season their food so that when you finally do get a chance to eat, your lips just feel all "pickled" after a while. The excessive salt content changes your taste buds enough that it seem as if the dish is bitter. I'm talking about "just right" seasoning. The simplest things like salt and pepper can make a really good piece of meat stand out on its own based on its flavor and texture alone. Sometimes, one wanders into a culinary adventure with the subtlest of herbs or spices. The right combination can give you that little surprise element. A little something unexpected. The constant evolving use of them is part of the joy of eating.
Take a cup of hot cocoa. What can be simpler? Just some cocoa powder and hot milk? Recently, I went to a chocolate shop where they boast to make the "world's best cup of hot chocolate". With that claim, who am I to turn away? The shop, aside from selling all kinds of chocolates with different fillings, also truffles (chocolate ones, of course), also sells chocolate related accessories (like fondu pots, cook books, etc.). They have a hot chocolate bar in the corner serving about at least 4-5 different kinds. I asked them for a "hot and spicy". They didn't really explain to me what was in it, but from what I CAN see ... they must have put about half a cup of chopped chocolates in the 6 once cup (either milk or dark ... it's all up to you), then there are pinches of this and that. I think it involves cinnimon, chilli pepper (probably caynne), nutmeg and who knows what else that I can't see. All this was followed by some honey and steamed milk. Then all that hot liquid gets transferred to a metal cup and stuck into a milk shake maker to give it a whirl. They're probably right. It was damn good! Though whether it's the "world's best" or not remains to be tested. Though I know I can't possibly try them all, I intend to try a whole lot of them.
Eventually, most people I know will encounter this question by me.
Knowing me as I am ... most of my friends' reply were "live to eat". One guy, without hesitation, told me that and then inform me that only animals eat to live, and HE has evolve way beyond that.
To those who eat to live ... I am so sorry!
Eating ... it's no longer just to survive. I mean, there is a reason why there's an "obesity epidemic" around!
It's much more than that. It's a whole sensory experience:
The aroma ... it's not as simple as good, or bad, or sweet, or savory. Sometimes, it brings you back memories. The subtities of spices and herbs.
Then there's the texture. Some are luscious, silky, smooth, grainy, chewy, even bouncy, crunchy ...
The presentation ... ah! Some of these plates are so great looking that I hesitate to break up the harmony of the whole "look". I think my cousin has the right idea in taking a photo first, before chowing down on it.
Ocassionally, there are actually food that will make noise. I'm not even talking about pre-cooked animals here. Who can resist that hot sizzling plate of seared meat? There is a reason why sizzling rice soup has a following. I mean, it's not like the stuff is all that great. Oh, but the brief sound it makes ... it's just so ... fresh and tempting!
Of course, can't enjoy food without taste now, can we? I'm not talking about those who over season their food so that when you finally do get a chance to eat, your lips just feel all "pickled" after a while. The excessive salt content changes your taste buds enough that it seem as if the dish is bitter. I'm talking about "just right" seasoning. The simplest things like salt and pepper can make a really good piece of meat stand out on its own based on its flavor and texture alone. Sometimes, one wanders into a culinary adventure with the subtlest of herbs or spices. The right combination can give you that little surprise element. A little something unexpected. The constant evolving use of them is part of the joy of eating.
Take a cup of hot cocoa. What can be simpler? Just some cocoa powder and hot milk? Recently, I went to a chocolate shop where they boast to make the "world's best cup of hot chocolate". With that claim, who am I to turn away? The shop, aside from selling all kinds of chocolates with different fillings, also truffles (chocolate ones, of course), also sells chocolate related accessories (like fondu pots, cook books, etc.). They have a hot chocolate bar in the corner serving about at least 4-5 different kinds. I asked them for a "hot and spicy". They didn't really explain to me what was in it, but from what I CAN see ... they must have put about half a cup of chopped chocolates in the 6 once cup (either milk or dark ... it's all up to you), then there are pinches of this and that. I think it involves cinnimon, chilli pepper (probably caynne), nutmeg and who knows what else that I can't see. All this was followed by some honey and steamed milk. Then all that hot liquid gets transferred to a metal cup and stuck into a milk shake maker to give it a whirl. They're probably right. It was damn good! Though whether it's the "world's best" or not remains to be tested. Though I know I can't possibly try them all, I intend to try a whole lot of them.
Friday, August 19, 2005
Gimme that!
Ummm ... the piece of chocolate that one's supposed to find on their pillow. The definition of decadent and luxury.
Has anybody ever get that from hotels? I've stayed at a bunch of different hotels, some of them rather nice ones, I have NEVER found a single piece of chocolate on MY pillow! Nope, not even a stinking piece of Hershey's Kiss.
So, if ever I do find that elusive piece one of these days, what does one do with it? I mean, by the time I get to bed, I would have already washed up and brushed my teeth. Not that I'm really going to let a thing like tooth decay stand between me and my rightful piece of CHOCOLATE! ... but do people usually go check before starting to cleanup ... you know ... just in case? If you find it too late, do you eat now, THEN brush again, or save it until the next morning? Which creates a different problem since chocolate and morning breath, I would imagine, don't go well together.
Well ... I'm willing to HAVE to live through that kind of a dilemma.
Has anybody ever get that from hotels? I've stayed at a bunch of different hotels, some of them rather nice ones, I have NEVER found a single piece of chocolate on MY pillow! Nope, not even a stinking piece of Hershey's Kiss.
So, if ever I do find that elusive piece one of these days, what does one do with it? I mean, by the time I get to bed, I would have already washed up and brushed my teeth. Not that I'm really going to let a thing like tooth decay stand between me and my rightful piece of CHOCOLATE! ... but do people usually go check before starting to cleanup ... you know ... just in case? If you find it too late, do you eat now, THEN brush again, or save it until the next morning? Which creates a different problem since chocolate and morning breath, I would imagine, don't go well together.
Well ... I'm willing to HAVE to live through that kind of a dilemma.
snacks at work?
Does anyone else have a snack drawer at work? One of the first things I'd done at my current job (and the last few, come to think of it) was to clean out a desk drawer so that I can throw my assorted sundries into it. My assorted sundries just happen to contain mainly of food. As it turns out, a few of my co-workers have similar habits. I brought food in to work (pasta) and decided to feed my co-workers. We ended up with a pretty nice impromptu potluck. One guy produced a can of smoked oysters from his desk. Another guy had soda. One lady picked up some garlic bread from the cafeteria ... It was ... nice ...
Currently, I have one file-sized drawer filled with emergency rations (I'm calling it that and I'm sticking to that story!). There are cookies, crackers, mango pudding cups, potato chips, vegetable juice, microwave popcorn and a couple of boxes (not cases, even *I* know that would be going too far) of instant noodles.
... Then I ran out of room. So ... of course I have to set aside ANOTHER (smaller) drawer for my candies. To be honest, this one is only half full of ... currently holding: bite size "3 Musketeers", bite size Snickers, White Rabbit candies, Jolly Rancher lollipop, Tootsie Roll pops, Starburst Fruit Chews, Laffy Taffy which I stole from my assistant, 1 Pixy Stix (need a refill very soon), Horhound hard candies (supposed to be good for sore throats, at least I'm claiming it as such), and to round things out with a touch of "health", one bar of Nutri-Grain Yogurt Bar.
What do other people do if they don't have a desk drawer to use?
Currently, I have one file-sized drawer filled with emergency rations (I'm calling it that and I'm sticking to that story!). There are cookies, crackers, mango pudding cups, potato chips, vegetable juice, microwave popcorn and a couple of boxes (not cases, even *I* know that would be going too far) of instant noodles.
... Then I ran out of room. So ... of course I have to set aside ANOTHER (smaller) drawer for my candies. To be honest, this one is only half full of ... currently holding: bite size "3 Musketeers", bite size Snickers, White Rabbit candies, Jolly Rancher lollipop, Tootsie Roll pops, Starburst Fruit Chews, Laffy Taffy which I stole from my assistant, 1 Pixy Stix (need a refill very soon), Horhound hard candies (supposed to be good for sore throats, at least I'm claiming it as such), and to round things out with a touch of "health", one bar of Nutri-Grain Yogurt Bar.
What do other people do if they don't have a desk drawer to use?
Thursday, August 18, 2005
Frankenfood
We are eating so much processed food these days. Preservatives, added "stabilizers", genetically engineered food substitutes.
I go to the local market and I can find all kinds of stuff that people eat on a regular basis. I have to admit that I occasionally partake in some of these things, just because they're so readily available and convenient. But I'm trying to eat a little better, a little less preservatives, etc.
We have not just one, or two ... but 3 different major brands of sugar substitutes! All of which has a strange aftertaste. I don't care what they say or rave about ... that stuff is still weird.
There are garden burgers (non-meat hamburger patties). These are actually not too bad, taste-wise. I think it has some nuts, soy and other stuff in it to keep the whole thing together. There are soy dogs (soy-based hotdogs wieners). I would not recommend these as they have been quite nasty in the past. I don't think I want to try them again anytime soon ... stay away from these unless you like chewing on plastic, which is roughly what they taste like. Yes ... a salty rubber glove!
Reading the ingredient lists, I have a hard time trying to find savory snacks without MSG in them. I'd always thought that being Asian gives me immunity to MSG sensitivity, but I changed my mind after getting violently ill after ingesting 2 bags of shrimp chips once upon a time.
There is pesticide on my fruits and vegetables. At least I assume there is. They sell detergent for fruits and vegetables now. They supposedly rinses away pesticides and wax (they put a coat on hard fruits and vegetables like apples, bell peppers, etc. to give them a pretty glossy shine).
There are reports of newly "developed" fruits or vegetables every now and then. The market sells the "regular" tomatoes for less than a dollar a pound (they're just kind of there. Looks like tomatoes, have the texture of tomatoes, but taste-wise ... they could be anything). Heirloom tomatoes (they're kind of weird looking with lumps everywhere and sometimes multicolored too) - what tomatoes USED to be like, are selling for at least $3 a pound. Most of the time, more. They smell like tomatoes, tastes like tomatoes ... why are we subjecting ourselves to eating the mutant tomatoes? Is it the price (less likely that they will get infected by disease, insects, etc. grows larger, faster, etc.)? The public is never really officially informed that these are not "regular" fruits or vegetables ... just that there are more expensive varieties that you can buy from the "organic section".
I've read somewhere that Japan is developing slightly soft shelled eggs that are square, so that they can stack them easier. What are they going to "develop" next? Skinless chicken???
I think people are getting a little more conscious about these things, especially those who are in higher income brackets who can actually afford to eat organically. Who knows what the longterm affect will be? Will we grow a third eye or develop super powers from eating these things? I think I would like to be able to fly. Beats being stuck in traffic all the time.
I go to the local market and I can find all kinds of stuff that people eat on a regular basis. I have to admit that I occasionally partake in some of these things, just because they're so readily available and convenient. But I'm trying to eat a little better, a little less preservatives, etc.
We have not just one, or two ... but 3 different major brands of sugar substitutes! All of which has a strange aftertaste. I don't care what they say or rave about ... that stuff is still weird.
There are garden burgers (non-meat hamburger patties). These are actually not too bad, taste-wise. I think it has some nuts, soy and other stuff in it to keep the whole thing together. There are soy dogs (soy-based hotdogs wieners). I would not recommend these as they have been quite nasty in the past. I don't think I want to try them again anytime soon ... stay away from these unless you like chewing on plastic, which is roughly what they taste like. Yes ... a salty rubber glove!
Reading the ingredient lists, I have a hard time trying to find savory snacks without MSG in them. I'd always thought that being Asian gives me immunity to MSG sensitivity, but I changed my mind after getting violently ill after ingesting 2 bags of shrimp chips once upon a time.
There is pesticide on my fruits and vegetables. At least I assume there is. They sell detergent for fruits and vegetables now. They supposedly rinses away pesticides and wax (they put a coat on hard fruits and vegetables like apples, bell peppers, etc. to give them a pretty glossy shine).
There are reports of newly "developed" fruits or vegetables every now and then. The market sells the "regular" tomatoes for less than a dollar a pound (they're just kind of there. Looks like tomatoes, have the texture of tomatoes, but taste-wise ... they could be anything). Heirloom tomatoes (they're kind of weird looking with lumps everywhere and sometimes multicolored too) - what tomatoes USED to be like, are selling for at least $3 a pound. Most of the time, more. They smell like tomatoes, tastes like tomatoes ... why are we subjecting ourselves to eating the mutant tomatoes? Is it the price (less likely that they will get infected by disease, insects, etc. grows larger, faster, etc.)? The public is never really officially informed that these are not "regular" fruits or vegetables ... just that there are more expensive varieties that you can buy from the "organic section".
I've read somewhere that Japan is developing slightly soft shelled eggs that are square, so that they can stack them easier. What are they going to "develop" next? Skinless chicken???
I think people are getting a little more conscious about these things, especially those who are in higher income brackets who can actually afford to eat organically. Who knows what the longterm affect will be? Will we grow a third eye or develop super powers from eating these things? I think I would like to be able to fly. Beats being stuck in traffic all the time.
Ice Cream
A friend of mine called me at the last minute and asked if I wanted to join her in an ice cream making class since one of her friends can't make it for personal reasons. My initial response to her was "You've hit me right at my Achillias heel, of course I'll HAVE to go now that I know it's ice cream. Damn you!" ... all in good fun of course.
The class was fun. Well ... anything would have been fun if it involves ice cream! The presenter was a lot of fun and totally in tune with the way I feel about the subject. She was talking about having granitas for breakfast and how her husband doesn't understand. It was like ... yeah! what's wrong with him???
Anyhow, she ended up making about 4 different kinds of frozen desserts. A basic vanilla ice cream using heavy cream and whole milk; a chocolate custard cream with bananas, peanut-butter, using egg yolks; a champagne sorbet; and an espresso granita with whipped cream topping.
All in all, very enjoyable. I picked up some rock salt for some impromptu ice cream making when I get home. Of course, that didn't happen since I forgot to pick up a large bag of ice as well. D'oh!
The class was fun. Well ... anything would have been fun if it involves ice cream! The presenter was a lot of fun and totally in tune with the way I feel about the subject. She was talking about having granitas for breakfast and how her husband doesn't understand. It was like ... yeah! what's wrong with him???
Anyhow, she ended up making about 4 different kinds of frozen desserts. A basic vanilla ice cream using heavy cream and whole milk; a chocolate custard cream with bananas, peanut-butter, using egg yolks; a champagne sorbet; and an espresso granita with whipped cream topping.
All in all, very enjoyable. I picked up some rock salt for some impromptu ice cream making when I get home. Of course, that didn't happen since I forgot to pick up a large bag of ice as well. D'oh!
Food Quality
Is it my imagination, or is the general quality of food better these days. I'm not counting general fast food restaurants (are they considered restaurants?) or stuff you get as part of a package (like airplane food).
I went to the museum yesterday and their cafe's menu actually sounds really good. They have baby greens with apples and blue cheese, sandwichs with fillings like stone-grounded mustard with black forest ham, grilled vegetables, etc. The Asian Art Museum has stuff like lemongrass coconut soup with asian vegetables and chicken ... I remember not too many years ago when all you can get at museums are cold "wonder bread" sandwiches and watery coffee. All cafeteria food stuff. They were pretty expensive too! The selections from De Young actually was quite reasonable for what you can get. I haven't tried them out yet, but will definitely have to try it out.
I guess people's taste bud's finally evolving for the better. If only they do as well with school lunches ...
I went to the museum yesterday and their cafe's menu actually sounds really good. They have baby greens with apples and blue cheese, sandwichs with fillings like stone-grounded mustard with black forest ham, grilled vegetables, etc. The Asian Art Museum has stuff like lemongrass coconut soup with asian vegetables and chicken ... I remember not too many years ago when all you can get at museums are cold "wonder bread" sandwiches and watery coffee. All cafeteria food stuff. They were pretty expensive too! The selections from De Young actually was quite reasonable for what you can get. I haven't tried them out yet, but will definitely have to try it out.
I guess people's taste bud's finally evolving for the better. If only they do as well with school lunches ...
Monday, August 15, 2005
Chicks and Pubs
Went to a pub for dinner tonight. Their fish & chips were good. The best is still the place in Pacific, but it's not too shabby being second best.
Thought I like the family-like setting there, seeing actual kids there was really odd. A family of 5 strolled in. They look like they know everybody there and stopped to talk with a number of other people who all look to be regulars. The two kids who can walk around were running around and playing with the video game machine (I think it was a pac-man or something. Mom and dad already has a pint in hand. The baby's stuck in his/her stroller.
I'm still having a hard time imaging when those kids grow up and already being such regulars at a pub. Strange.
About a year ago or so, I was talking to a co-worker about the merits of the costco chicken. Now, a costco chicken is a fully cooked rotisseri chicken. Fully flavored and oh, so juicy. All for a mere $4.99! So, there I was, telling her about all the stuff that I normally do with a typical chicken I buy from them. First night, eat a leg and thigh. Second day and on-ward, chicken sandwichs, chicken with salad, pasta with chicken, chicken salad sandwich, etc. Then it's on to chicken soup and then finally chicken porridge. I was mighty impressed with myself and how "enterprising" I can get with a simple cooked chicken. To my surprise ... my co-worker response was one of pity and concern. She then asked if I was POOR! Then she helpfully informed me that chicken is much cheaper if I buy it raw and whole, instead of parts.
I was like ... no, I'm not entirely poor. I'm just CHEAP!!!
Gosh! Some people just can't appreciate the finer points!
Thought I like the family-like setting there, seeing actual kids there was really odd. A family of 5 strolled in. They look like they know everybody there and stopped to talk with a number of other people who all look to be regulars. The two kids who can walk around were running around and playing with the video game machine (I think it was a pac-man or something. Mom and dad already has a pint in hand. The baby's stuck in his/her stroller.
I'm still having a hard time imaging when those kids grow up and already being such regulars at a pub. Strange.
About a year ago or so, I was talking to a co-worker about the merits of the costco chicken. Now, a costco chicken is a fully cooked rotisseri chicken. Fully flavored and oh, so juicy. All for a mere $4.99! So, there I was, telling her about all the stuff that I normally do with a typical chicken I buy from them. First night, eat a leg and thigh. Second day and on-ward, chicken sandwichs, chicken with salad, pasta with chicken, chicken salad sandwich, etc. Then it's on to chicken soup and then finally chicken porridge. I was mighty impressed with myself and how "enterprising" I can get with a simple cooked chicken. To my surprise ... my co-worker response was one of pity and concern. She then asked if I was POOR! Then she helpfully informed me that chicken is much cheaper if I buy it raw and whole, instead of parts.
I was like ... no, I'm not entirely poor. I'm just CHEAP!!!
Gosh! Some people just can't appreciate the finer points!
Sunday, August 14, 2005
Salt
Continuing my search for more good-eats around the neighborhood. I went to a Janpanese restaurant tonight. As it turns out, they're open late (until midnight). So, it works out pretty well for me if I miss on going to all the rest of the places around the area. Let's see ... for late night snack attacks ... I've got the Taqaria a block away, or the Japanese place about two blocks away. Then there's the pub for whatever it is that they offer ... knowledge such as these keeps my tummy full at all hours. :-)
I was really craving some noodle soup. I can go for pho, but didn't really feel like it. I ended up with a bowl of ramen. I think they call it chanwa or something. Anything with my name in it can't be all that bad, can it? For something extra to chew on, I asked them for a side order of California rolls.
The California Rolls turns out pretty good. They use real crab meat! Always a bonus point for doing that in my books.
The ramen was good. Chewy and with a slight bouncy texture. Very nicely done. The soup base was pork. It was creamy and has a rich pork flavor. Unfortunately, they put way too much salt in it for me to really enjoy it. The few pieces of pork floating around in the broth was tasty, but I would much rather that they trim off the chunks of fat that's still attached to the meat. The various pieces of fish cake has probably been in the broth way too long. I can't really taste their flavor. Maybe that's why the soup was so salty?
There was a guy who sat down next to me at the bar. He must be a regular there. The chef and other people who work there stops to talk with him for a while. He looked at what I ordered and asked him how it was. I told him that though it's tasty, it's too salty. His reply was a little puzzling. I'm still trying to figure out what it means. He said "salty good eh? gives you more POWER tomorrow! ... HAHAHAH! eh?" Strange guy. I just smiled, nodded and went back to my book.
I was talking about food that's salty with another friend earlier. He told the cook about his meal and the chef told him that it's to give the food a little more "zing".
How can one really enjoy the meal when it's so salty that it's almost bitter? Unless the cooks are all kind of too de-sensatized to really know what their food tastes like.
I am still searching for that elusive restaurant where I can honestly say that I've never had a bad meal at.
I was really craving some noodle soup. I can go for pho, but didn't really feel like it. I ended up with a bowl of ramen. I think they call it chanwa or something. Anything with my name in it can't be all that bad, can it? For something extra to chew on, I asked them for a side order of California rolls.
The California Rolls turns out pretty good. They use real crab meat! Always a bonus point for doing that in my books.
The ramen was good. Chewy and with a slight bouncy texture. Very nicely done. The soup base was pork. It was creamy and has a rich pork flavor. Unfortunately, they put way too much salt in it for me to really enjoy it. The few pieces of pork floating around in the broth was tasty, but I would much rather that they trim off the chunks of fat that's still attached to the meat. The various pieces of fish cake has probably been in the broth way too long. I can't really taste their flavor. Maybe that's why the soup was so salty?
There was a guy who sat down next to me at the bar. He must be a regular there. The chef and other people who work there stops to talk with him for a while. He looked at what I ordered and asked him how it was. I told him that though it's tasty, it's too salty. His reply was a little puzzling. I'm still trying to figure out what it means. He said "salty good eh? gives you more POWER tomorrow! ... HAHAHAH! eh?" Strange guy. I just smiled, nodded and went back to my book.
I was talking about food that's salty with another friend earlier. He told the cook about his meal and the chef told him that it's to give the food a little more "zing".
How can one really enjoy the meal when it's so salty that it's almost bitter? Unless the cooks are all kind of too de-sensatized to really know what their food tastes like.
I am still searching for that elusive restaurant where I can honestly say that I've never had a bad meal at.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Eating vegetarian
No, not me! But sometimes I do try to eat a little lighter and go with more vegetables in my diet.
So, I had a brainstorm a couple of weeks ago. I decided to make a vegetarian lasagne without noodles. Kind of a super atkin's dish, I guess. So, I went out and got some vegetables and proceeded to slice them into thin slices. The zucchini was shaved into these thin ribbons as psudo "noodles" for the dish.
I assembled the vegetables together. The "meat filling/sauce" was made out of sauteed mushrooms and tofu. Then a shaved a bunch of cheese over the whole thing and stuck it in the oven.
It smelled very good. But ... I forgot about how vegetables shed a lot of water when heated. So, the whole dish turned out really watered down. Otherwise, I think it has a lot of potentials to actually be quite good.
Need to remember to dry them out a bit before the entire baking process.
After all this, I'm a little tapped out on the whole vegetarian thing. Did I mention the veal I had last night was really good?
People just eat all kinds of strange stuff, don't they? Sweatbread -- let me tell you, it has nothing to do with bread OR sugar. Mountain oysters? -- do you really want to know? My cousin was in town last week from Australia. Before coming by, she asked if there's anything I want from there. I, along with another friend was joking around and started talking about kangaroo steaks and crocodiles. Well ... she brough us some of both (in jerky form). Haven't tried them yet though, but ... like what they say about most exotic meats ... probably tastes like chicken.
Speaking of exotic meats? I wonder if people eat dogs anymore. My friend D was joking with the chef guy a while back about wanting him to fix him something out of the neighborhood pet population. The guy told him to not joke about stuff like that as his (the chef)'s wife was from the orients. What is this perception that we eat everything anyway? I mean ... ok, so Asians probably eat more strange stuff than most other cultures, but I kind of doubt if it's still the case anymore, right?
So, I had a brainstorm a couple of weeks ago. I decided to make a vegetarian lasagne without noodles. Kind of a super atkin's dish, I guess. So, I went out and got some vegetables and proceeded to slice them into thin slices. The zucchini was shaved into these thin ribbons as psudo "noodles" for the dish.
I assembled the vegetables together. The "meat filling/sauce" was made out of sauteed mushrooms and tofu. Then a shaved a bunch of cheese over the whole thing and stuck it in the oven.
It smelled very good. But ... I forgot about how vegetables shed a lot of water when heated. So, the whole dish turned out really watered down. Otherwise, I think it has a lot of potentials to actually be quite good.
Need to remember to dry them out a bit before the entire baking process.
After all this, I'm a little tapped out on the whole vegetarian thing. Did I mention the veal I had last night was really good?
People just eat all kinds of strange stuff, don't they? Sweatbread -- let me tell you, it has nothing to do with bread OR sugar. Mountain oysters? -- do you really want to know? My cousin was in town last week from Australia. Before coming by, she asked if there's anything I want from there. I, along with another friend was joking around and started talking about kangaroo steaks and crocodiles. Well ... she brough us some of both (in jerky form). Haven't tried them yet though, but ... like what they say about most exotic meats ... probably tastes like chicken.
Speaking of exotic meats? I wonder if people eat dogs anymore. My friend D was joking with the chef guy a while back about wanting him to fix him something out of the neighborhood pet population. The guy told him to not joke about stuff like that as his (the chef)'s wife was from the orients. What is this perception that we eat everything anyway? I mean ... ok, so Asians probably eat more strange stuff than most other cultures, but I kind of doubt if it's still the case anymore, right?
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