Monday, February 1, 2010

Thanks for two photos

I want to thank Amy Albert for the wonderful new photo of me to the left of this entry. I was ladling out Posole the evening before Thanksgiving. Posole, a southwestern soup made with pork and hominy, couldn't be more different from the feast that awaited us the next day. And it was perfect.

I also want to thank Lot Schurin whose photo of the old house in Vietnam I used below. I found it on the web and thought that it was the right image, imagining as I did the cooking that was going on in that house as she took the photo and the smells that might have been coming from the pot on the fire.

Images of Vietnam

















This is the time of year when my thoughts turn to travel. Perhaps it’s the fact that the Bay area has been drenched with rain in January and weather.com tells us to expect seven to ten days of showers this week and next. Moss is growing on sidewalks, my lemons are turning brown and soft on my trees, gutters are so full of debris they threaten to detach themselves from my garage. Some people turn to their seed catalogs for respite; I turn to my travel guides and cookbooks. On my list of places I would like to visit, Vietnam is working its way toward the top. Not this year. Perhaps not even next. But soon.

Most of us who came of age in the 1960s first became acquainted with Vietnam because of the war. We recall my then Governor Ronald Reagan’s October 10,1965 statement in the Fresno Bee, “It’s silly talking about how many years we will have to spend in the jungles of Vietnam when we could pave the whole country and put parking stripes on it and still be home by Christmas.” Vietnam, the culture and the people, dismissed with a swat of the hand. The images of the war which went on way past Christmas, are seared in our minds, a horrifying reminder of the harm we are capable of inflicting on each other.

It wasn’t until 1994 when a friend at Duke University gave me Pico Iyer’s Falling Off the Map: Some Lonely Places of the World, that a different image of Vietnam started to emerge. Written in 1993, there is no doubt that the scenes Iyer paints in his chapter on Vietnam, “Yesterday Once More,” are now very much out of date. But never mind. Hue, the “reticent capital of old Vietnam,” captured my fancy then and has held on to it all these years later. He writes of Hue’s “gracious reserve and faded glamour,” of “students on their bicycles [who] carried themselves like ancient porcelain,” of “watching the famous local beauties, flowerlike, in their traditional ao dais, pedaling, with queenly serenity, across the Perfume River, long hair falling to their waists and pink parasols held up against the sun…” Beautiful and calming images of people living normal lives.

Having recently re-read this chapter, I must say that my enthusiasm for traveling to Hue and also to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and the countryside is as strong as ever. I’m readying myself to see the sights, old and new; to eat French bread, a carry-over from the time of French colonialism; to visit the markets and to slurp up the fish sauce. Ah, the fish sauce.

Iyer says “The only preparation you need to make if you plan to visit Vietnam is to sweep your mind clear of all preconceptions.” True for all travel but particularly true for a place where the strong images we have stored in our minds can prevail over the reality in front of us. I would add that you also need to get the taste of Vietnam in your mouth, in your body, in your spirit. Armed with my two Vietnamese cookbooks, I am ready.

A Taste of Vietnam with a Touch of Thai

If you are new to Vietnamese/Thai food, I suggest that you start with the soup. It makes a gorgeous simple dinner with the addition of a salad. And it takes no time at all to fix. The Shrimp and Black Rice Salad is also a great dinner to which you can add a simple salad. But there is a little more fuss to it. The Cauliflower with Garlic and Pepper can be a vegetable side dish with any dinner, Vietnamese or not. We had it with cracked crab and it was delicious.

Thai Chicken Coconut Soup

I made this for my daughter-in-law when she was healing from surgery. I think that it hastened her recovery.








1 14-ounce can coconut milk
1 14-ounce can chicken broth
6 quarter-sized slices fresh ginger
1 stalk lemongrass, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, sliced thinly
7 ounces tofu, sliced, optional
1-3 cups sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons Thai chili paste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopper fresh cilantro

1. In a medium saucepan, mix together the coconut milk, broth, ginger and lemongrass. Bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Add the chicken, optional tofu, mushrooms, lime juice, and fish sauce, salt, sugar and chili paste. Reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked. Check for salt, adding if necessary. Remove the lemongrass pieces as best you can.
3. Pour into bowls and garnish with basil and cilantro.

You can make a vegetarian version by substituting 7-14 ounces of tofu for the chicken, vegetable broth for the chicken broth, and soy sauce for the fish sauce.

4 servings
Adapted from Jiranooch Shapiro’s version in December 2008 Sunset Magazine

Shrimp and Black Rice Salad with Vietnamese Vinaigrette
I was eating some leftovers of this dish on a plane ride from SFO to NYC. A friend, who was seated across the aisle from me, leaned over and said “Watch out. There are lots of people on this plane who would do anything for a bite of your lunch.” I think that included my friend.

















For the Vietnamese dipping sauce/vinaigrette:
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 red or green jalapeno or serano fresh pepper, seeded and minced
1½-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
4 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoon lime juice (about 1 lime)
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

For the salad:
1 cup black rice
Note: The brand I get at the supermarket is Lotus Foods A World of Rice Forbidden Rice: The Emperor’s Exclusive Grain Imported from China
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled
Salt
Juice of ½ lemon

1. To make the sauce, mix all the ingredients together.
2. Cook the rice by bringing 1 2/3 cup water to a boil, add the rice, and cook for 40-45 minutes. You can also follow the instructions on the package.
3. Poach the peeled shrimp in simmering water to which you have added the juice of ½ lemon.
4. Let both the rice and the shrimp cool somewhat. Place the rice is a shallow serving bowl. Stir some of the sauce into the rice. Arrange the shrimp on top and spoon more sauce onto them. Serve at the table with additional sauce in a bowl on the side.

2-3 dinner servings
Adapted from Nigella Lawson’s Forever Summer

Cauliflower with Garlic and Pepper

















2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 head of cauliflower, broken into small florets
2 tablespoons fish sauce
6-8 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 green onions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
2 tablespoons coarsely shopped fresh cilantro, dill or mint

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower to the pan and cook for 1 minute, toss well, exposing all sides to the hot pan. Once the cauliflower is nicely browned, add the garlic and stir well to combine.
2. Add the fish sauce, water, sugar, pepper, and green onions to the pan. Cook, tossing often until the cauliflower is tender, but not mushy, about 5 or more minutes.
3. Just before serving, stir in the fresh herbs, transfer to a shallow serving bowl and serve hot or warm.

4 servings
Adapted from Nancie McDermott’s Quick and Easy Vietnamese

culinary for Italiano Lovers

wisata kuliner di Surabaya, restoran favorite gara2 makanannya enak semuaanya. Pisa Cafe & Resto di deket mall Pakuwon Surabaya. kalo yg di Jakarta malah belom pernah kesana..
so, kalo kami datang ke Surabaya, selain hunting makanan Suroboyo yang ga pernah absen ya makan di sini. appertizer, main course sampe dessert enaak smua. luv it ! karena bagiku harganya lumayan menohok (tapi dibanding rasanya emg worth it), jadi pesen minum es teh ajah. yang penting makanan enak semua.
dessert yang ga bisa terlewati, waffle with 2 scoop gelatos, include chocolate&strawberry sauce. gelato favorite rasa black forest (yang ternyata setelah ngabisin 1 cup baru tau klo ada rhum-nya) dan tiramisu. enaak suenakk. another delicious dessert is melting chocolate inside the chocolate cake. sayang ga motoin :(
paling nyenengin kalo resto ini lagi ultah, diskon 50% for all item just 1 day. sampe ngantri2 gilaa rame sesak abiss!

Bad Mood

1 Februari 2010 Senin

Hari ini seperti hari biasanya, pagi2 siap2 buat Mei skul, bikin bento papa, kasih makan anak, masak dll pekerjaan rumta yg ga ush disebutin dah. Kalo disebutin semua, ntar pada manggil gw Oshin lagi..hahhaha

Jam 3 an Mei da pulang, trus dia maen tuh ma dd nya. Maen si pertama akur2, tau2 pada rebutan maenan, aduhh mpe pusing gw, apa si yg direbutin?? ternyata cuman cup n maenan plastik bawang/tamanegi, critanya lagi pada maen masak2an.
Pertama Mei yg mewek, coz maenannya direbut dd nya. Udah, dibaekin, maenannya tukeran.
Gak lama giliran dd nya yg mewek...alesannya yah sama, rebutan maenan juga. Makin bete aja dah gw. Udah dibujuk mpe diomelin tetep aja ga berhenti nangis..akhirnya gw diemin aje..

Sebelnya nangis ga lama, Xiang mulai batuk2 n akhirnya muntahhhhh semua dah. Tambah bete lagi gw..uh, cuman gara2 rebutan maenan mpe muntah?? Dia lagi susah makan, jadi tambah kesel gw, da cape2 kasih makan, lah kok dimuntahin..Sebellllll... gw hilang sabar da, mulai pukul tuh pantatnya...abis gitu, gw agak nyesel jg..huhuhu
Gw harus nyuci baju sekali lagiiii....muntahannya kemana2 juga, harus dibersihin lagi. Bener2 bad mood.

Pas da mo tidur, Xiang bikin ulah lagi, dia minta minum jus, uda dikasih ke botolnya, ehhh botolnya dilempar..makin kesel lagi dah gw, ga tau nih anak mo minta apa ?? Gw cuekin, makin nangis...uhhhhh, rasanya gw mo teriak, minta tolong sapa lah buat diemin nih anak...heran, kuat banget nangisnyaaa...
Takut muntah lagi, gw gendong dah, kasih air putih aja, akhirnya reda tuh n ga lama mulai aktif lagi. Disuruh tidur, dia malah joget2 malah nyanyi, heran...

Jam 8.30an akhirnya anak2 tidur juga...tinggal gw yang bad mood dah, inet bentaran, jam 10an gw tidur juga, ga nunggu laki gw..dah capeee dah gw.

Not for NRN readers

February 1

Nation’s Restaurant News, the magazine of which this blog is part, is intended for, and mostly read by, people who own or manage restaurants or are in some way involved in buying or selling things for restaurants.

A lot of food writers read it, too, and many of your favorite consumer magazines and newspapers subscribe and copy liberally from it.

Some NRN readers also read this blog, but a lot of people who read this don’t read NRN (and, as the lackluster number of responses to my poll on MUFSO illustrate, they're not interested in big chain restaurant conventions). They are simply food enthusiasts or restaurant scene voyeurs and the sort of people who might be interested in the casting call announcement I just received, which I will paste below, exclamation marks and all.

Restaurant operators and former operators are not invited.

Thank you for your attention.

OPEN CASTING CALL

Food Network and the producers of The Next Food Network Star are looking for two person teams for a new competition series!

Have you always dreamed of running your own restaurant? Does your wife, husband, brother, sister, mother, partner or friend share that dream?

Do you make restaurant quality meals at home and want to show that you can take it to the next level? Are you a pro in the kitchen while your teammate is a star in the front of the house? Are you ready to prove that you have what it takes to run a restaurant? If so, we want to meet you!

NEW YORK CASTING CALL INFORMATION

Date: Friday, February 12, 2010
Time: 10am – 3pm
Location: Professor Thoms
219 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10003
*Please go to www.24hourrestaurantbattle.com to download two applications (one for you, one for your partner). Please bring completed applications along with recent photos to the casting call.*

WHO SHOULD APPLY:
Two person teams with pre-existing relationships: Husband & wife, ex-husband & wife, father & daughter, mother & son, newlyweds, brothers, sisters, twins, cousins, best friends, etc.

The Skills to Run a Restaurant: Applicants may have no restaurant experience, a ton of experience, or some combination of the two. One member of the team will be the chef and run the kitchen, and the other will run the “front of the house,” so all we ask is that you have the skills to, as a team, actually run a restaurant.

Personality that Pops: Are you and your teammate charismatic and outgoing? We’re looking for lots of energy and charm!

*Please don’t apply if you already own your own restaurant or have previously owned a restaurant.

• If you have any questions, please contact us at casting24NY@gmail.com
• Applicants must (a) be a US citizen or permanent legal resident with the unrestricted ability to work in the U.S. and (b) be at least 18 years of age.

Diksí

As I mentioned in the last entry, Laia and I discovered a lovely and wonderful brand at the Brandery Winter Edition 2010, and it's called Diksí (Di que sí in spanish, what means "Say Yes!")

 


At the moment, in their website, you can discover a collection full of lovely colors and magic, trying to give us back into the age of the innocence, recalling the bright colors of candies and the flavour of sugar in our tongues.
 
 

But this is not what we saw at The Brandery... what we had the pleasure to see there was their 2010-11 fall-winter collection... and I can only say about this... Oh la la! I took some pictures from the catalogue as I don't have a scanner... I've give them a funny old look and added some wood hearts I've got in my room :) You can see them bigger clicking on the picture!

 
  
  
  
  
  
Actually, this is my favourite look! I love that blue beret!
 
 
All pictures by Diksí.

I must said that I was fascinated when I saw the quality of the clothes at the stand... and the soft and romantic colors, so beautiful... it makes me wish that I really was in Paris, wearing those gorgeous clothes and berets, eating crêpes, macaroons and singing La vie en rose... I can't wait for next autumm!

And you can buy via internet, so girls... say yes! Di que sí!

PS: A last recomendation: this weekend I saw NY, I love you... if you want to see an original and romantic film, have a look at it! And I leave you with one of my favourite songs by Emilie Simon: Fleur de Saison. Have a nice monday!


Oh, and check Laia's blog for her review of this brand!!

Retro Cookbooks and a week of Chilli

T.S. Eliot was wrong. February is the cruellest month.

With the day:night ratio still brutally weighted towards darkness and the good intentions of January ending in frustration or failure there is little to cheer come month number two.

What’s more, financially imposed restraint withers the bud of any frivolous relief: one must pay for midwinter exuberance at some point and that is usually about 30 days into the year. There shall be no steaks or fine wines in February.

But it presents the enthusiastic cook with a challenge. With budgets slashed more brutally than an American teenager in a bad horror movie, the cogs of invention begin to splutter and whirr into gear in an attempt to answer the age-old question: how does one eat well – cheaply?

I found the answer in the 1980s.

When we moved in together, the GF and I inevitably meshed media collections. This explains why Destiny’s Child now cosy up to The Dears and how Badly Drawn Boy ended up in such close proximity to Band of Horses (the alphabetisation is all me, sadly).

The cookbook collection was also enriched by this collision. In addition to the Nigels and Nigellas were some fabulous items from the mid 1980s which 20-some years on have managed to recapture their appeal, if only for kitsch value.



The Austrialian Women’s Weekly Dinner Party Cookbook No.2, its cover adorned with a domed fruit jelly, whipped cream piped around the perimeter, is a particular favourite. How to Make Good Curries is another I adore, chiefly because of the modest ambitions of its title.

The good folks at the Aussie Women’s Weekly are also responsible for The Barbecue Cookbook including – I kid you not – a section on a barbecued wedding breakfast.

But our favourite discovery, and one that caused much mirth when we were going through our new collection is a small undated pamphlet issued by the British Sausage Bureau entitled A Month of Sausages.



I think that warrants some thought.

Firstly, it is both commendable and highly amusing that such an organisation existed given that it sounds like something dreamt up by Edmund Blackadder or the writers of The Thick Of It. An entire (government funded) organisation dedicated solely to the advancement of the sausage. Magnificent.

But what’s more surprising and sadly archaic is the notion that a tentacle of the government would recommend eating sausages – albeit in various guises – every day. For a month.

In an era of five-a-day, low-sodium, low-fat, no-butter, no booze, no fags, no eggs, no cream, no bacon – the very idea that a publicly funded body could recommend eating processed pork for thirty straight days like some sort of inverse Lent is anathema to modern health proclamations.

Towards the end of the booklet they seem to be getting a little short on ideas (sausage kebabs – a sausage on a stick, Welsh Sausage Supper – sausages fried with leeks) but one has to admire the sentiment even if the execution is a little suspect.

However, despite my adoration of pork, I fear that a month of sausages is a challenge beyond even my capabilities but I was tickled by the notion and it chimed with the rather timely need for thrift.

For the next week we shall be eating chilli con carne. But we won’t be eating the same meal twice. The chilli shall serve as inspiration and base but the format shall vary.

At the moment it is bubbling away slowly in the oven and has been for four hours. The total cost of the ingredients was under a fiver and I’m as yet unsure where to go beyond chilli with rice and enchiladas but we’ll get there.



It might not be a month of sausages but a week of chilli is a darn good way to start a frugal February.

Results next Monday but for more regular updates tune into my Twitter feed right here

Artichoke with Lemon & Olive Oil Dip- ارضي شوكي بالحامض والزيت



Hello Everyone,
I have been lazy lately :( I guess the weather here in Germany has a lot to do with it. Snow and snow and nothing but snow! Low temperature and hardly any sun. That is effecting my mood and I didn't wanna let myself go and surrender to food. Therefore, I have decided to take it easy in the kitchen for a bit. At the same time I really don't wanna neglect the blog. Well, I have to reveal that I will be putting the content of the blog in a small book :) That is taking my time too. Yes, small, because I know how hard it is to travel with a lot of weight! Ok no more news about it until it's done ;))) Stay tuned!

Today, I've decided to make a simple healthy recipe, with hardly any calories. In Lebanon, this is considered as an appetizer and part of the mezze served in Lebanese restaurants. I personally can have this as a full meal. After I dip and eat the tip of the leaves of the artichoke, I clean the heart, put in in pita bread and dip it in the sauce and eat it.

Ingredients:
1 artichoke per/person
A pot of water, add some salt in it and a lemon cut into wedges.

For the dip:
Juice of 1 lemon, 1 small mashed clove of garlic, 1/2 cup of olive oil and salt & pepper to taste.

Rinse the artichoke(s) well and place in the pot. Bring to a boil then reduce to medium-high and let it cook until done. It's cooked when it's soft to taste. Just grab one and taste it, or stick the tip of the knife in the lower part of the artichoke. When it's done, place the artichoke upside down in a strainer to drain the water, then serve with the dip.
To eat: Take one leave and dip it and eat the soft tip. When you get to the flower, clean all the pointy hair-like that covers the heart which is very nutritious and tasty.
You can also, cut the tips and spread the leaves and drizzle the dip or dressing and enjoy!

culinary to American Steak

Wisata kuliner di Jakarta Pusat. hmmmm... posting ini dalam keadaan shaum bener2 menggoda iman. untuk Anda yang lapar berat dan berperut besar, bukan berperut besar sih.. tapi kuat makan (yang kuat makan kan ga selalu perutnya gede yaa...), makan di resto ini ga akan rugi secara materiil dan moril *alahhh*. editor mencoba resto American Grill yang di cabang Sabang, kita cukup pesan steak dan buffet otomatis gretongg. ice cream buffet yummy abizz.. topping macem2 (sayang ga sempet fotoin). steak yang aku pesan Bbq Ribs isi 2pcs (ini aja udah mblenek makannya, temenku ada yg pesen 3!) with mashed potato yang dikasih jamur sbg toppingnya. deliciouzzah ! just like this pic, isn't it looks delicious ? ;)


dan ada 1 lagi specialitynya, potato skin. crunchy and tasty. willing to go there againn ;p

notes: no commercial issues, only reference by my taste ;)