Even more local than using the farmer's market foods, I've made two batches of spaghetti sauce using tomatoes and jalapenos from the gardens of family and friends as well as herbs from my herb garden. Thanks to Aunt Sue and Uncle Mike and Kelly and Joe.
Summer Garden Spaghetti Sauce
The strategy here is to be flexible with what you have. The jalapenos, for example, stand in for the more traditional crushed red pepper flakes. The recipe calls for 4 1/2 cups of coarsely chopped tomatoes only because that's what I had during the second batch.
4 1/2 cups coarsely chopped tomatoes (including seeds, not including juices)
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (feel free to use more for a richer sauce and/or stir in some butter at the end)
7 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 small jalapeno peppers, coarsely chopped (include seeds and veins for more heat)
15 fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
3/4 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
Heat the oil to medium-low and add the garlic and jalapeno and cook for about five minutes. Do not burn.
Add the rest of the ingredients and cook for awhile (10, 20, 30 minutes - whatever you want), allowing the sauce to simmer uncovered and thicken slightly.
Puree in a food processor or blender (use caution when blending hot liquids).
As far as pasta, I'm a big fan of angel hair.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Brasserie Les Halles - Washington, D.C.
August 13, 2008
My wife and I took our four-year old daughter to check out dinosaur bones at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. We also used it as an excuse to eat at a nice restaurant in DC!
The original New York City location of Les Halles is best known for being the last restaurant where Anthony Bourdain was a chef before Kitchen Confidential made him a star. Les Halles is a French bistro with a focus on steaks ("American Beef - French Style") as well as some other classics of French food (cassoulet, mussels and frites, steak au poivre).
I started with an appetizer portion of steak tartare, my first time eating the dish. At Les Halles, steak tartare is prepared table side with the server stirring in a raw quail egg, Worcestershire sauce, and the amount of Tabasco to your liking. In addition, anchovies, capers, cornichons, raw onions, and flat-leaf parsley are offered to be stirred into the meat. I remembered once as a child tasting raw ground beef and it not having a lot of flavor so I ordered mine with medium spiciness and everything except the raw onions. I enjoyed the dish, but I believe I my choices led to an overseasoned tartare. This "appetizer" portion was probably about six ounces of ground beef. With the mixed-in ingredients, as well as a small salad and two pieces of toasted baguette, this appetizer portion could make for an affordable lunch ($8). I didn't finish mine, knowing that I had a (cooked) steak entree coming.
I ordered the hanger steak with shallot sauce with frites (it also came with a small salad). The fries were excellent: Hot and very crispy (twice fried?). The steak and sauce were both rich, well-seasoned, and nicely flavored. I thoroughly enjoyed my entree.
The downside of the meal was my daughter's chicken tenders. She enjoyed the crispy fries but the chicken tenders were terrible, an afterthought which probably came out of a box out of the freezer. What made this even more frustrating was the $9.50 price tag. (Kids' menu chicken tenders don't have to be poor: Dogfish Head Brewing in Gaithersburg has excellent tenders.)
This was my second meal at Les Halles and I enjoyed them both. The restaurant, however, gets no love from neither The Washington Post nor The Washingtonian. I've been following both publications' dining guides for two years now, and Brasserie Les Halles has been absent from both. In addition, when the Post reviewed hamburgers at sit-down restaurants within the last year or two, Les Halles' burger finished at or near the bottom (by the way, Central Michel Richard's was #1, Palena's was #2). It doesn't seem to matter - it was packed for lunch on this summer Wednesday.
My wife and I took our four-year old daughter to check out dinosaur bones at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. We also used it as an excuse to eat at a nice restaurant in DC!
The original New York City location of Les Halles is best known for being the last restaurant where Anthony Bourdain was a chef before Kitchen Confidential made him a star. Les Halles is a French bistro with a focus on steaks ("American Beef - French Style") as well as some other classics of French food (cassoulet, mussels and frites, steak au poivre).
I started with an appetizer portion of steak tartare, my first time eating the dish. At Les Halles, steak tartare is prepared table side with the server stirring in a raw quail egg, Worcestershire sauce, and the amount of Tabasco to your liking. In addition, anchovies, capers, cornichons, raw onions, and flat-leaf parsley are offered to be stirred into the meat. I remembered once as a child tasting raw ground beef and it not having a lot of flavor so I ordered mine with medium spiciness and everything except the raw onions. I enjoyed the dish, but I believe I my choices led to an overseasoned tartare. This "appetizer" portion was probably about six ounces of ground beef. With the mixed-in ingredients, as well as a small salad and two pieces of toasted baguette, this appetizer portion could make for an affordable lunch ($8). I didn't finish mine, knowing that I had a (cooked) steak entree coming.
I ordered the hanger steak with shallot sauce with frites (it also came with a small salad). The fries were excellent: Hot and very crispy (twice fried?). The steak and sauce were both rich, well-seasoned, and nicely flavored. I thoroughly enjoyed my entree.
The downside of the meal was my daughter's chicken tenders. She enjoyed the crispy fries but the chicken tenders were terrible, an afterthought which probably came out of a box out of the freezer. What made this even more frustrating was the $9.50 price tag. (Kids' menu chicken tenders don't have to be poor: Dogfish Head Brewing in Gaithersburg has excellent tenders.)
This was my second meal at Les Halles and I enjoyed them both. The restaurant, however, gets no love from neither The Washington Post nor The Washingtonian. I've been following both publications' dining guides for two years now, and Brasserie Les Halles has been absent from both. In addition, when the Post reviewed hamburgers at sit-down restaurants within the last year or two, Les Halles' burger finished at or near the bottom (by the way, Central Michel Richard's was #1, Palena's was #2). It doesn't seem to matter - it was packed for lunch on this summer Wednesday.
Ed's Country Bakery - Frederick, MD
I was first turned on to Ed's County Bakery at the Shab Row farmer's market on Thursday afternoons. I enjoyed the double chocolate cookies, chocolate cupcakes, and the citrus cooler (orange-lemon-limeade). For my son's first birthday, we ordered two 1/4 sheet cakes (one yellow, and one chocolate). They both tasted and looked great and the prices are affordable.
The bakery also is at the Walkersville farmer's market on Wednesdays.
Ed's Country Bakery
4309 Cap Stine Road
Frederick, MD 21703
301-788-5409 (phone)
301-663-0482 (fax)
www.edscountrybakery.com
edo@edscountrybakery.com
The bakery also is at the Walkersville farmer's market on Wednesdays.
Ed's Country Bakery
4309 Cap Stine Road
Frederick, MD 21703
301-788-5409 (phone)
301-663-0482 (fax)
www.edscountrybakery.com
edo@edscountrybakery.com
My Thai - Frederick, MD
July 31, 2008
I'm glad that I ordered another appetizer because this review would be pretty negative without it.
I ordered one of the lunch specials, which includes a spring roll. The roll (I ordered mine with chicken) was crispy and flavorful. The texture inside was creamy due to potato, which made the roll memorable as well as very good.
I also ordered the larb gai appetizer, which is "minced chicken tossed in cilantro, mint, red onion, and lime juice" served on a bed of greens. I'm intrigued by the combination of cilantro and mint, which is also used in Indian cuisine. The herbs are both strong and distinctive, yet they pair well together. The larb gai was delicious. When I told my server, she agreed and said that she sometimes eats it for lunch.
My entree was disappointing. I ordered phad prik sod with duck, which is "stir-fried with chili, snow peas, onion, scallions, and red bell pepper." The main problem was the overuse of soy sauce. With Asian dishes, I often use the plain white rice to soak up the sauce. I didn't do that with the phad prik sod.
For fans (or opponents) of chili heat, My Thai lets the diner know on the menu between "mildly spicy," "medium spicy," and "very spicy." They also are happy to season any dish to diner's tastes.
I plan on returning to My Thai, based on the strength of the larb gai and the spring roll but I'll be wary of salt when ordering my next entree.
I'm glad that I ordered another appetizer because this review would be pretty negative without it.
I ordered one of the lunch specials, which includes a spring roll. The roll (I ordered mine with chicken) was crispy and flavorful. The texture inside was creamy due to potato, which made the roll memorable as well as very good.
I also ordered the larb gai appetizer, which is "minced chicken tossed in cilantro, mint, red onion, and lime juice" served on a bed of greens. I'm intrigued by the combination of cilantro and mint, which is also used in Indian cuisine. The herbs are both strong and distinctive, yet they pair well together. The larb gai was delicious. When I told my server, she agreed and said that she sometimes eats it for lunch.
My entree was disappointing. I ordered phad prik sod with duck, which is "stir-fried with chili, snow peas, onion, scallions, and red bell pepper." The main problem was the overuse of soy sauce. With Asian dishes, I often use the plain white rice to soak up the sauce. I didn't do that with the phad prik sod.
For fans (or opponents) of chili heat, My Thai lets the diner know on the menu between "mildly spicy," "medium spicy," and "very spicy." They also are happy to season any dish to diner's tastes.
I plan on returning to My Thai, based on the strength of the larb gai and the spring roll but I'll be wary of salt when ordering my next entree.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Clay Oven - Frederick, MD
July 9, 2008
When my wife and I began eating Indian food in Frederick some years ago, we'd go to Bombay Grill, on Market Street, downtown. For variety, we then tried Nilgiris off of Rt. 85 and that became our go-to Indian place. Earlier this month, we tried Clay Oven on Rt. 40 and had a good lunch.
Our preferred meal for Indian is lunch buffets, due to the selection, price, and how many Indian dishes (which are slow-cooked in sauces) excel when kept hot for long periods of time . Clay Oven's lunch buffet and dining room are smaller than those of the aforementioned competitors. One thing we appreciated was the consistent and noticeable spiciness of the food at Clay Oven. Perhaps in an attempt to appeal to a wider crowd, sometimes the chili peppers seem a bit buried at Bombay Grill and Nilgiris. Another (surprising) difference was the inclusion of a beef dish at Clay Oven's lunch buffet.
Most of the dishes really worked well at Clay Oven. The chef's use of spices (not just chilis), created many flavorful offerings. I enjoyed the chicken tikka makhani, chicken curry, navratan korma ("fresh vegetables simmered in a spiced creamy sauce with nuts"), and baigan bhurha (eggplant and onions). On the other hand, the dal makhani, a lentil dish, was one of the few bland dishes, needing more spice and more salt. The vegetable samosa was dense and unpleasant. The naan was acceptable.
In comparing my one visit to Clay Oven with my multiple visits to Nilgiris, Clay Oven's dishes were generally better seasoned. Most of Clay Oven's dishes were well spiced and appropriately creamy and rich. On the other hand, the chef(s) at Nilgiris can sometimes have a heavy hand with the oil and the salt. Yet the buffet at Nilgiris has an ever-changing variety of dishes (often including goat!) while Bombay Grill and Clay Oven seem to play it safer with their offerings. Perhaps this is why we tend to see more Indian patrons at Nilgiris. Nilgiris also has great naan, blistered from the hot oven and brushed with butter.
This was my first lunch at Clay Oven and I look forward to returning. I also need to return to Bombay Grill - it's been awhile.
When my wife and I began eating Indian food in Frederick some years ago, we'd go to Bombay Grill, on Market Street, downtown. For variety, we then tried Nilgiris off of Rt. 85 and that became our go-to Indian place. Earlier this month, we tried Clay Oven on Rt. 40 and had a good lunch.
Our preferred meal for Indian is lunch buffets, due to the selection, price, and how many Indian dishes (which are slow-cooked in sauces) excel when kept hot for long periods of time . Clay Oven's lunch buffet and dining room are smaller than those of the aforementioned competitors. One thing we appreciated was the consistent and noticeable spiciness of the food at Clay Oven. Perhaps in an attempt to appeal to a wider crowd, sometimes the chili peppers seem a bit buried at Bombay Grill and Nilgiris. Another (surprising) difference was the inclusion of a beef dish at Clay Oven's lunch buffet.
Most of the dishes really worked well at Clay Oven. The chef's use of spices (not just chilis), created many flavorful offerings. I enjoyed the chicken tikka makhani, chicken curry, navratan korma ("fresh vegetables simmered in a spiced creamy sauce with nuts"), and baigan bhurha (eggplant and onions). On the other hand, the dal makhani, a lentil dish, was one of the few bland dishes, needing more spice and more salt. The vegetable samosa was dense and unpleasant. The naan was acceptable.
In comparing my one visit to Clay Oven with my multiple visits to Nilgiris, Clay Oven's dishes were generally better seasoned. Most of Clay Oven's dishes were well spiced and appropriately creamy and rich. On the other hand, the chef(s) at Nilgiris can sometimes have a heavy hand with the oil and the salt. Yet the buffet at Nilgiris has an ever-changing variety of dishes (often including goat!) while Bombay Grill and Clay Oven seem to play it safer with their offerings. Perhaps this is why we tend to see more Indian patrons at Nilgiris. Nilgiris also has great naan, blistered from the hot oven and brushed with butter.
This was my first lunch at Clay Oven and I look forward to returning. I also need to return to Bombay Grill - it's been awhile.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Keeping berries fresh
technique from Cook's Illustrated magazine:
One thing that can go bad quickly regardless of whether it's local or not is berries. I'm sure you've had the experience of buying berries, putting them in the fridge, and throwing them out in several days because they're moldy. A solution is to wash berries in three parts water to one part regular white distilled vinegar. This kills mold spores and bacteria on the surface of the berries. Then rinse with cold water. Then spin the berries dry in a salad spinner lined layered with paper towels. Store in a paper towel-lined container with lid ajar to let moisture escape.
I split a batch of wild black raspberries purchased at the Shab Row farmers' market in Frederick. Half the batch I left in the container I purchased them in, loosely covered. The other half I prepared as above. The washed and dried berries are still good one week later (save for one, lone moldy berry). The unwashed half were moldy. The procedure above bought me at least several extra days of good berries.
One thing that can go bad quickly regardless of whether it's local or not is berries. I'm sure you've had the experience of buying berries, putting them in the fridge, and throwing them out in several days because they're moldy. A solution is to wash berries in three parts water to one part regular white distilled vinegar. This kills mold spores and bacteria on the surface of the berries. Then rinse with cold water. Then spin the berries dry in a salad spinner lined layered with paper towels. Store in a paper towel-lined container with lid ajar to let moisture escape.
I split a batch of wild black raspberries purchased at the Shab Row farmers' market in Frederick. Half the batch I left in the container I purchased them in, loosely covered. The other half I prepared as above. The washed and dried berries are still good one week later (save for one, lone moldy berry). The unwashed half were moldy. The procedure above bought me at least several extra days of good berries.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
E.M. Restaurant - Chinatown, New York, New York
June 21, 2008
Chicken feet. Jellyfish.
The morning after Steely Dan at the Beacon Theatre (and several bars after that), we agreed to do dim sum in Chinatown for brunch.
I asked our friend from high school (Brian) who lives on the Lower East Side to take us to a real deal place. I'm uninterested where tourists eat in Chinatown. Take me to some place authentic, I said.
So we head to Chinatown and on the outskirts the crowd is racially mixed. As we kept walking, we eventually got to a point where we were the only six non-Asians around. We entered the restaurant and we were the only non-Asians there. We sat down at a round table in a brightly lit room not unlike a banquet room of a modest hotel. Throughout the meal the wait staff was very welcoming while gladly and proudly telling us what every dish was.
We had shrimp shu mai, pork shu mai, a braised leafy green in soy sauce, lamb and turnips (probably boiled), and a scallion pancake (one of the table's favorite dishes) as well as several pork rib dishes. On the whole, there were familiar Chinese flavors involving soy sauce and mixing sweet and salty. Sometimes the food was pretty pungent (fish sauce? oyster sauce? an ingredient with which I'm unfamiliar?), such as the pork shu mai, yet the lamb and turnips was quite bland (other than the disturbing skin attached - and at least one piece with a few hairs unremoved).
Alright. Chicken feet.
If you've never had chicken feet, would you like them? The answer to that question is pretty much the same as the answer to: Do you like the skin on chicken? Because once you eat the skin off of a chicken foot, there's really nothing left but bone and cartilage. Brian said he prefers fried chicken feet to the ones that we had because the skin on fried feet is crispy while the skin on the ones we had was soft. I assume I would agree. The chicken feet were in a brown, salty and sweet sauce, topped with sliced scallions - flavors and appearance that you'd associate with Chinese cuisine.
Jellyfish tasted like cabbage but had one of the worst textures of any food I can think of ever trying. It was described by people at the table as like "a mouthful of chicken cartilage," "eating an ear or nose," and "eating bubble wrap."
What was different from regular Chinese restaurants in the 'burbs was that most of the food was much more modest. To me, there's a real peasant quality to dishes like chicken feet and the lamb and turnips, yet the waiters were in white shirts and black bow ties. The Americanized Chinese restaurants I'm used to seem to serve more expensive cuts of meat - but at higher prices. The six of us shared quite a few small dim sum plates and had tea and water and the bill (pre-tip) was $55. In New York. Where I paid $11 for a 6-pack of Sierra Nevada. Where I paid $15 for a beef brisket sandwich and pickles.
One ingredient that was noticeably absent was anything with duck. Brian said that duck (as well as roast pork) tends to not show up at weekend dim sum brunch but does at other Chinese meals (lunch, dinner).
Was the food amazing? No. Was this a good, affordable, and very interesting brunch in NYC? Absolutely.
Chicken feet. Jellyfish.
The morning after Steely Dan at the Beacon Theatre (and several bars after that), we agreed to do dim sum in Chinatown for brunch.
I asked our friend from high school (Brian) who lives on the Lower East Side to take us to a real deal place. I'm uninterested where tourists eat in Chinatown. Take me to some place authentic, I said.
So we head to Chinatown and on the outskirts the crowd is racially mixed. As we kept walking, we eventually got to a point where we were the only six non-Asians around. We entered the restaurant and we were the only non-Asians there. We sat down at a round table in a brightly lit room not unlike a banquet room of a modest hotel. Throughout the meal the wait staff was very welcoming while gladly and proudly telling us what every dish was.
We had shrimp shu mai, pork shu mai, a braised leafy green in soy sauce, lamb and turnips (probably boiled), and a scallion pancake (one of the table's favorite dishes) as well as several pork rib dishes. On the whole, there were familiar Chinese flavors involving soy sauce and mixing sweet and salty. Sometimes the food was pretty pungent (fish sauce? oyster sauce? an ingredient with which I'm unfamiliar?), such as the pork shu mai, yet the lamb and turnips was quite bland (other than the disturbing skin attached - and at least one piece with a few hairs unremoved).
Alright. Chicken feet.
If you've never had chicken feet, would you like them? The answer to that question is pretty much the same as the answer to: Do you like the skin on chicken? Because once you eat the skin off of a chicken foot, there's really nothing left but bone and cartilage. Brian said he prefers fried chicken feet to the ones that we had because the skin on fried feet is crispy while the skin on the ones we had was soft. I assume I would agree. The chicken feet were in a brown, salty and sweet sauce, topped with sliced scallions - flavors and appearance that you'd associate with Chinese cuisine.
Jellyfish tasted like cabbage but had one of the worst textures of any food I can think of ever trying. It was described by people at the table as like "a mouthful of chicken cartilage," "eating an ear or nose," and "eating bubble wrap."
What was different from regular Chinese restaurants in the 'burbs was that most of the food was much more modest. To me, there's a real peasant quality to dishes like chicken feet and the lamb and turnips, yet the waiters were in white shirts and black bow ties. The Americanized Chinese restaurants I'm used to seem to serve more expensive cuts of meat - but at higher prices. The six of us shared quite a few small dim sum plates and had tea and water and the bill (pre-tip) was $55. In New York. Where I paid $11 for a 6-pack of Sierra Nevada. Where I paid $15 for a beef brisket sandwich and pickles.
One ingredient that was noticeably absent was anything with duck. Brian said that duck (as well as roast pork) tends to not show up at weekend dim sum brunch but does at other Chinese meals (lunch, dinner).
Was the food amazing? No. Was this a good, affordable, and very interesting brunch in NYC? Absolutely.
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