For Those Who Aren't Lucky Enough To Be Italian...

...check this out on scungilli (as a follow-up to my last post).

Raging Rudolph: Is Nothing Sacred?

Apparently not. This clip's a bit disturbing and maybe even sacrilegious to those of us who worship Yukon Cornelius and bow down before Sam the Snowman. (Thank God King Moonracer didn't make a cameo appearance.) No but seriously I actually think this is gut-bustingly hilarious. I'll never think of Rudolph the same way again. Cute and innocent my foot. Happy Holidays :)

Weeknight Dinners

I'm forever thinking about how to cook yummy yet healthy meals using fresh (not boxed, canned, or otherwise packaged or processed) food on weeknights. Every time I walk through the stalls at the farm market or the aisles at Whole Foods I think: What looks good? What am I in the mood for? What haven't I had in a while? That's how I pick out my main ingredients--usually proteins, but sometimes not. Then I decide on side dishes--frequently a greens salad gets into the mix, but on winter nights I like braised greens or steamed squash. But the entire time I'm also thinking: This has got to be fairly quick and easy.

Here's some of the dishes I plan on making in the coming week:

• Cod or haddock poached in a bouillabaisse-type broth, meaning tomatoes (fresh if greenhouse-grown locally, canned if not), fennel, leeks, etc.
• Ground lamb burgers topped with whipped-up-in-a-flash tzatziki
• Vegetable soup--everything but the kitchen sink--eaten with crusty Portuguese rolls or a side of cheese, olives, and pickles
• Braised rainbow chard, topped with a bit of butter, garlic, and lemon zest
• Mashed root vegetables, mixed with the tiniest pinch of saffron and some fresh herbs
• Spiced carrots, roasted or steamed and jazzed up with whatever spices move you that day--smoked paprika, Moroccan seasonings, or even Grains of Paradise (flowery and citrusy yet peppery, too)
• Steamed-in-the-microwave acorn squash, scooped from its peel, then sauteed with brown butter, brown sugar or maple syrup, and lots of salt and pepper

A Cartoony Anthony Bourdain Coming Soon

This is gonna be good. The six-part animated web series arrives in 2010. And, no, this isn't jumping the shark--by a long shot.

Farm-Market-Fueled Feeding Frenzy

Since moving to DC, we've been eating a lot better. Not that we ate terribly before. I don't mean better in the healthy sense, but better in a conscientious way. In Philly we mostly shopped at Whole Foods and then at farm markets as often as possible, which was maybe twice a month. Now, with a market just a block away, we take advantage of the Chesapeake region's bounty every week, using Whole Foods for staples not available at the market, like garden burgers, Greek yogurt, and chai. Saturday mornings are a joy. I wake up every week raring to go see what goodies the farmers, bakers, and other purveyors have brought me--ok, us--that day. (Though wouldn't it be amazing to have the whole market to yourself? All the foodstuffs there just for you? No more pushing to get to the pears. No more waiting in line. Dream on.)

Anyway, check out what we've been eating recently. I'm not providing recipes because these dishes are E-Z to whip up from my ingredient suggestions. Also, I whip 'em up differently every time so there really aren't recipes. I'm a bit manic that way.

First up is my 20-minute better-than-any-jar pasta sauce: butter instead of olive oil (for extra body and silkiness), grated onion, minced garlic, crushed tomatoes (I like San Marzano), herbs (I typically use oregano and basil). Drizzle good olive oil over top when serving. Other variations include rendering pancetta instead of butter, splashing in some red wine, and adding cooked ground bison (the gaminess is glorious). I've even put vegetables like carrots, celery, and bell peppers through the food processor and added a spoonful or two to the onions and garlic to soften before adding the tomatoes.

Next are vegetarian bean or legume soups using whatever dried or canned beans or legumes you have on hand plus whatever greens and vegetables you picked up at the market. My base usually consists of half vegetable stock, half water, a small can of crushed or diced tomatoes, onions, and garlic. The sky's the limit after that. This includes herbs and spices, too. We typically get two nights out of these concoctions.

In the same vein is chili. I've done vegetarian, chicken, turkey, beef, bison, etc. I've used half fresh tomatoes, half canned--both traditional and fire-roasted. I've added corn, poblanos, jalapenos, chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, even edamame. I've thrown in chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, cilantro, shredded cheese. You get the idea. Try serving over rice, elbow macaroni, orzo, even quinoa. This usually yields two nights and a couple lunches.

Last up is something I just discovered that I'm now in love with: shredded Brussels sprouts. Shred them up like you would cabbage for cole slaw and add to browning butter. Season with salt, pepper, and caraway seeds. Saute for three to five minutes. Maybe crumble on some bacon. Eat.

Suggestions for Holiday Charitable Giving

To help fight hunger close to your home, around the country, or worldwide, check out these sites:

Washington, DC
Brainfood
Capital Area Food Bank
DC Central Kitchen
Food and Friends
FRESHFARM Markets
Future Harvest-CASA
Martha's Table
Miriam's Kitchen
Thrive DC

Philadelphia
Farm to Philly (Click on the many links in the middle of the page. This site is a fantastic resource.)

National
Feeding America (This is the "nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity.")

International
Action Against Hunger
Bread for the World
Heifer International
The Hunger Site
World Food Programme

Sustainable Salmon and Scallops Are Super

I know I said my next post would be about the bounty of our nearby farm market, but after getting Cook's Illustrated in the mail (Christopher Kimball, I love you) I just had to try their seared scallop method. And then we received CI's The New Best Recipe cookbook as a gift, and my salmon-adoring husband just had to make the Broiled Salmon with Barbecue Sauce and Crisp Potato Crust. Doesn't that sound incredible? It was, and so were the scallops…

…though we tweaked the recipes just a tad--not because we needed to--but because we're food geeks and find it fun. Here are our recipes, heavily influenced by the even bigger food geeks at CI.

Pan-Seared Scallops with Caper Brown Butter
(Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated No. 101)
Serves 4.

Note: Soak scallops in 1 quart water, ¼ cup lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons salt, 30 minutes. Step should only be done with “wet” scallops. “Wet” indicates treatment with sodium tripolyphosphate to increase shelf life and help scallops retain moisture. This is the kind available in most supermarkets. “Dry” scallops are preferable because they lack the chemical taste STP produces and they brown better because they’re less moist. Whole Foods only had “wet” so I started them off with a soak.

1 ½ lbs sea scallops, small side muscles removed
2 tbsp vegetable oil
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp capers
1 tsp fresh parsley, minced
Kosher salt and ground black pepper

Line baking sheet with kitchen towel. Put scallops on lined sheet and cover with second towel. Press gently and let rest at room temperature, 10 minutes.

Heat 4 tablespoons butter in saucepan over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in capers, parsley, salt, and pepper and cook, 30 seconds. Remove from heat and cover with foil.

Season scallops with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in skillet (NOT non-stick as recommended by CI; I don't think the scallops brown well enough in non-stick) over high heat. Cook half scallops until browned, about 2 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon butter to skillet and flip scallops, cooking for 1 to 1 ½ minutes while basting with butter.

Move cooked scallops to plate and cover with foil. Wipe out skillet with paper towels and repeat cooking with rest of oil and butter.

Serve with sauce.

Broiled Salmon with Barbecue Sauce and Crisp Potato Crust
(Adapted from The New Best Recipe 2004)
Serves 8 to 10 (or 2 for a few days; it’s really good cold).

3 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
4 oz salted potato chips, crushed
6 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
1 side salmon filet
1 tsp olive oil
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
3 tbsp barbecue sauce (your favorite)

Put oven rack at highest position and second rack at upper-middle. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Pulse bread in food processor until you have about 1 cup crumbs. Spread them evenly on baking sheet and toast on lower rack, shaking couple times, for 5 minutes. Combine crumbs, chips, and parsley in bowl.

Turn oven up to broil. Cover baking sheet with foil. Rub salmon with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook fish on upper rack for 10–12 minutes. Remove from oven, slather with barbecue sauce, and cover with mixture in bowl.

Cook on lower rack until top turns brown, about 1 more minute.

Three Glorious Gustatory Weeks

We spent most of Sept. in Italy and Greece, eating our way from Rome--through Pompeii and Naples--to the Amalfi Coast's Positano to Athens to Rethymno, Crete. Here are the 30 best foodie photos out of over 2,000 total shots by the hubby.

Caprese salad with the best mozzarella ever, Obika, Rome:



















Mercato Trionfale, Rome:















































































Late-afternoon espresso pick-me-up, Rome:














Multitudinous espresso and cappuccino makers, Roman outdoor market:














Street vendor at night, Rome:














Figs, Chez Black, Positano:














Tiny neighborhood market, Positano:














Chicken souvlaki, Savas, Athens:














Central Market, Athens:









































































































Gyros, Rethymno:














Outdoor market, Rethymno:








































Octopus vase, National Archaeological Museum, Athens:














Piglet sculpture, National Archaeological Museum, Naples:














Bacchus (god of wine) sculpture, National Archaeological Museum, Naples:














Restaurant awning, Rethymno:














Pomegranates, Rethymno:














Needless to say, it was a glorious trip, giving us lots of memories--gustatory and non--but it seems that the ones I go to every day are the ones involving food. Maybe it's because I'm always hungry, and remembering all those terrace breakfasts, afternoon picnics, and moonlit dinners makes me feel full. Yes, that, and that remembering all those meals and market strolls conjures the sights, smells, sounds, and tastes--the sensuousness--of it all like I'm there again.

Note: If you're planning a trip to any of the places we visited, and you're looking for some advice, just leave me a comment. I kept a journal so I'm ready and waiting to give restaurant suggestions, must-have dishes, and more.

Coming Right Up...

...spectacular food photos (courtesy of the hubby) from our three-week European excursion along with some notes from my travel journal. A teaser:



Also, my first posting since moving to Washington, DC, probably involving all the cooking we've been doing in our new place. The farmer's market is only a block away--how could we not be cooking constantly?

You probably notice the new look. Orange is my favorite color, but I was getting tired of the Halloweeny vibe. Plus this shade of yellow makes me think of butter.

Last Suppers

We've come down to our final week in Philadelphia. (Sigh.) Even though our last days will be filled with packing and making various arrangements, we're fitting in some last suppers. So far we're doing drinks at Southwark (a Sazerac and an Old-Fashioned, both for me, because they're my favorites and because the bartenders make them perfectly, though I don't really think I need reasons) and dinner at Coquette. Another night it's The Greeks, a small-town tavern with a place in our hearts (and solid comfort food with icy Sierra Nevada on draft to wash it all down). There'll also be yet another cafe afternoon for moi, spent job-searching on the old laptop while downing iced coffees. Chapterhouse is my cafe of choice (because they make funky iced tea/Italian soda combos), but I'm going to try out Red Hook before we leave.

And just to keep everybody up-to-date, over the past couple weeks we've hit Pumpkin and Chicks from the list below. We enjoyed Pumpkin's five-course Sunday-night tasting menu and highly recommend it. It doesn't include wine because it's a BYOB, but, at $35 for a lot of really well-executed and yummy food, it's a steal. Chicks wasn't out-of-the-park good, but it was tasty. And we liked the old-timey tavern feel. We'd go back for drinks and a couple apps.

"Welp, that about does her, wraps her all up" (for all those TBL fans out there). For now anyway. With the upcoming move, unpacking, setting up the new digs, and then--don't hate me--our long-awaited trip to Greece and Italy, KFW's on hiatus. But stay tuned for tales of our culinary adventures in our nation's capital and abroad. And more recipes, rants, raves, and ramblings.

And The Winner Is...

...Tony Luke's, with Dalessandro's coming in second and Jim's third. Next in line was Chubby's then Pat's. Geno's got no votes. And the seven of us are full, but still wondering how Mama's and Paesano's might have fared. Well, there's always next time.

(We decided not to do it blind. We tasted each cheesesteak in turn then voted for first, second, and third places. Because at least one of our group is adverse to onions, we ordered two provolone steaks from each place, one wit and one wit-out, as the Philly lingo goes.)

Sampling Pat's:



Only wrappers left:

What's Cookin' 2

This past weekend, in between turning the basement upside down then right side up, we ate at Tinto (with an aperitif at one of our fave's, Monk's). Surprisingly the service at Tinto was just so-so, but the food was outstanding, especially the creamy gazpacho and perfectly tender octopus. We'd definitely go back, even knowing that we could have a disinterested server.

This week it's Grace Tavern, which isn't on the narrowed-down list below, but it is on our larger list. I'm looking forward to the fungi-laden Kennett Square Burger.

And next week, oh next week! How I long for thee... It's the ultimate blind cheesesteak-tasting with sandwiches from Dalessandro's, Geno's, Jim's, Mama's, Paesano's, and Pat's. Oh yeah. I'll let you know how we fair - and how our pants fit afterwards.

All this talk's making me thirsty...



Above, the delightful brewski I enjoyed at Monk's. I could go for one of those right now. Yes, at 11:25.

What's Cookin'

Job-searching, house-packing, and various other events and projects have put me into slow-mo when it comes to blogging. I do have a few updates though.

First, in case you were wondering, I had a black thumb this year. Thus why there weren't ever any photos of luscious lettuce and perky peppers. Sadly everything pretty much stopped growing when it got a few inches high. To green thumbs next year!

Second, we've hit Cafe Estelle and Tiffin on the restaurant list below. This week we're doing Q.T. Vietnamese Sandwich and Brauhaus Schmitz. Next week: ? Though I'm pulling for either Pumpkin or Tinto. Or both. Hmm, that would be a good-eating week.

Third, here are three photos from Headhouse Farmers' Market and one of the meal that resulted from the market's bounty: grilled halloumi, roasted corn off the cob, and radicchio salad with heirloom tomatoes and cucumber.

Fine Food and Free Rice

At the end of August we're leaving Philly for Washington, DC. Before that happens we plan to go to the following bars and restaurants (narrowed down from 120):

A La Maison
A.P.J. Texas Wieners
Brauhaus Schmitz
Cafe Estelle
Carman's Country Kitchen
Chicks
Chris Jazz Cafe
Coquette
Dock Street Brewery
Earth Bread and Brewery
Ekta
Famous Fourth Street Deli
Grey Lodge
Honey's Sit n Eat
Horizons
James
Joe's Peking Duck Original 1984
Lee How Fook
Marigold Kitchen
Pumpkin
Q.T. Vietnamese Sandwich
Ron’s Ribs
South Philly Taproom
Tiffin
Tinto
Vic
Villa di Roma

If anybody has any further suggestions or thoughts, let me know. Philly's such an incredible food (and drink) town. Here's to hoping that DC can fit the bill.

And now for something completely different...I read about this in my hubby's Men's Health (don't ask, I was curious). In just a couple minutes' time, I donated over 200 grains of rice (and I plan on donating a lot more)! Everybody should know about this site. It's got to be the simplest way to make a bit of difference.

Transcendent Talula's Table

Yes, it's true. A couple weeks ago I dined at Talula's Table. (Don't hate me.) Arguably the toughest reservation in the country. In Kennett Square, PA, coined the "mushroom capital of the world," though it doesn't feel like the capital of anything. The town (village really) is tiny and quaint. But the food at Talula's is colossal (in flavor) and enlightened (in concept, method, and presentation). Even words like "ethereal" and "transcendent" fail to describe the experience of sitting around the restaurant's single farmhouse-style table, surrounded by friends and loved ones, enjoying one of the best meals you'll ever have. Sincere thanks to R and E for inviting us to celebrate their anniversary with them. It was a delight!

The menu changes monthly. Here's what we ate. Again, don't hate me. And below are pictures of a few of the courses. I especially liked the barbecue-style duck.

Eating Coastal Maine

We spent the second week of June in beautiful, coastal Maine. Even though it was overcast with occasional rain nearly the whole trip, the scenery was breathtaking--especially the view from atop Mt. Battie. The fog rolled out from the Camden harbor as we watched from high above. But what really floored us was the food in both big-city Portland and sleepy-town Camden (with a few stops in between). Let's just say we ate well--and often. Here's a list of what we did food-wise (in chronological order):

• Street and Co., Portland
• Whole Foods, Portland
• Coffee By Design, Portland
• Portland Lobster Co.
• Vignola, Portland
• Fore Street, Portland (Wood-burning oven, grill, and turnspit. Enough said.)
• Frosty's, Brunswick
• Red's Eats, Wiscasset (Lobster rolls and fried zucchini with ranch dressing. Yum.)
  
• Gilbert's Publick House, Camden
• French and Brawn, Camden
• Hartstone Inn, Camden
• Cappy's Chowder House, Camden
• Chase's Daily, Belfast (Farm-fresh fare done right.)
  
• Francine Bistro, Camden (First-rate in every way.)

OK, last post I said that three Maine restaurants lead my favorites list (Francine, Fore Street, and Chase's Daily--in that order), but I qualified that by noting it was as of that day. As of today, Talula's Table tops the list. My next post will attempt to describe the ethereal experience I had on Saturday night in Kennett Square.

Up Next: Mainely Eating

Look for this weekend's post on what we did during our recent vacation. Hint: Check out my clever (read lame) post title.

From the most incredible Whole Foods ever (well, except for maybe the flagship store in Austin) to a coffee roastery (?) to fine dining white tablecloth-style to a dockside lobster establishment to the most blessed (think Billy Graham) doughnut shop ever.

Maine's state motto "Dirigo" means "I lead." As of today (because it changes frequently), three Maine restaurants lead my favorites list. Yes, Maine.

Eat, Drink, or Die

I couldn't agree more. Check it out, especially the videos.



That's it for this week. Sadly too busy to cook let alone blog. Look for two posts the week of 6/15.