cooksome

brining shrimp

i am torched at myself for not photographing last nights dinner.  i had just finished watching vicky christina barcelona and was definitely in a spanish frame of mind.  for a few weeks now i have been pondering how to get more flavor in certain dishes.  brining is an easy way to do that-  kick up the flavor with salt and sugar and keep your proteins moist.  

for 3/4 lb of shrimp

1 cup water

2 heaping tbsp salt

1 heaping tbsp brown sugar

fresh cracked pepper

juice from 1/2 lime

tsp smoked paprika

peel and devein your shrimp.  place in plastic sealable bag with brine and refridgerate for about 30 to 45 minutes.  i found that amount of lime juice did not "cook" the shrimp but be careful not to not overbrine.

drain shrimp, double skewer them for ease in flipping.

throw them on a nice hot grill and cook until the center just starts to loose it's translucense.

i served these over some steamed jasmine rice and a simple sofrito of peppers, onions, and pancetta although the ones in the picture have a corn and avocado salad.

happy birthday tami!

no, this picture is not of tami's birthday dinner.  this was cee's dinner for her birthday a few weeks back.  sadly, i was not "feelin it" back then so tami's dinner was meant to make up for it.

the menu got tweaked all day long as i ran into and out of energy.

it all got off to a rough start when i awoke in the morning realizing i left my semi confited duck legs in the oven all night.  (it was off) if only they had been completely submerged in duck fat i would not have sweated it.  but they were not.  so not wanting to kill my friend on her birthday took precedence and i tossed them.  sustitute... duck breasts.  here is the menu

minted shrimp salad 

duck breast eggrolls with sweet hot chili sauce

miso glazed pork belly over radish salad

lump crabcakes over smoked cheddar stone ground grits with pickled chilis and cilanto oil.

frozen chocolate coconut rice pudding

we drank some fantastic sparklers starting with diebolt-valois  fleur de passion champagne.  it was a good night ending on the front porch. 

ahhh summer

 

oh my god the best taco ever

ok i'm a purist.  i wouldn't eat chinese food in italy or italian in hong kong.  i never quite got into the fusion thing and as you know there will be no asparagus in november for me.  

here's an interesting conundrum for you, when eating asian, i like being the only round eye; if it's mexican i should be hearing spanish.   however, i crave the knowledge that allows ME to be able to cook those things with the same skills as a native.  secretly, i want a native cooking it......  does that make sense?  

i think back on my cooking lessons in life.   my first teacher of italian food was a italian woman named yolanda who spoke broken english and taught me that cooking is about feeling the spoon in the pot.  i first made sushi 25 years ago with a japanese lady named junko.  her technique also involved a spoon.  we would run outside with the rice in a bowl and stir it very methodically until it started to cool.  and then  when i hungered to learn more about thai food, i studied with kasma, a very very talented thai woman living in oakland.  

but i stray from the reason for this post...............the best taco ever. sitting on a stool at a counter joint in fells point.  two hand made corn tortillas filled with your choice of meat..in my case beef tongue, topped with some diced onion and parsley .  an unexpectedly attractive tray with 2 sauces, one green and one red as well as some lime wedges appeared from nowhere to accompany the best taco ever.  for good measure there was a souffle of guacamole.  icing on the cake.  this is the stuff dreams are made of.  i ate this last sunday and have thought of little else ever since.  this is perfection.  simple ingredients prepared traditionally and surrounded by the sound of spanish.

tortilleria sinaloa

1716 eastern ave

baltimore

its coming...................

we are now entering the time of year when i want to yell  wait!!!  slow down! everything just slow down!  first the crocuses, then the tulips, daffodils, azaleas, irises, and peonies.  the weather warms the air smells like perfume.  life is new and there's hope

spring used to mean to me asparagus and morels, and later on in life, ramps and beets.

now you go to the store in november and see asparagus.  november! who the heck eats asparagus in november.  we used to talk about seasonality and now its eating locally.  yea they talk about locally and then they eat asparagus in november.  go figure.  i would not bemoan this fact as i am aware that half the population doesn't give a crap about any of that, they just want food, fast. they figure it must be in season somewhere if they see it at the market.  never mind the energy cost of moving it half way around the world....

i love spring  i was born in the spring and it has always been my favorite time of year.  i just wish it didn't go so fast.  i need those signs of hope.

shin chon garden in ellicott city

another sunday, another outing with friend tami.  on this particular sunday a few weeks back, we ventured away from baltimore out to ellicott city  to enjoy some korean bbq.  recommended by sun kim the proprietor of pine orchard liquors on rte 40 as the best korea food around.  it did not disappoint. i ordered bi bim bop the classic korean rice with vegetable dish.  tami was a korean food virgin.  not that i'm an expert for sure but i  have had the advantage of a korean friend to guide me through the beginners maze.  bul go gi, japchae, assorted kimchis and panchan  i love this stuff.  tami had bul go gi and cee ordered  pork belly cooked on the grill.  we also received  about 15 (no kidding) panchan.  there was a miso soup for me and another soup that was a wonderful sour and savory broth with a potato and tofu.  i could have bathed in it it was so good.  probably best not to let your mind go there.  what else?  cabbage kimchi, soft tofu, korean potato salad, cucumber kimchi, thick strands of daikon in sauce, a sea weed deal, and steamed eggs,  the flavors of korean food are unlike anything else. having grown up in a pennsylvania dutch -german household  (7 sweets and 7 sours) i crave a diversity of flavors in my meals.  which is to say, i'm not a one dish dinner kind of gal. the koreans obviously have the same philosiphy.

we were by the way, the only round eyes in the place, something that made me very happy.  if your going for it, go all the way

tami being quite the party girl was ready to try some strange korean booze so we asked about the soju. the waitress, who's english was limited, brought us this little bottle with pictures of girls talking on cell phones.  i am still not sure about the packaging because it's a lot like vodka.  as it turns out there is a whole etiquette when drinking soju.  suffice it to say we blew that.

for the uninitiated what follows is the soju etiquette  taken from a site called drinkfocus.com

Soju Etiquette
As with other Asian liquors, drinking soju follows a distinct etiquette. It
is normally served in a shot glass. If you are in the company of people who
follow this tradition, keep these rules in mind:
Drink soju by sipping it or taking it as a shot; both forms are appropriate
according to soju etiquette.

Hold your glass with both hands if a respected person is pouring the liquor.

Never pour your own glass of soju.

Refill a glass with soju only when it is empty.

Soju is consumed in group gatherings.

When pouring soju for others, hold the soju bottle with the right hand. Keep
your left hand touching your elbow or forearm.

When receiving soju from others, place the shot glass in your left palm,
hold it with your right hand and slightly bow your head.

Younger adults at the table turn away and sip their soju if elders are
present.

Jacks Bistro

jack's bistro

This funky little place seats about 35 to 40  max.  The service  was friendly and very knowledgeable with out a snippet of  pretentiousness.  There were four of us dining together on a Sunday night.  One would have no idea of the current economic woes from the packed house at Jacks. 

For an appetizer we shared garlic shrimp.  very tasty, perfectly cooked shrimp, nice soft pita bread and loads of garlic sauce to drive a way the vampires.  I don't know if it always comes with 8 shrimp (perfectly divided by 4) or if that was an accommodation for our table.  I thought the check said 9.25 but the menu says $12.00.  So much for my memory. The wait staff person recommended it for 4 people to share and it was perfect.

For entrees we tried

steak frites

sous vide filet mignon over arugula with blue cheese sauce

sous vide scallops with thai peanut sauce, basmati rice and vegetables

pork belly jambalaya

The pork belly was amazing.  crispy juicy succulent.  The texture of the scallops  was ethereal along with some nicely sauteed vegetables.  The peanut sauce was not my favorite part.  The filet mignon went so fast I barely was able to grab a scrap but when I did it was quite good.  The steak frites while not very adventurous, was a nicely prepared steak sliced and fanned out on the plate with a substantial amount of fries.  We also shared an order of brussel sprouts.  They contained a wonderful pork product in them and they were perfectly cooked and separated into leaves.For desert we shared lavender and peppercorn ice cream.  Everyone loved it but me.  go figure.

We drank a Foppiano Cabernet, 05 that was nicely balanced, with dark cherry flavors and a Budini Malbec, 06 that had classic cassis and black raspberry flavors and very light tanins.

Jacks has 12 dollar entrees at the bar on Sunday nights.  I ' m going back to try those out next.

breakfast in the city

I live in Baltimore.  I'm not from here, I was born just north of here on the other side of the Mason Dixon line.  I have also lived further south.  But for the last 8 years, I have made my home in the fine crime mecca of Baltimore.  For the most part, I like it here.  Great markets, good restaurants, lots of interesting people.

Having spent a good portion of my life in the restaurant business i have a love/hate relationship with restaurant reviewers.  I think it's awful presumptious and in some cases really pretentious to post your thoughts about one or two experiences at a resaurant.  Folks that start a restaurant sink their hearts, souls and a ton of money into those ventures.  They at least need a grace period to get their shit together and even after that, if you have a bad experience, you should talk to the resaurant not a blog full of people.  So I am not going to be talking about my eating experiences in those kind of terms.  I may mention places that I have eaten but I plan on only expanding about the positive parts.  

Over the holidays I did a lot of breakfasting out.  The breakfast that I enjoyed the most was at the  very popular Miss Shirleys.  I loved loved loved loved loved it.  I had the Southern Slammer!  It was fantastic.  Throw caution to the wind, eggs in the face of cholesterol.  This little sammy has  Applewood-Smoked Bacon, Avocado, White Cheddar Cheese, Egg and Fried Green Tomatoes in between two slices of puzzlingly healthy pumpernickel.  My friends had various verions of  eggs benedict.  one with crab and fried green tomatoes, the other with smoked salmon, potato cakes and chive hollandaise.  The coffee was fresh hot Seattles Best and the service great.  (a chic named Michael)

I can not believe it took me this long to try out Miss Shirleys.  I have ben a fan of Alonso's consistent, anti-budget busting food  since i moved to the city just shy of 8 years ago.  But that's another story

soon

New Years!!

Staying home on this champion of amateur holidays?  Here are some sparling wine ideas that will get you some bubbles for cheap.

Banear Prosecco NV from Veneto Italy $9.99-$11.99

Straw-yellow with green highlights. Lightly sparkling, with thin elegant
bubbles. Fruity and floral with a pleasant buttery backdrop. Dry, good
acidity, well balanced. With less alcohol and fewer bubbles than fully
sparkling wines, this is an ideal aperitif. Chill and enjoy now to 2010 with
hors d’oeuvres, poultry and seafood.

Don Conde Cava Brut NV Catalonia Spain $9.99-$11.99
A terrific value, this sparkler offers fresh, clean citrus and crisp apple
flavors. This is a zingy Cava to open and enjoy on any occasion. The perfect
bottle to make mimosa's with. {Dry, Citrus, Apple, Medium-bodied}.

Gruet Demi-Sec NV New Mexico $13.99-$15.99
Yes, there are vineyards in New Mexico just outside of Albuquerque. The
subtle fruity aromas and the freshness of the Demi-Sec drives the character
of this light bodied, semi-dry sparkling wine. The palate carries through
with a creamy sensation and vivid flavor of green apples, ripe pears,
pineapple and a hint of mineral. It is delicate, lively and elegant! Toasty
bouquet, light and elegant with good acidity, exotic fruit flavors. A bubbly
wine for those with a sweet taste!

I know whatt you're thinking...wine from New Mexico yea right.  Get over yourself. This stuff is good!

easy to drink easy to pay for.  Paul Laurent wasn't smoking crack when he bought these vineyards.

Falafel Snackdown!

Intrigued by the Banh mi Snackdown by Eating Asia I pondered what local delicacy could elicit the same kind of salivatory response.  Like a brick hitting my head it came to me....the Sunday market Falafel....the finest street food Baltimore has to offer all dolled out between the rich and the homeless.

The guy that runs this stand goes around before the market opens and buys the best local stuff he can get his hands on.  So every week it's a new falafel!  A few weeks ago, at the peak of summer, my falafel had raw beets, raw corn, peaches, greens, squash, and my favorite hot and spicy pickles from a stand around the bend.

Last week it was filled with fresh pea shoots, and the peaches had morphed into apples.

I get my falafel "with everything" which includes yogurt sauce, hot sauce...

and the secret ingredient, honey.

duck duck quack quack cooking class

So I have finalized the menu for my cooking class on the 19th.  We are going to tackle 3  preparations of duck! 

The first course will be

seared duck breast in rice paper wrappers, mint, daikon, spinach and rice noodles with 

sweet hot chili sauce.

second course

salad of roasted kabocha squash, and stir fried vegetables with crispy duck

sesame, ginger, soy and chili dressing

third course

roasted duck legs with dried fruits and star anise served with

sticky rice

for dessert since I'm not much of a desert person, we will have simple Thai style coconut cake

accompanying beverages will probably be some sparkling wine, mimosas and either a Riesling or Gruner Veltliner.