You know when you have a post you look forward to making, but then it becomes a disaster??!! That sort of happened to me today. I had to postpone the next recipe in Nigel’s book and go onto then next, as the other half would like to be present for the rack of ribs I was planning to do this week.

So, homemade chips and three different sauces. Go.

Have any of you ever had problems with homemade mayonnaise? I’ve never attempted it before, and I was starting off with an Aioli. In a nutshell, it split, which is what I was afraid of, “but it looks so simple to make!”, I exclaimed, and went on to see if there was any way I could save my garlic,eggs and olive oil. I’m telling you, those three things never looked so unnatural together. I followed a tip I found off the internet, and hoped for the best, but no luck. I just wanted Nigel to fly through my window and help me.

My only thought it that I may have added the oil a little too quickly. But that’s all I could think of, so if any of you lovely viewers could assist me with some tips, it will be much appreciated!

The second thing that prevented the second sauce, the Bernaise being produced was the lack of white wine vinegar. A small glitch, but after a frightfully windy trip to the shops that I already made in the morning and a chesty cough starting to loom, I just couldn’t face it.

So I’m dreadfully sorry, but one sauce will have to do ok? But I was surprised by it!  I thought it was going to turn out like a sweet chilli sauce, but the flavours really develop with this one and the recipe makes enough for a small portion for your lovely self, and then you can keep the rest in a kilner jar to use again.

I needed these chips today, satisfying, comforting, they tick every box. Especially when one is shouted at in the supermarket for being too slow at the checkout. Not cool. Mr Grumpy was obviously not tucking into some home made chips tonight!

The perfect chips are hard to accomplish and find. The winner is still Heston Blumenthal’s triple cooked chips of which I made last year,  but if you don’t have the room in your freezer and you’re in a hurry, Mr Slater’s will be equally as good.

Shall we?

6 ripe tomatoes

2/3 red chillis

4 cloves garlic

2-4 floury potatoes  depending on yield

Prepare your sauce first

6 tomatoes

2/3 red chillis

4 cloves of garlic

2 tsp tomato puree

2tsp soft brown sugar

juice of a lime

3tbsp olive oil

3tbsp coriander finely chopped

Chips for one, double for two

2 large floury potatoes

1 litre dripping, lard or sunflower oil for deep frying

SAUCE

Roast the tomatoes, garlic and chilli in a preheated oven of 180C until the skins are blackened. Once out of the oven, squeeze the garlic out of its skin. In a food processer or with a hand blender, whiz the tomatoes and chillis with the tomato puree, brown sugar, lime juice, olive oil and coriander until they form a coarse pulp. Add salt to taste, set aside for the flavours to get to know each other.

CHIPS

Peel the skin off the potatoes, chop into slices about the width of your finger, then slice again to form strips. Leave them in cold water to stop them sticking together and to wash some of the starch off.

Put a large deep saucepan onto a low flame, bring it slowly up to the boil, or 150C if you have a kitchen thermometer. You can check whether the oil is ready also by dropping a chip in, if it floats and starts to fry, it’s ready, if it drops to the bottom, it’s not. Drain the chips and dry them on a clean teatowel. Then lower them into the pan, in batches if you have to. Leave for 5-6 minutes until they are soft and pale. Lift out and drain then increase the temperature of the oil to 180C . BE CAREFUL. HOT OIL! Return the chips to the pan and fry until browned and crispy. Drain them again on some kitchen paper and season with sea salt and serve with the chilli sauce.

On the outside it looks like a simplified English pub. White building, dark green trim, and Jayne’s discreetly written on the front. Once you go inside its quite cozy with lots of dark wood. Its a smallish space with a smallish bar but the drinks sounded good and the place was packed, which is normally a good sign.

We wanted to sit at the bar and just order appetizers then bounce, we told the hostess this and she was quite gracious and said we could wait for a spot at the bar or sit at a table outside. We chose to sit outside and this was quite lucky because their outside patio is gorgeous.

Jayne’s Gastropub Patio

There are tall hedges surrounding the patio and then a tall wall with aged brick on one side. There are globe lights overhead and heaters to stay warm and the tables have white tableclothes and red roses. Its quite the charming place to have dinner and probably a perfect date spot.

White linens and red roses at Jayne’s

APPETIZERS: We ordered two appetizers, the Gambas al Aljillo and the Calamari. The Gambas were shrimp in a spicy garlic sauce with sliced baguette bread. Though the shrimp were good, the sauce was somewhat lacking. The chilis and garlic didn’t have enough time to infuse in the oil, so the oil was relatively flavorless. It was a little pricey for 6 shrimp as well. The calamari on the other hand was great. It was served piping hot and had the perfect amount of breading. Sometimes you get too much cakey breading and its slipping off the calamari rings. Here it was crunchy but not greasy and you could tell it had just left the fryer. The calamari comes with cocktail sauce and aioli.

Gambas Al Aljillo

Calamari

Overall, we thought the food could’ve been a tad cheaper but its hard to be upset when you’re dining in such a pleasant environment. Their menu also had some really great sounding dishes like their crostini with white bean puree and roasted peppers, the brick chicken and especially the gnocchi with cream, mushrooms, and chicken.

CHECK:
Calamari $10.50
Gambas al Aljillo $15.50
TOTAL: $38.88 (w/tax)

Their drinks sound good, their burger won best burger in SD at one point, and they have a $5 dollar happy hour plates special. Jayne’s: We will be back.

Another view of Jayne’s patio

Jayne’s Gastropub
4677 30th St
San Diego, CA 92116
http://jaynesgastropub.com

It’s fish Friday so a fish recipe will be fitting. I’m currently in Zermatt, about to get ready to go skiing. I haven’t cooked a thing all week but I’ve eaten and drunk handsomely. The restaurants here are fabulous. I will definitely be recreating the saffron panacotta I had on Wednesday when I get home.

All the same, in the mean time, I am craving a light and healthy bit of fish. I bought a black headed bream from Marvellous Michael at The Chelsea Fishmonger last week but sea bass or any white fish, (whole) would work well.

ROASTED FISH AND VEGETABLES WITH AIOLI
for 2

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

FOR THE FISH
I white fish (big enough for 2) ask your fishmonger to gut, descale and score it
1 lemon
A handful of parsley
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

FOR THE VEGETABLES
1 fennel bulb, sliced
1 large potato, cut into cubes with the skin on
1 courgette, sliced
4 garlic cloves, skin on, slightly bruised
2 rosemary stalks
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

FOR THE AIOLI
2 heaped tbsp Hellmanns mayo
1/2 garlic clove, minced
Zest of 1/2 lemon

WHAT TO DO

preheat the oven to 200C

put all of the vegetables, except the potatoes, onto a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and mix with the garlic and rosemary. Season.

roast the vegetables for about 10 mins

par boil the potatoes in salted water for 5-7 mins

meanwhile slice the lemon and stuff the cavity of the fish with lemon and parsley, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper

lay the fish on a piece of baking parchment on a baking sheet

After the vegetables have roasted for 10 mins, add the par boiled potatoes to the roasting tray and toss. Return to the oven for a further 20 mins.

At the Same time, put the fish into the oven for 20 mins

Whilst the fish and vegetables are cooking, mix the aioli ingredients together

Remove the fish and vegetables from the oven. You will know that the fish is cooked when the eye goes white.

Remove the skin from the fish with a spoon and fork and carefully take the flesh away from the bones, working from the central bone. Turn the fish over and repeat on the other side

Serve the fish on warmed plates with the vegetables and aioli

Pork Medallion

500 grams/1 pounds pork tenderloin

2 tablespoons Sesame Oil

1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

1 tablespoon Tamari Soy (gluten-free)

1 Minced Garlic Clove

1 tablespoon Grated fresh Ginger

Salt and Pepper

Sesame Seeds

Chili Aioli

1 Egg

1 Lime Juice

1 Minced Garlic Clove

1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1/2 Vegetable Oil

Chili flakes

How to: Start with slicing the pork tenderloin into medallions season salt and pepper both sides. Mix the ingredients for the marinade and brush the marinade on both sides of the medallions and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top. Roast them in the oven at 200C/400F for about 15-20 minutes till they are cooked through out. I made roasted Brussels sprouts that I tossed in sesame oil, salt and pepper.

Mix all the ingredients for the aioli except the vegetable oil, I chose to use less oil than a regular aioli as I want it to be more “sauce like” and not thick. Add the oil slowly while whisking and season with the chili flakes.

]]> http://thetestkitchenmpls.com/2013/03/21/8-italian-french-fries-with-rosemary-aioli/ Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:39:50 +0000 thetestkitchenmpls http://thetestkitchenmpls.com/2013/03/21/8-italian-french-fries-with-rosemary-aioli/ Who knew that french fries could be so difficult? I had the hardest time taking a good picture of these things! Nevertheless, I found a way to show the yumminess of these fries. Everything is homemade, including the aioli, which was indeed my first time making it.

French fries make me happy though. I usually always order them if I go out for happy hour or if there’s a bar menu. It’s always exciting to see what kind of aioli restaurants and cooks come up with to pair with fries. I’ve seen all kinds: saffron, truffle, rosemary, anchovy (yes, from the little smelly fish anchovies!) and spicy. I love them all! You can also use aioli for sandwiches instead of plain mustard or mayonnaise. And making it from scratch is kinda exciting! Eggs and oil, simple as that. I’m not sure though how the store bought mayonnaise is so white! Every recipe I’ve seen gives it a yellowish tint from the egg yolk, unless your adding a ton  of olive oil…. hmm.. Mysterious!

What I learned is to cut the potatoes the long way into semi-thin slices, then stack them on each other and cut into fries. I like leaving the skin on, it adds more flavor! I deep fried these in oil and then dressed them up with Italian seasoning, swiss cheese, salt/pepper and  drizzled the aioli ( 1 egg beaten with 1 tsp of dijon mustard, 1/2 cup olive oil very slowly added as your beating the eggs on pretty high speed. You can add 1 tsp. of garlic and cayenne or more to taste!) on top.

4 appetizers down, just a few more to go! Then we move onto Salads, then soups, then entrees and finally desserts!

While we’re talking about great bars and restaurants, let’s talk about Sundown Saloon on Greenwich Avenue. This is the best place I’ve found so far to get some good sort-of-southern food. The menu boasts mac’n'cheese, baby back ribs, pulled pork sliders and beef brisket. They have a lot of other tasty dishes too, to appeal to the northern masses.

Now, I’ll admit, I haven’t tried any of the dishes I listed above (except the mac’n'cheese, which was pretty anti-climactic, unfortunately). But i can say, without a doubt, Sundown Saloon serves, hands-down, the BEST DAMN CHICKEN NUGGETS in the tri-state area. They’re similar to chic-fil-a chicken nuggets in looks, size and texture. But of course, there’s nothing quite like the heavenly little nuggets chic-fil-a serves, but these nuggets at Sundown are a darn good compromise.

You can get them plain, which is my preference, with a side of honey mustard. They also have bbq, buffalo, etc. But if you’re an honest to God nugget lover, plain with your choice of dipping sauce is definitely the way to go.

Last night, I enjoyed a tasty batch of nachos, cooked to perfection, cheese browned on top with black beans, served with a side of chili, sour cream and salsa. I can’t say they were the best nachos ever, or even close really, but they were very, very good. Same with the chicken quesadilla. They’re just solid choices.

Now, I’d like to discuss the Calamari — golden fried, served with lemon basil aioli and marinara sauce. I have a penchant for any type of aioli, and this stuff really is amazing. It’s a great pairing with their calamari, which is always cooked to perfection. You absolutely can’t go wrong with ordering this tasty appetizer.

Finally I’d like to call a couple other dishes out — highly recommend –> baja fish tacos, california burger and the whichaway burger (with pepper aioli, come on, GENIUS).

So head on over to Sundown. Trivia on mondays, live music on thursdays, happy hour lasts til 7.

Here’s the website: http://www.sundownsaloon.com/index.html

And menu: http://www.sundownsaloon.com/menus.html

Photo Credit: sundown website

It was a series of meals there that made me fall in love with duck confit and sunchokes.  I remember having a gorgeous and crispy leg of duck confit for dinner with a side of sunchokes for dinner and then ordering a breakfast hash with duck confit, mushrooms, and a poached egg for breakfast the next day.  I regretfully wasn’t photographing my meals back then, so I can’t share the images, but I can promise that my most recent visit featured food that was just as spectacular.

The restaurant itself is a site to behold.  It’s a white brick building with windows all the way around.  It is somehow southern, yet industrial at the same time, with exposed metal ceilings within and soft, linen curtains serving as airy dividers between the different dining areas.  The color scheme is a warm cream with light, spring green accents.  The setting is spectacular, and the menu is just as charming as the building, with a vintage type-writer theme.

One of my family’s favorite things about PrintWorks is their bread plate that comes to every table before the rest of the meal. They have a unique, bold, and wonderful take on the traditional bread plate that includes crusty slices of bread served with a soft block of butter that has big flakes of salt perched on top.  The unique part is the entire clove of roasted garlic that comes alongside.  It’s golden and soft, caramelized until it’s become sweet.  You get to squeeze the cloves out of their skins and can spread them onto the bread with a smear of salty butter.  It’s pungent but gets your taste buds ready for the rest of the meal.

I started with a salad that I had ordered the last time I visited the restaurant because it was so good, I just had to try it again.  It was a frisee salad with a poached egg, lardons, and warm bacon vinaigrette.  The rich, warm dressing slightly softens the crisp frisee and the richness of the lardons perfectly complements the tartness of the lettuce.  The gooey yolk from the poached egg just ties the whole dish together.

My next course was fried calamari perched atop more frisee.  On the base of the plate was a pool of slightly sweet cocktail sauce and dollops of lemon aioli for dipping.  The calamari themselves were lightly battered and fried, still tender with just a slight chew.  They were salty like the sea and scrumptious dipped in the delightful sauces

I had braised pork cheek as my entree.  I have only ever had pork cheek when it’s cured, sliced, and baked until crispy like bacon, so I was excited to try this succulent cut in a different format.  It was smothered in a ragout of tomatoes and mushrooms which created a nice, earthy pairing for the tender and porky cheek.  I didn’t take a picture of my entree for a funny reason: as much as I wanted to share it on my blog, the cheek was completely covered by the deep red sauce, and the sight of the chunky, red mixture simply could not convey the complexity and wonderful flavor of the dish.  To be honest, it really didn’t look that appealing, so I’m attempting to do it justice with my words without having to explain its appearance.

I hope you enjoyed this little journal entry of sorts about my tour of food from my spring break, because there are more restaurants and meals to come!  And if you’re ever in Greensboro, I highly recommend you visit PrintWorks!

Lacey and delicate.

Called “Frico” from the Friuli region of Italy, these delicious wafers are spoonfuls of grated cheese that are baked and cooled. Great served with cocktails or wine, filled with your favorite filling for appetizers, or as a garnish with main courses or salads.

Parmesan Cups
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan ( I recommend Parmesan Reggiano)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Pour a heaping tablespoon of Parmesan onto a silicone or parchment lined baking sheet and lightly pat down into circle or oval shapes. A silicone baking sheet is highly recommended. Repeat with the remaining cheese, spacing the spoonfuls about a 1/2 inch apart.

Bake for 3 to 4 minutes or until lightly golden and crisp.

Cool flat to make wafers or gently remove while warm and place over an over-turned bowl (I use small ramekins). If the wafers do not easily take the shape of the bowl, place them back in the oven on the over-turned bowl until you see they are starting to melt into the bowl’s shape. Remove from the oven and let them cool on the bowls. Carefully, remove the bowl from the Parmesan cup and put on your serving plate to be filled with salad below.

Citrus Aioli
Ingredients:
¼ cup Mayonnaise (do not use Miracle Whip)
1 clove of garlic – minced or mashed with a pinch of salt
Zest of ½ lime
2 tablespoons of lemon juice or lime juice
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Whisk all ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours so the flavours to come together.

Caesar Salad
1 -2 hearts of romaine
Citrus Aioli
1-2 strips of bacon (thinly sliced and cooked)
2-4 croutons per serving

The Parmesan Cups are very delicate and lend better to a lighter preparation of the lettuce. Rather than break the lettuce as you normally would for Caesar salad; thinly slice the leaves into strips (across the leaf ).

Place one Parmesan Cup on a serving plate, top with romaine lettuce to ¾ of the Parmesan cup, place 1 teaspoon of Garlic Lime Aioli on lettuce, top with a sprinkle of bacon and a couple of croutons. Serve immediately.

Enjoy

The six-dollar portion is pictured.
Barbette’s pommes frites are what McDonald’s fries want to be when they grow up. Avec saffron aioli, they are an American/French cuisine treasure.

Blackened cajun cod with paprika baked wedges

I have decided that my family don’t eat enough fish. Personally, I have always had a strange relationship with fish. Growing up, a visit to the chippy always included a jumbo sausage rather than a succulent piece of battered fish. In my head, I didn’t like fish. There was an on-off relationship with fish fingers and breaded or battered fish came from the supermarket in a package and became known as ‘triangular fish’. Any hint of skin and that was it I wouldn’t eat it again.

The same happened with scampi. It became a regular favourite when I ate out. I squirted each piece with a hint of lemon and accompanied it with some tartare sauce, but one bad incident with some off langoustines and that was it, never again I said. I also remember the laughs my friends had when I once declared that the only salmon I liked was salmon from a tin. The smell of fish also puts me off eating it. It’s a well known fact that fresh fish shouldn’t smell but we’ve all had that experience of walking past a fishmongers smelling a strong offputting smell.

I’m glad to say that I’ve moved on (mostly) from my childish tastes. I now adore fish. Haddock, cod, sole, monkfish, seabass, tuna, the thought of them are now making me hungry! I must confess that I still only like salmon from a tin. There’s something about the taste of salmon that I really don’t enjoy. Even if it is disguised! Last year, as a judge for the Great Roath Bake Off in Cardiff, somemone tried to get some smoked salmon canapes past us as a bake and I had to try and disguise my distaste in front of a full room of people. Not my finest hour.

I also struggle with shellfish. I have conquered prawns and squid but apart from these, I don’t particularly like shellfish due to the taste and smell. Despite the appetising appearance of mussels and scallops, I just can’t get past that taste barrier. Maybe over time. I keep telling myself that one day I will enjoy them in a vain hope that this will somehow alter my palette. It remains to be seen.

So, as I say, I don’t think my family eat enough fish. Not surprising really, when we live in Cumbria and the sea is quite a distance away. We eat plenty of beef, pork, chicken, but fresh, healthy, succulent fish often gets forgotten. So, I decided to make fish for dinner for the whole family.

It is a real shame that there is a great deal of over-fishing in our surrounding waters. I really love cod but this is one fish which is being overfished, leading to depleted stocks. I always check that the fish I buy has an MSC stamp and that it is sustainably caught.

The cod dish I decided to make was taken from Lorraine Pascale’s ‘Fast, Fresh and Easy Food’. This is a real gem of a cook book, I have successfully mastered a number of the dishes and found they really are fast, fresh and easy. I decided to use this recipe as I wanted to experiment with adding flavour to the delicate flakiness of the cod. What better way to add flavour than adding spices. But while you might think that it will overpower the delicate fish, this recipe adds a subtle spice which balances beautifully with the cod. As always, I have made changes to the original recipe, which reflects what ingredients I had in the store cupboard, my cooking style and my preference.

Succulent spicy cod

Blackened Cajun Cod with paprika baked potato wedges

What you need

For the wedges:
6 large potatoes
2tsp paprika
Vegetable oil

For the fish:
Sunflower oil
1/2 tbsp plain flour
1/2 tbsp paprika
1tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chilli powder
4 x125g, skinless cod fillet

Salad or vegetables, to serve
Garlic mayonnaise

Method
1) Preheat the oven to 220C. Cut each potato in half lengthways and then cut each half into four or five wedges. Put the wedges in a baking tray and sprinkle with paprika, salt and pepper and cover with oil by turning the wedges. Arrange the wedges on the baking tray and cook in the oven for 30mins. About half way through, turn them with a spatula or spoon.

paprika wedges

2) Meanwhile, prepare the fish. Put a medium sized frying pan on a medium heat and add a drizzle of sunflower oil. Put the flour, paprika, ground cumin and chilli powder on a plate with some salt and pepper and mix together. Coat the cod fillets with the spicy flour mixture and add the fish to the pan. Cook on one side for about 4mins. After cooking one side, flip the fish over and cook the other side.

Perfectly cooked

3) Check the fish is cooked through, then serve with the potato wedges,salad or vegetables and a generous dollop of garlic mayonnaise.

In Lorraine’s recipe she serves the cod as a burger, which you could do by adding the cod to a burger bun. However, I thought that with the wedges, there would be too much of a carb fest, so gave this a miss for the sake of my figure. Lorraine also added parmesan to the wedges, but because I didn’t have any parmesan, I didn’t add any to the wedges. I don’t think this made much of a taste difference. The wedges were beautifully spiced.

Lorraine also includes a recipe for aioli (garlic mayonnaise) this is a genius accompaniment. The mayonnaise goes beautifully with both the wedges and the fish. But I’m afraid I cheated.(Shush don’t tell anyone!) I bought a jar of Stokes garlic mayonnaise. It’s the best garlic mayonnaise I have found in shops. Well, my favourite was a Tesco finest garlic mayonnaise but to my disappointment they discontinued it before I could buy up a stockpile of jars. Stokes has a high garlic content and is a rich aioli. It’s even great as a dip for crisps or crudites.

I was at Little Creatures a few weekends ago when the Chilli Festival was running to farewell a friend from university who was heading back home. After succeeding in finally finding a parking spot (The Chilli Festival sure seemed to be a hit with the traffic chaos and the lack of parking spots available in Fremantle and unfortunately the time I spent looking for parking was what I was hoping to use to check the festival out) we all settled in for our last meal all together.

Chorizo, sweet corn and feta pizza ($22).

The chorizo pizza is a staple of mine and one I have ordered many times before at Little Creatures. This pizza did not dissapoint and had a nice balance between the spicy chorizo and the sauce, base and other toppings.

Harissa spiced lamb, melanzane, and feta pizza ($23).

I was interested in this pizza until we did a quick google to find out that melanzane was in fact eggplant. Those however who liked eggplant polished this pizza off very quickly. I did have a little bit of the lamb and it was nicely cooked and well seasoned.

Roast pumpkin, almond dukkah, and sage oil pizza ($19).

This pizza was surprising as it had a hint of sweetness about it. There was something missing personally with this pizza – one more topping (perhaps some protein or cheese) would have finished it off perfectly. Still an interesting and flavour-filled pizza that I would happily reorder again.

Chilli beef nachos, with guacamole ($23).

The nachos were personally for me one of the best that I have had when dining at Little Creatures, often I have been left underwhelmed by their nachos. The frites with aioli below is also a staple that must be ordered whenever you go to Little Creatures as they do not disappoint, we even ordered extra aioli and we discovered that it went very well with the crust from the pizzas.

Frites with aioli ($9.50).

The last dish ordered was the waffles with berry compote, syrup and ice-cream ($14). I unfortunately did not get a photo of the waffle. While we were all a little upset that the apple and rhubarb had been replaced by berries however once the dish had arrived and we’d all had a piece we took those words back – even with the berries the waffles at Little Creatures is to die for!

There was also some of the famous ‘Pipsqueek’ apple cider ($9.80 for a pint). While I had a glass of the 2011 Bellarmine Riesling from Pemberton ($9).

Bellarmine Riesling ($9).

Another meal at Little Creatures that I was impressed with, my other review of their food can be found here. The complete drinks and food menu for Little Creatures can be found here.

Until next time!

Ahh..portobellos.  The steak of the mushroom world.  (Actually trumpet mushrooms are really meaty too, but I digress.)  This is one of those sandwiches that has one big portobello in place of a “patty” of some sort.  I have been making this sandwich for the two of us for years, so this will be the first time I put it in writing. I am happy to share it!  The sauteed zucchini strips add nutrition and flavor, while the zingy aioli accents the dark portobello flavor.  Enjoy!

For the Burger (Makes 2)

• your favorite burger buns
• 2 large portobello caps, cut stems down so the whole cap is flat, if necessary
• a handful  of mixed spring greens
• yellow onion, thinly sliced into circles
• one small zucchini sliced into wide, thin strips
• earth balance
• Bragg’s liquid aminos or low-sodium soy sauce

For the Aioli

• 1/2 cup veganaise
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 small head of garlic, pre-roasted, cooled and removed from their pods.
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

1. Oil pan with olive oil, turn heat to medium-low.
2. Lightly sauté the onions and zucchini strips together in the pan.  Both sides of zucchini should be softened and just golden, NOT brown or crisp.  Onions should be softened at same time zucchini is done.  Remove from pan, and set aside.
3. Increase heat to medium, re-oil pan and place mushrooms gill-side down until they start to sizzle.  Spread a little earth balance on smooth tops of mushrooms, then flip over, gill-side up.
4. After the ‘shrooms start to sizzle again, sprinkle a little liquid aminos (or soy sauce) and spread a little  earth balance along the gills.
5. Continue to watch the mushrooms, flipping occasionally and keeping the pan lubricated with oil and/or butter as you go along.  Mushrooms are done when they are shrunken and soft.  You can press down on them occasionally to help them cook through.
6. While mushrooms are cooking, add your buns, flat side down in the same pan until they are toasted.  They will absorb some of the yummy liquids and toast at the same time.
7. While the mushrooms are cooking, blend up your aioli sauce in a food processor. Add the mayo, roasted garlic, lemon juice, and salt/pepper.  Set aside.
8. Lightly squeeze the mushrooms and drain the liquid off the pan. Remove buns before they burn, of course.
9. Assemble the burgers like-so: bottom bun, aioli, greens, zucchini, mushroom (flat side down), more aioli on top bun…and done!

I just gave you a plate full of veggies and all I have to follow up with is more of them. But, don’t fret…these are too good to pass up, and I’ve always seen artichokes as more of a vehicle for a sauce or dip anyways. So it’s a snack, not a vegetable (at least that’s my flawed logic) AND this aioli has only 3 ingredients and is reaaaaally addicting, so it’s totally worth it.

Also…I’m baking cookies all day today, so my raging sweet tooth will make its appearance soon enough. Don’t you worry about that one little bit. This girl loves chocolate & sugar more than life itself.

Growing up, my daddy would always make me steamed artichokes. Simple and served with a side of lemon garlic butter, I could take down two in one sitting. Not something exactly common among other little kids…but I’ve been pretty much weird from the beginning. They’ve always been one of my favorite foods, and I get excited every spring when they come around.

Grilling the artichokes adds a depth of flavor that you can’t get from steaming alone and setting out a tray of these at your next get together looks pretty impressive (no one has to know how simple they really are, that can be our little secret!).

Raw artichokes can be a bit intimidating. I know the first time I was handed one at school I was completely confused. Don’t worry; it’s a lot simpler than you may think. First, try and pick artichokes that are all green. The more brown on the leaves, the older and tougher they are, so you’re going to have to pull them off anyway.

Next, once you have your pretty green artichokes at home, pull off the tougher outer leaves near the stem and use a pair of scissors to cut off any spiky bits on the ends of the remaining leaves.

Now that they’re trimmed and less likely to cause minor injuries…you’re gonna cut those suckers in half down the middle, stem to tip. You’ll see some purple and white hair-type things. This is the choke. It’s inedible and you definitely don’t want it at the party. So, pull the choke and attached inner leaves out as best you can and then scrape the remainder out with a spoon until they’re clean and pretty like this!

Grilling the artichokes alone won’t cook them all the way through, so we need to par-cook them a little before hand. So, we’re going to steam them for a few minutes.  Don’t even get out a pot of water, we’re going to use the easy way (and my favorite way) to steam them…the MICROWAVE!

All you need to do is put your artichokes in a large microwave safe container with a lid, drizzle in a couple of tablespoons of water, put on the lid and set them for 3-5 minutes on high. Remember, we don’t want them all the way cooked, just partially, so check them after a few minutes by feel. BE CAREFUL! They will be hot.

Now, its time to start up the grill! If you have a gas grill, just turn it to medium-high heat and let it pre-heat for 10-15 minutes. If use charcoal, like us, I recommend you get a chimney, if you don’t already have one (just please try to not be like me and let it get rusty). No need for lighter fluid and that alone is a good thing. No more nasty chemicals, YAY!

While your grill/coals are heating up, we’re going to mix up the aioli.

Just mayo, Chili Garlic Sauce, and lemon juice + a little salt & pepper. That’s it.

If you can, find Kewpie Mayo (that weird squeeze bottle, it comes in a plastic bag with a picture of a Kewpie doll on it). It’s sold in Asian groceries and has a much better flavor than any American mayo I’ve ever used.

Now that our grill is hot and our artichokes have cooled, it’s showtime!

First, we need to oil our artichokes so they don’t stick and give them a good seasoning with salt & pepper.

Grill the artichokes for about 3-5 minutes on each side, until they develop a good char.

Pull them off and let cool for a few minutes so you don’t burn your fingers. That would just ruin all the fun…and we’re trying to have a party here, remember?

Serve them with the aioli and lots of napkins…pulling off each of those leaves can be a tad messy, especially when the sauce gets involved. ALSO! Don’t forget to eat the heart in the middle; it’s definitely the best part.

If you’ve made it to the end of this entirely too long post, congratulations! Reward yourself with an artichoke…or four.

Grilled Artichokes with Spicy Lemon Aioli – serves 4

            2 medium sized artichokes

2 T water

1 T vegetable oil

½ C mayonnaise (preferably Kewpie Mayo)

2 t Chili Garlic Sauce OR

2 t Sriracha + ½ t crushed red pepper + ½ t garlic powder

1 ½ t lemon juice

salt & pepper to taste

• clean and trim artichokes
• cut artichokes in half from stem to tip, remove choke
• place artichokes in a microwave-safe container with a lid, add water and close lid, leaving one corner unattached to vent
• microwave on high for 3-5 minutes until par-cooked, set aside
• pre-heat grill or start charcoal
• when grill is hot/coals are ready, drizzle artichokes with oil, rubbing to coat
• season artichokes well with salt and pepper
• grill 3-5 minutes on each side until slightly charred and cooked through
• let cool 5 minutes and enjoy with spicy lemon aioli

spicy lemon aioli: combine Chili Garlic Sauce, mayonnaise, and lemon juice in bowl. season with salt and pepper to taste.

So…  I realized today that’s it’s been a month since my last post in February.  My apologies!  Been a bit busy I guess. Anywho, this week’s post is an appetizer inspired by a dish I had in Berkeley on Friday.  After my ambulance externship with Berkeley Fire, I met up with a friend to try out this place called Joshuya Brasserie, which serves Japanese tapas and sushi.  Side note: first time i saw the word brasserie, I thought it meant lingerie like Victoria’s Secret or something. Turns out, brasserie means brewery in french, so I was totally wrong.  Anyways….this was overall a pretty dece place.  An appetizer we ordered was the pomme frites which was pretty much duck fat fries with an Asian inspired aioli.  Upon tasting it, I figured that it seemed pretty easy to make, so I set out to recreate it this weekend at home.  The fries at the place were very savory and had a nice texture and flavor that put it eons ahead on the evolutionary scale of french fries.  What sets it apart from the typical Mickey D’s fries is that 1) it was fried in duck fat 2) it was seasoned with salt and pepper and 3) it had an AIOLI dipping sauce (which everyone should know by now is my favorite thing).  The sauce was a spicy aioli that had tones of Asian-ness to it such as garlic chilli and sesame oil.  Already having all the ingredients at home, I set out to recreate this dish

The first step to creating the french fries or should I say pommes frites to sound sophisticated is render the duck fat. To make the duck fat, you can refer back to my previous article on duck fat, appropriately labeled Rendering Duck Fat. <=yes, that is a link you can click on.  Once you have the duck fat, the rest is pretty easy and quick to make.  I was able to finish this in less time than the 1st half of the Ohio State – Michigan State game this weekend.  An ideal french fry is typically soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside.  Most people try to accomplish this by double frying their fries.  Frying them in medium heat the first round to cook the fry and then at a higher temp to make them crunchy.  To save oil, I baked them in the oven for 15 minutes instead at 375F.  This goes without saying, but I cut the fries into slivers before baking them in the oven.  Once they are done baking, I take them out and sprinkle generous amounts of sea salt and black pepper.  I then proceed to fry them in duck fat till golden brown.  Once brown, I take the fries and let dry on paper.   I then sprinkle on some more sea salt.  It is important to add more salt onto the fries within the first few minutes out of the fryer.  If not, the fries will not be able to to stick to the salt and incorporate the flavor to the fullest.

For the aioli, I decided to make my own spin on it because I realized when I opened the fridge that I was out of garlic chilli sauce or sriracha… Thus, I made a double layer dipping sauce (yea, that’s right! sounds sophisticated) But really, it isn’t.  It’s just science.  As depicted, the top layer of sauce is an aioli, while the bottom layer is pretty much soy sauce with a few modifications.  To make the aioli, I mixed in a tablespoon of mayo, about 3 tablespoons of sesame oil (rather than olive oil), a few dashes of tabasco, 1 clove of garlic and 1 tablespoon of hoisin sauce.  I blended it until homogenous and poured into a shot glass (don’t worry, I’m not an alcoholic)  For the darker colored sauce, I mixed soy sauce with sugar, cayenne, and 1/5 teaspoon of rice wine vinegar.  The acidity from the vinegar should compliment the fatty aioli sauce.  I then poured in the soy sauce mixture into the same shot glass.  Interestingly, rather than mixing together, the layers stayed separate. This is due to the difference in densities and miscibility.  The aioli is oily or hydrophobic, while the soy sauce is more hydrophilic.  Thus, they do not mix together because only “like dissolves in like.”  Also, surprisingly for me, the soy sauce was apparently denser than the aioli.  As a result it sinks to the bottom.  Fun fact, if you’re wondering if this looks very similar to something, it does.  This aioli-soy sauce dipping sauce resembles a Baby Guinness.  An alcoholic shot involving two parts Kahula, topped with Bailey’s.  Usually this drink is reserved for St. Patty’s day… which actually happens to be today so… Cheers?!

To finish it off with plating, I wanted to add some green to it, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, so i sliced thinly so cucumbers and tossed in a minty garnish.  Overall, this dish is great as an appetizer or served with your favorite beer!

“The shamrock is a religious symbol. St. Patrick said the leaves represented the trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. That’s why four leaf clovers are so lucky, you get a bonus Jesus.” -Stephen Colbert

Ingredients:

• potato
• salt and pepper
• cayenne
• soy sace
• hoisin sauce
• garlic
• rice wine vinegar
• mayo
• sesame oil
• duck fat
• sugar
• tobasco

The other day I was reminiscing about Barcelona, the street I lived on, the market I shopped at, the climate and the food. One dish that I didn’t try when I was there was Arroz Negro – black rice, a type of paella. You saw it on the sign boards outside of all sorts of restaurants, but I was always suspicious of English menus and being a student at the time ate out only occasionally. Arroz Negro had been on my mind off and on for a while now, and I had a jar of cuttlefish ink in the cupboard that I hadn’t gotten around to using (for a future dish of Italian stewed cuttlefish over white polenta).

With the first taste I found this dish to be everything I thought it would be: deep and slightly minerally like the sea, rich, clean and savory. Rice perfectly cooked, squid tender, not too salty or too bland. Aesthetically pleasing colours: black, pinky white, yellow, green. And all this with only a few ingredients. Be sure to serve with homemade aioli (it really isn’t any effort at all and better than jar mayonnaise) and lots of lemon wedges. And I improvised with a few ingredients, it was snowing rather hard today and roads were bad so I used what was in the house: some mild flavored Chinese soup stock (full of dried roots and chicken bones) that I added one fish boullion cube to, Italian Carnaroli rice (no Spanish Bomba rice in the house), and shishito peppers. The shishito pepper as it turns out is a close relative to the Spanish padron pepper, and I wasn’t about to venture out in heavy snow for a couple of green bell peppers.

A few tips for cooking paella:
1) Use the correct diameter pan or a paella pan if you are lucky enough. This way you get the right depth of rice. I used a heavy cast iron pan for even heat distribution. Select the right size burner for the size of pan.
2) Observe (sight, sound, smell) the ingredients cooking and modulate the heat as required. Rotate and shift the pan around on the burner as required for even cooking.
3) Some ingredient substitutions are OK, just use common sense.
4) Don’t use long grain rice for paella because it won’t work. Use a medium Spanish variety like calasparra or bomba or Italian like arborio or carnaroli.
5) Go with your instinct and observations rather than the times stated in a recipe.
6) Don’t be afraid, cook with confidence.

Mortar & Pestle Aioli

From Moro: The Cookbook
Serves 4-6

1 egg yolk, organic and as fresh as possible
1 – 2 cloves of garlic
pinch of salt
squeeze of lemon
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
50 ml sunflower or other mild oil
1 – 2 tsp of water (optional)

In a mortar and pestle add the garlic and a pinch of salt. Pulverize to a paste. Add the egg yolk and a squeeze of lemon. Mix well. Add the oils drop by drop, mixing well with the pestle until the oil is incorporated. Keep adding oil and mixing until the aioli is thick. Season to taste with salt and lemon juice. Thin out if necessary with a little water. Store in the fridge with some cling film touching the surface so that a skin doesn’t form. Use within 2 days.

Arroz Negro ~ Black Rice Paella

From Moro: The Cookbook

6 Tbsp Olive Oil
600 g squid, sliced (I used a package of tentacles)
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 medium green bell peppers, finely chopped
(I used a 2 handfuls of shishito peppers)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
250 g paella rice or risotto rice (I used Carnaroli)
100 ml white wine
1 litre hot fish or chicken stock
(I used homemade chicken stock with no salt
and added a fish boullion cube)
30 – 5o g squid ink or cuttlefish ink
1 – 2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 small bunch of parsley, leaves roughly chopped
1 lemon, cut in wedges
salt and pepper
Aioli to serve

Place the stock in a covered pot to heat up while you start the recipe. Heat a 30 – 40 cm pan over medium to high heat and add 2 Tbsp of oil. Saute the squid for 3o seconds then remove the squid and set aside. Add the rest of the oil and saute the onion and peppers for 5 minutes to soften, then reduce heat to medium low and saute for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 10 more minutes, stirring regularly. The veg should be soft and sweet with a little colour.

Add the rice to the pan and coat with the oil and veg. Add the wine, simmer half a minute then add the hot stock all at once. Add the squid or cuttlefish ink. Stir in the tomato paste and half of the chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste keeping in mind that your stock may have salt in it already.

Do not stir the rice at this point. Simmer gently and shake the pan once or twice to prevent the rice from sticking. When the rice starts rising above the stock add the squid over top and cook 4 minutes over low (or until there is very little juice left). Cover the pan with a lid or with foil. Sit 3 – 5 minutes. Decorate with parsley and lemon wedges. Serve with aioli and salad family style.

And what better way of celebrating spring than to cook some wonderful food with good friends.  We got together once more in Narbonne, this time to try our hand at tapas, fish baked in salt, and key lime pie.  As before we started our food-fest with a trip to Narbonne market halls.  The selection there is just too wonderful, and great discipline is required not to come away with far more than one needs!

The sepions are tiny squid and we got some for the tapas.  The fish came from the stall just around the corner.  We decided that we needed two and ended up with around 3kg of seabream for the seven of us – too much??

One of my favourite stalls is to one side and stocks a selection of wonderful dried hams and other Spanish charcuterie.  The hand-cranked machine is used to cut beautifully fine slices of dried ham, and it’s fascinating to watch the ham falling like silk ribbons onto the waiting paper.  We got some for our tapas, and I bought some more to take home for later in the week.  After a few more stops for creme fraiche, bread and a few vegetables we headed back to the ranch again, weighed down with bags.

As so often I got too stuck into the cooking and as a consequence did not take nearly enough photographs.  I promise to try harder next time!!

The recipe we used for the fish came from Jamie Oliver;  I’ve included a link to it here.  The salt mix contained lemon zest and fennel seeds, along with egg and a little water.  So here are the two seabream,  already stuffed with parsley and basil, on a bed of salt.  The fishmonger had gutted the fish for us, and explained that one of them had the roe inside, so he’d emptied them both via the gills instead of cutting the belly open.  Soon they were covered with the remaining salt mix and set aside while we prepared the rest of our feast.

Our tapas selection included some stuffed cherry bomb peppers, bought at the market, tomato toasts (slices of toasted french bread, rubbed with a garlic clove and half a tomato and drizzled with a tiny bit of olive oil), serrano ham, and baby squid.  Have you ever prepared squid?  Well, I hadn’t either!!  There’s a kind of hard, bone like plate inside the soft body, which needs to be removed and the tentacles need to be pulled off the body, which needed to be emptied and cleaned.  Messy work!  the “beak”, the squids mouth, needs to be cut off the tentacles along with the eyes.  Eventually I got them all done, and after rinsing the larger bodies were cut into pieces.  The squid were cooked very briefly with some olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and parsley.  There must have been some ink left as they turned black-ish (no, not burnt!!), and they did taste delicious.

For dessert there was key lime pie.  Well almost, as the limes came from Mexico instead of Florida, but that was good enough.  The recipe we used comes from this website.  We’d initially planned to make two different versions, one which was to be baked and the other which sets without baking.  In the end we made two different types of crust but only made one filling, which turned out to be more than enough.

Making the filling is very simple, the lime peel is grated into a bowl, the limes are then juiced and the condensed milk and creme fraiche mixed with the remaining ingredients – it does thicken magically as the recipe says!  Poured into the prepared crust and chilled for a couple of hours, then decorated.  We decided that the creme fraiche to decorate/serve would have been overkill.

Look at those beauties!!  They did taste every bit as good as they looked and we did eat them both!

Now back to the fish:  Jamie’s recipe says “Pre-heat the oven to full whack” and to cook the fish for 15 minutes.  I do like his ideas but I intensely dislike sloppy instructions like that – every oven is different and “full whack” just doesn’t do it for me.  The fish monger in the market hall had told us to cook the fish at 180 degrees for 40 – 45 minutes and that’s what we did.  It turned out absolutely perfect, juicy and tender.  I found that the fennel seeds and lemon zest in the salt mixture added no flavour whatsoever, so I would skip that next time.  Interestingly enough, the fact that we had left the fish to stand for about 45 minutes meant that the salt had had a chance to penetrate the flesh of the fish.

We did attempt Jamie’s recipe for aioli, which promptly split, despite following instructions.  So we started again using an egg yolk as the base and added the split mixture slowly, resulting in a very delicious aioli, which went very well with the fish.

We also opted to make a different salad to go with the fish, with endives and citrus fruit, to counterbalance the richness of fish and aioli.  All in all a wonderful meal, and everyone agreed that they would be happy to cook the fish in a salt crust again. Do give it a try, and let me know what you think!

And here is one last picture of the almond blossom for you…

Ingredients:

12 eggs, free range, organic

1/2 c. organic milk

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1/2 c. organic salsa (I used peach mango, but salsa verde or regular tomato salsa would work just as well!)

1 box whole wheat spaghetti noodles

6 large organically turnips

1/2 c. Almond milk

1/2 c coconut oil

8 pack of nitrite-free hotdogs

3 cups of organic catsup

3/4 cup capers

4 TBS Srhiracha sauce

Boil spaghetti noodles according to package directions.  As noodles are boiling, peel turnips and boil for 10 minutes.  Remove both from water and mash turnips with 1/2 c almond milk and 1/2 c coconut oil.  Set both aside.

Boil nitrite free hotdogs to make skin removable.  When dogs are boiled (~5 minutes) slide skin off hotdog and get that gross feeling all over.  Save skin.  For now, put the meat aside.  Take the skin, capers and catsup and liquify in Cuisinart.  Mix in with mashed turnips until well-blended.  Set aside.

Crack all 12 eggs and try not to touch your mouth.  Once they’re in the bowl, add the 1/2 c. of milk.  Beat with a whisk or a spoon, I guess, if you are too poor or too ignorant not to have whisk at home.  Set aside, continuously whisking.  Add in beet sauce.

While eggs are set aside being whisked by your hand, cut up hotdog into triangles, this is very important for taste and because if you choke, at least some air can still get down if there’s a pointy side.  Once hotdogs are cut, put eggs in the pan to fry.  Try to keep them in a perfect circle folding once, twice, three times, then four.  Remove the eggs in the shape of a tee-pee.  First, holding tee-pee on the spatula, put the mashed turnip/hotdog skin/catsup aioli on the plate.  Add the spaghetti noodles on top of this.  Finally place the tee-pee on top and staple down to make sure it does not slide off per building codes in your area.

Finally spray tee-pee with Srhiracha sauce, be careful, it might be hot.  If you have not bitten a hole out of the top of the tee-pee like most folks would automatically do (duh, if not, what is wrong with you?) do so now.  Pour bottle of salsa down hole.  Allow salsa to flow down the outsides of the egg-pee like a volcano.  Do not dice shallots.  Place full stalks over on their sides like ruined trees over the sides of your egg-tee-volcano-pee.

VOILA!!!  ENJOY!!  follow me @lifewithoutpb on twitter and read my blog at http://www.lifewithoutpeanutbutter.com for more great recipes like this!

Sorry there’s no picture, we ate it way too fast to get a shot.

My daughter suggested just making fries for lunch but I was saving the potatoes for my annual St.Patrick’s day calconnan dinner. Finally we both agreed that zucchini fries sounded like the best thing ever and if I made an old bay dip , it might just satisfy my fish & chips craving.

Not only  did this recipe satisfy my east coast food craving   but it was surprisingly like fish & chips, I mean it even kind of tastes like fish because of the old bay! This was so yummy and easy to make and the kiddo had a lot of fun helping and getting her hands messy. Next time I am making it for dinner so I can have a pint of beer too, I think then my craving will be truly satisfied.

What you need

• 3 C panko
• old bay
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 c flour
• 2 zucchini
• 1 lemon
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1/2 cup of olive oil/grape seed (or veggie oil of choice) mixed

How to make it

Aioli

• with a hand blender or in an electric mixer put 2 egg yolks and a tsp of mustard
• turn on mixer and whip up eggs for a few seconds
• slowly and the juice of half of your lemon
• slowly add the oil mixture until the aioli thickens
• put it into a bowl and mix  in 1 tbsp old bay with a spoon
• put into the fridge to cool until the fries are done

Zucchini fries

• cut zucchini into wedges
• put wedges into a bag with the flour  and a and let the kiddo shake it up until the zucchini is coated
• in a bowl whisk together 2 eggs
• in another bowl add panko & a bit of salt
• dip the zucchini  one by one into the egg then into the bowl of panko and coat
• put on a lightly oiled pan
• sprinkle the zucchini fries with old bay
• cook at 350 for about 20 minutes until the panko is crisp on the edges and a fork goes through the zucchini smoothly

Squeeze some lemon on the fries and serve!

The French Connection is my favorite. Brie Cheese, Sauteed Crimini Mushrooms with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Spinach & Tarragon Watercress Aioli. Peeking in from the upper left is the Fresh Mint & Lime Juice.

Tried and true. I always order at least one French Connection…

It was actually my first time trying the Napa Valley. White Cheddar, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Avocado, Napa Slaw & Terragon Watercress Aioli.

Their truffle fries are awesome. The sweet potato fries are worth a try too if truffle oil isn’t your thing.

Servings:4

Ingredients

Aioli

• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 3 1/2 tablespoons water
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 whole egg
• 2 1/2 cups soy oil
• 2 teaspoons salt

Fish

• 8 ounces white fish, sardines or any small baitfish will work
• 10 ounces all-purpose flour

Click here for full recipe.

This time my plane tickets read London, England and Dublin, Ireland.  My intent was to wreck it in London with my long lost best friends Stef and Joelle who are studying there this semester and then drink a good deal of beer in Dublin with my good friend Dan.  My plans changed a bit when I discovered that both London and Dublin are home to some of the worlds best pies, but not the normal fruit filled ones we are used to in the states.  These are savory pies.  They are filled with steaming hot tender beef, juicy chicken, flavorful game meats, and veggies galore.  These pies are nestled in a big pile of creamy mashed potatoes or mushy peas and smothered in some of the most delicious gravy I’ve ever encountered.  Wipe your mouth… you’re drooling.

Naturally I was on a quest for the best pie I could find.  I had three different pies during my 10 days abroad (I would have had more, but not everyone was as committed to the cause as I was).

I came across my first pie in London.  I had met up with Dan to explore Borough Market, a huge food market just over the Thames.  I just so happened to be pretty hungry and one of the first stands we happened upon was that of The PieMinister.  It was fate.  They had a long list of mouth-watering pies, but the one that really caught my eye was filled with sweet potatoes, garlicy spinach, and goat cheese set atop a mound of mashed potatoes and drenched in herb gravy.  Hello delicious, this baby was the perfect amount of sweet from the potatoes and savory from the garlic and gravy.

My next pie was also from London, but this time I found myself in Covent Gardens.  Stef and I had found a cute little pie shop and they had a deal on baby pies with mash and gravy.  This time I knew I wanted to try a meat pie since last time I went with veggie filled.  I settled on a lamb and rosemary pie with mash and red wine herb gravy.  The lamb was perfectly tender and such a good companion to the hints of rosemary in the filling.  The mashed potatoes were creamier than my pieminister potatoes, which was nice because there was plenty of texture already in the pie.  What really drove it home was the red wine in the gravy.

The last of my pies was eaten in Dublin at a little pie shop called The Pie Man.  They also had an extensive list of pies, but since I was in Dublin I felt it was only right to get the steak and Guinness pie with mash and gravy and some local Irish ale.  The steak and Guinness went so well together, but the steak was not quite as tender and flavorful as the lamb in my last pie.  This pie was definitely a solid choice, but not as fun as my last two pie encounters.  It lacked a real play on flavors that I was looking for.

London came out the clear winner in my pie-off knocking out my tastebuds with two amazing pies.  If I had to pick a favorite it would be the Pie Minister pie.  It was just the right size and loaded with veggies and creamy goat cheese.  I’m a sucker for veggies, but don’t get me wrong that lamb and rosemary pie wasn’t too far behind.  Speaking of rosemary, I have to pay a little respect to the best burger I’ve ever had in  all my existence.  I know that is an extreme statement, and I wouldn’t use it if it weren’t entirely true.

Now it’s not the prettiest of pictures, but it only to get the point across.  This perfectly cooked, fat and juicy burger was topped with caramelized onions, gruyere cheese, and a rosemary aioli that was more like a gravy I could have drank by itself.  It all sat atop lettuce and tomato and was nestled into a buttery brioche bun.  This was the perfect combination.  This was the perfect amount of sloppy, the perfect amount of sweet, and the perfect amount of savory.  This will be recreated as soon as I get back to the states.  This burger must not go unnoticed.

Thank you London: land of pies and epic burgers.

Gordon Ramsay, acclaimed Master Chef, has a well rounded array of accolades, from his restaurants spanning the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Italy, Qatar, Ireland, and France, to his numerous television shows including Kitchen Nightmares, Hell’s Kitchen, Master Chef, The F Word, and Ramsay Behind Bars. All of which I love to watch and they always have twists, turns, cooking tips, life lessons, anything and everything in and out of the kitchen.

So here we go with the food talk;

First up, the Bone Marrow Toast; a soft foccacia like bread topped with a mound of absolutely delicious, moist, tender, literally a melt in your mouth bone marrow. The delicious mix is somewhat sweet and salty, and not fatty at all! Some places make an attempt at anything with bone marrow, and just do not meet the simple or lowest standards. Not that bone marrow has low standards, but the easiest of the high standard creations. The Bone Marrow Toast @ The London is truly amazing; a magical experience in your mouth, I have never had bone marrow this good. The marrow is topped with an arugula salad and capers for the fresh veggie crunch and sharp flavors to counteract the sweet and saltiness. I wanted more so bad but had more food coming, next time have to order two dishes..maybe three! It is a light and flavorful dish, messy too, I recommend a knife and fork!

Next we have the Tai Snapper as an appetizer. I did not eat this one as it was my dad’s order, but trying it was a great choice. Flaky, tender, warm, snapper with the Tai twist in flavors. It was atop a bed of noodles and cranberry glaze brushed on the plate. On the side were roasted baby onions which had a great flavor, not overpowering with each bite of the fish!

My ordered appetizer were the Duck Fat Fries. These are unlike any other french fries I have ever eaten. Forget just normal steak fries, or garlic-parmesean fries, (though these would be great with garlic-parmesean flavors) these Duck Fat Fries are a story in their own. This was the first time I had heard of any restaurant frying in duck fat, so I just had to order them! They come cut as thick steak fries, in a bowl piled up and out like pikes. The side aioli is unneeded to improve the flavor, but is still great for dipping now and then. The fries are really different than what you would expect; not greasy at all! A perfect light golden color with a touch of beige from frying; a thin, extra crispy exterior, a different kind of crisp achieved from the duck fat. The snap of the outer part, then biting into the interior of the potato is not mushy or soggy, but fluffy and hot, it is a very airy french fry and you can not stop eating them!

My main entree was the Pork Belly with Scallop. This was a mixed dish, almost a surf & turf (& sky). On the side were noodles, not a big deal, but went well with the demiglaze around the dish. Atop the pork belly was a piece of chicharron, crispy, airy, not a big fan but this small piece was good. Next to it was a small clam to accompany the dish. To the one side was the scallop, famously tested by Chef Gordon Ramsay (if you watch Hell’s Kitchen, you know what I am talking about and how precise he is on it) I was so happy to finally try a scallop in Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant and it really was perfect. No fishy or bad taste like I have experienced in the past, the scallop was tender, and had the the fresh sea food flavor I enjoy! Atop the scallop was a fried Quail Egg; freshly fried of course, and a small bite of the yolk with a bite of scallop was a great combination; the gaminess of the quail egg with the sea food-flavor of the scallop was good. And finally, the star of this dish, the Pork Belly Slider! Not really a slider without the buns, but it had the same shape, with double the size of normal sliders. This was magnificent!! A thick, at least 4 inch thick piece of pork belly, so tender and juicy and melt in your mouth, just oh so delicious! Like the bone marrow being the best bone marrow, this was probably the best pork belly I have had. (Taking into consideration the difference between a fancy pork belly dish and a delicious pork belly slider from a food truck!) This pork belly was like fish, it just cut right through the piece and was flaky too. It did not have a fatty flavor or texture either, it literally had a bite, tasting close to bacon, then melted in your mouth and the full flavor of the glaze would surround your taste buds! A balsamic glaze layered over the pork belly for a sharp and sweet taste, complimenting the meat to perfection! This is a must try!

My dad’s entree was the Barramundi which came with an asparagus risotto and greens. At first the dish came out a bit raw, so we asked for it to be cooked more; instead they made an entirely new dish! Great on the customer service too! The fish had a crispy and flavorful skin, which not many places can accomplish or try to make. The fish was warm , flaky, tender, and crispy on top as well. Barramundi is a favorite of mine and my family’s, and we were impressed with the simplicity and deliciousness of it here! The asparagus risotto was something different and quite honestly, never thought about making or anyone else making. It was a beautiful green color with the distinct taste of asparagus and mushrooms were mixed in as well; of course, a place like this can’t fail on risotto and that they did not!

The last of the entrees is my mom’s Ginger Salmon. My mom loves salmon, and she loves ginger; so what a perfect combo! This was served on a very interesting plate; a rustic style plate, almost like an ancient bed for serving food. Perfect for the bright colors of the fish and veggies to stand out from the dark plate! The salmon was beautifully cooked, with a great firm texture, thick piece and a good flavor from the ginger and sauce. The skin was also crispy and great with each bite! The skin made the texture also better with a crispy crunch and then the smooth, juicy fish.

And the grand finale; for dessert we had the Pineapple Upside-Down Cake w/ Cherry Ice Cream. The cake was in the shape of a lemon bar, a thin piece with chunks of pineapple in a moist sweet cake, but not too sweet. It was topped with a thin slice of dried pineapple, and accompanied by a scoop of cherry ice cream, and dark cherries as well. The cherries were strong and fresh, and the cherry ice cream was sweet and tasted like it was freshly made at the restaurant! Cool, sweet pairing with the pineapple cake!

There you have it folks, my night at Gordon Ramsay’s The London in West Hollywood, CA. Hope you all enjoyed the review and enjoy your dinner if you get  chance to visit!

Are these healthy, probably not. Do I care, absolutely not! My diet is highly restrictive. Mostly because of food allergies and partially because of choice. I tend to shy away from eating junk simply because I do not like how it makes me feel. Today, however, I do not care and opted to make something fried, salty, and good.

Fried green tomatoes have been one of my favorite foods for as long as I can remember. My parents have always had a vegetable garden where they grow tomatoes, collards, peppers, squash, you name it. I’m not sure many of the tomatoes ever fully ripened on the vine because we would pick them while they were green to fry for weekend breakfast. I always hovered over my mom so I could eat them before the full batch was done. So eating fried green tomatoes has always been something I’ve associated with joy.

Today I found green tomatoes at the farmer’s market by chance. I’m in the lull of seasonal eating when you just can’t wait for the new season to start because you’re completely burnt out on what’s available now. I have had more than my fair share of apples and tangerines to last me until next season. Anyways I stumbled around the farmer’s market aimlessly grabbing my normal items and happened to glance at a vendor that had plump extra firm green tomatoes. Seeing these definitely turned my mood around. It was like “finally something new and exciting to buy!” Needless to say I bought a few and ran home to put together this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 Large Green Tomatoes
• 1 Cup Stone Ground Gluten Free Corn Flour
• Salt and Pepper
• Oil for pan frying (I used coconut oil)

Aioli (I have to be honest and say this is more like a vinaigrette):

• 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
• 1/2 Lime Juice
• 1 Tsp Chipotle Chili Sauce
• 1 Garlic Clove

Peel tomatoes and slice into circular pieces. Sprinkle salt and pepper liberally on each side. Add corn flour to a bowl, mix at least 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper into the flour. Dredge the tomato slices in the flour and making sure to coat them thoroughly.

In a skillet, heat oil on a medium to high heat. Once oil is hot remove tomatoes from flour making sure to shake off any excess into the bowl then place slices one by one into the oil. Try not to overcrowd tomatoes in skillet. Brown on each slide for about 3 minutes. Remove tomatoes from the skillet and place on a napkin to help drain the excess oil.

For the aioli/vinaigrette, add all contents to a mini blender or mini food processor and blend/process until smooth and well incorporated.

Serve tomatoes immediately as they do not store well. Plate and drizzle with aioli/vinaigrette. Enjoy!