Carprese Salad

My Bonnie lives over in Brooklyn

My Bonnie's more kayaks than me

My Bonnie growed yeller tomatoes

And loves smoked mootz from Joe's Dairy

Sushiego

Steve from Spartina posted about his sushi experience

in San Diego.  Lately, he's been providing more 

salivary visions than I have, and frankly, I'm somewhat

jealous.  His inside track on raw fish has made me realize 

that a half-mile trip up Federal City Road in the very near 

future is imminent, and my camera is mandatory luggage.

Hello? Yes.......I'd like to make a reservation.  Will you 

have Uni Friday night?  Great.  Seven o'clock, for two?

Red Meat and Red Wine

Sidetracked

I traveled to Philly in search of some Pho (Fuh),

but drove past Reading Terminal, wait......... huh?

I had a roast pork sandwich at Tommy Dinic's (Dinitch's),

who uses broccoli rabes instead of spinaches.

Knowing I was close to Siu Kee Duck House,

I bought 3 wings and 2 quails, (not 2 grouse).

The roasted fowl all hung in the window with care,

with hopes that Baydog soon would be there.

The aroma it encircled my head like a wreath,

and left grease on my fingers and a bone in my teeth.

No Vietnamese beef noodle soup this time down.

But it's only 35 minutes to Chinatown!

Tacos de Pescado

I'm a complete sucker for fish tacos.

Photo courtesy of Mitch Zeissler

Responsibility

There's been a distraction of sorts lately that's been preventing

me from spending any meaningful time doing what I've come to

really enjoy:  blogging.  It involves engaging my brain and tapping 

my experience and creative juices in order to justify a paycheck 

that I am once again depositing on Fridays.  This requirement 

severely reduces the countless free hours to which I had become 

quite accustomed. I log on much less frequently these days, and 

often feel as if the blogosphere is passing me by.  I know this 

happens to most folks at some point in their blogging lives, 

and I'd rather get this out of the way now and look forward to a 

more prolific presence in the near future.  

Presently, I survive vicariously through my friends' posts.

Luckily, they all continue to provide fresh, original content for me

to pore over at the end of the night, while eating my re-heated 

slices of Buffalo-Chicken pizza and garlic knots.  

This could certainly be the death of me.  I must be strong.

Pizza for Breakfast?

But of course!

What He Said

\

Clarified herb butter, Sous Vide Cote de Boeuf?  Holy............
When the meat was sliced, nothing bled out. It rested while being
submerged in the clarified butter.  When the meat rests, the juices
stop flowing, and then when the meat is cut, less juice flows out of it. 

Good Eats

Am I goin' to see my in-laws?

Spearmint, chives, oregano, thyme

Remember I'm the one who cooks food

Go sit down, your boy will be fine

Sabatino laid some heirloom arugula, spearmint, and oregano, 

grown from seeds brought from Italy, on us last night.

After reminding him that we weren't worthy, we promptly placed

the pots in our trunk and made for home.  Once there, a quick drink 

from the watering can kept the mint and oregano perky, but the 

extra-peppery arugula from the motherland needed some extra 

attention. I'm keeping a close eye on those plants.   

Grilled chicken breasts with Tino's (my niece's fiancee), sweet, 

rich, smoky barbecue sauce.  I promise I'll return his Tupperware!

What has become our favorite vegetable side dish:  Romaine, 

Radicchio, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Artichokes, Assorted cured 

Olives, Roasted Peppers, Fresh Mozzerella, Basil, Roasted Garlic,

Balsamic Vinegar and Olive Oil.

Problem:  (on the slate blackboard I had as a child and since 

then painted pink), divide e980 by 128, then erase the upper

half of the entire equation.

Solution.  I love you too.

Skirt Steak

Slice it with or across the grain,

the heavenly flavor remains the same.

Just ask Princeton University Water Polo players.

Jones'in for Bowens Island Oysters

Just thinking back to last October in Charleston.

The Expensivest Sandwich

I believe this photo illustrates the simplicity of the Lobster Roll.

What 4 basic ingredients are needed to make a true Lobster Roll?

Fish last Friday

Stockton Market in Stockton, New Jersey, on the Delaware.

  

Inside I found Metropolitan Seafood Company,

and came home with a few savories for dinner.

This is why I always save shrimp shells in my freezer.

This may be overkill, but sometimes you just have to go for it.

3 1/2 inch Cotuit oysters on the halfshell with uni from Maine

and wasabi.  Briny, creamy, pungent, and ultra-fresh.

The beginning of softshell season.  

I absolutely could not pass these up.

Freshly shucked Maine diver scallops, seared and served

on top of roasted fingerlings, and asparagus from New Egypt.

That shrimp stock was reduced and mounted with some 

whole butter.  It's nice that the back patio herbs are here again.

Great Day, Great Dinner

Tuna Tataki.  And a third of it was already gone.  Huge portion.

The freshest salmon seared with chili powder, then served with

a chile/citrus juice and chopped scallions and chiles on top.

Olivia slayed the Dragon Roll and went California Dreamin'.

It's so nice to be appreciated and recognized by your local

favorite restaurant for being a good customer.  Unagi (eel)

in the foreground, then two spoons of ultra-fresh Uni

(sea urchin roe),  King Salmon sushi,  Tri-Me roll (fried oyster,

mango, avocado and shiso inside, then Tuna, Salmon, and

Yellowtail on the outside).  Last but not least, an overstuffed

spicy tuna roll.  If these guys ever close their doors, we're selling 

the house and moving to where they set up shop next.  

Now's the Time

At 1.69 a pound, we'll be having the 'royal vegetable' often this

time of year.  Boiled for 3-4 minutes in well-salted water,

all this needs is a little olive oil and lemon juice and you're good

to go.  Since the chives have been pushing up as well, chop

some and sprinkle on top.  And keep a clothespin next to the toilet.

"I stick to asparagus which still seems to inspire gentle thought."

-Charles Lamb, British essayist, in "Grace before meat"

I love asparagus with lamb.

A&P

Arugula and Prosciutto pizza with ricotta, mozzarella, onions, 

and basil underneath.  And nothing for dessert.

The Pie's the Limit

Time to empty out the fridge and make some pizza. 

Kansas and Connecticut.  Sounds like a Final Four match-up.

 These had oysters, spinach, cob-smoked bacon, and basil.

Earlier, I had grilled some vegetables so we wouldn't feel so damn

guilty just eating decadent pizza for dinner.  I'll be picking at this for

days to come.  Monday and maybe Tuesday.  Then it will be gone.

Mommy doesn't care for the fancy toppings, so mushrooms and 

basil are more than sufficient.  A nice tea towel helped to curb the 

heat.  Eventually we'll put it away before it gets too frayed.

By now you've realized that I don't give a damn about the shape

of the pie itself.  I've done extensive research on that subject in

particular, and I can confidently report that the shape has absolutely

nothing to do with how it tastes. 

Liv's pie had chicken-apple sausage and fried red potato slices.

And it was damn good, too.  We love you Hannah, but you had

to get back to school before we had dinner.  We'll do it again.

Not Kosher

Bay scallops and roasted pork tenderloin with Shanghai tips,

snow peas, and baby corn.  The sauce was ShaoXing wine,

Three Crabs fish sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil.  Sweet

sticky rice was underneath and some chile-garlic paste made it hot.

Open refrigerator material.

Olympic Village, Amsterdam 2028

There will be late-night snack venues located

throughout the Olympic Village in Amsterdam, 

the projected host to the 2028 Fall Olympics.  

The I.O.C. Foodservices Division have been

hard at work developing menus that will be

implemented during this 28 gra...I mean 28 day

event.  This item has been tested and re-tested 

and has passed with flying colors.  A crisp disc of

 Pancetta slices with sliced tomatoes and grated 

Parmesan, and then a whole egg cracked over the top 

and cooked under a lid until opaque.  And oh yeah, a 

few leftover potstickers thrown in the pan to re-brown. 

All of the 5 basic food groups:  Pork, Pork, Tomatoes,

Cheese, and Eggs.  And Dumpling Wrappers too.

I would classify it as Pan-Itasian.

  

These venues will be open 24 hours a day,

in anticipation of hordes of hungry athletes.  Some 

of the disciplines for which to be competed include:

Hacky-Sack, Ultimate Frisbee, Hacky-Fris 

(a kind of Biathlon), Horseshoes, Darts (baseball rules),

Quoits (Trenton rules), Wine Tasting,  Standard Laser,

Laser Radial, Laser Mini Rig (throwback),

Beer Bong, Beer Pong (impossible tickets),

Flip Cup, Sing-a-long with the Acoustic Guitar 

Dude on the Quad, and many more.  New to

the games in 2028 will be Quarter Bounce, although

this time it will be considered an exhibition sport

(medals to be awarded in 2033).  Stay tuned for updates.

The U.S. Ambassador to the 2028 Amsterdam Olympics.

Sushigan

Thanks to my Sunfish sailing buddy from Michigan,

here's the latest sushi platter enjoyed by TG and family:

  

Unagi roll – BBQ river eel, cucumber, and avocado

Salmon on the beach (2 rolls) – avocado, crab meat, 

cream cheese with baked salmon, and sweet cream sauce

Philadelphia roll – smoked salmon and cream cheese on a California roll 

Tamago – rolled egg with rice

Thanks, M2F.  Now my stomach's growling.

Recipe Schmecipe

Giardiniera.  More or less equal parts water and white vinegar, then 

more or less equal parts salt and sugar, although less than the liquid 

amounts. You gotta taste it constantly.  A couple of bay leaves, some 

black peppercorns, some whole cloves.  Cut the cauliflower into equal

sized florets and slice some carrots and celery.  Put all the vegetables

in the pot of pickling liquid, making sure it's all covered.  If not, add

 water until it is.  Some recipes have you boiling the pickling liquid 

separately, and blanching the vegetables in another pot.  Let's wash

one less pot and still end up with a great product, shall we?  Bring

the pot to a boil, cover it, turn off the heat, and let it sit to steep.

And if you do it outside on the gas grill, the house won't smell like

a pickle factory.  According to my wife, not me.

When the pot is cooler to the touch, spoon out the vegetables into

an old jar, then pour the liquid in until full.  Twist on cap and...done.

It must be refrigerated; you can't set it on the shelf of the root cellar.

Don't worry.  This stuff won't last too long.  You'll be standing in front

of the open fridge door in your underwear, eating this stuff straight

out of the jar at 2 in the morning.  I guarantee.

Simple and Good

Another simple but good dinner.  Pot Roast with Hoisin, Red Wine,

Leeks, and Mushrooms.  Plopped on a bed of default Quinoa, and

Brussels Sprouts with Baby Carrots on the side.  Much Spanish wine

and Prosecco accompanied the dinner.  A multi-cultural affair.

Protege

I'm proud to see one of my fellow blogmeisters cooking his heart

out and posting a photo of the dish.  And the fact that he's a 

sailblogger makes it even more special.  Salmon with fresh dill,

quinoa (my favorite) with carrots, celery, and sliced almonds, and

sauteed zucchini and yellow squash, with butter and grated 

parmesan.  Hey, that looks like my kitchen table!

Eye Heart My Wife

And I cooked some of her absolute most favorite food.  We typically

don't go out for dinner on Valentine's Day.  It stems from my having

to work that night for the past 30+ years.  I swore if I ever was off,

we'd spend the night at home, and I'd spend half the money and make

something twice as good.  Seared sea scallops with asparagus,

leeks, and fingerling potatoes enveloped in cream, dill, and lemon.

I did some sesame-crusted seared tuna, sliced and served with 

wasabi and soy to start.  Oh, and a scoop of Guacamole on the 

side.  The tuna could've been a little more rare, but it was super 

fresh and tender so no big deal. There's tuna leftover for my 

wife's lunch tomorrow, as well as scallops and the vegetable 

melange. Co-workers will be craning over to inquire.

On The Lamb

A couple weeks ago I was in Manhattan to pick up a book I 

had ordered from St. Mark's Bookstore in the East Village.

  Knowing that a mere 2 blocks away was a little noodle shop

 I'd seen on several foodie shows, my visit had 2 objectives:  

pick up the Joe Beef cookbook, and have this spicy cumin lamb 

that has been occupying my thoughts ever since seeing weird

 Mo Rocca featuring it on the Cooking Channel. 

Xian Famous Foods is the place, where among other things, 

you can have a salad made of Lamb's face. They had me at 

salad of Lamb's face. I like it when the entire menu is in photos

 on the wall.  I'd love to know what animal part will make up an

order of L2.  Under the menu were all kinds of 'rules' signage,

about not placing orders until your entire party is present, 

not sitting down until your entire party has ordered, no eating

until your entire party has sat down (joke), etc.  There is 

seating for 12, with three small square deuces and a 

groaning board along the wall for 6 underneath the menu.   

At one point, I was the only non-Chinese person

in the place - usually a good sign.  So there was a stretch

where I didn't hear a word of English, and it almost sounded

like the woman behind the counter was reprimanding the other

customers.  When my food was ready, I got up, grabbed my

tray, and sat back down.  These other folks were up and down 

at her beckoning, going back and forth with different plates and

utensils, expressionless and not saying a word.  They must just know

 the right way to order.  I was happy not to have to get up again.

I went with the spicy cumin lamb burger that I'd heard so much 

about.  It was everything I imagined:  tender shredded lamb with a

cumin-chile type sauce, served on a soft but crunchy-on-the-outside

bun.  Bourdain loved it and so did I.  The spicy cumin lamb soup

with hand-ripped noodles was good, but could have contained more

meat.  The broth was amazing (I'm a broth fiend), and the spice level 

was right on, but the noodles were kind of doughy, like any fresh

pasta I have ever attempted to make.  It was well worth the walk,

however, and I'll go again with lamb treasures soup (yep), and spicy

tingly lamb face salad on my mind.