Thursday, December 23, 2004

HOLIDAY BISCOTTI WITH CRANBERRIES AND PISTACHIOSThe pleasingly chewy biscotti are coated on one end with white chocolate. In our test kitchen, imported white chocolate, such as Perugina or Lindt, yielded the best results. click photo to enlarge
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder3/4 teaspoon salt6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature3/4 cup sugar2 large eggs1 tablespoon grated lemon peel1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract1 teaspoon whole aniseed1 cup dried sweetened cranberries3/4 cup shelled natural unsalted pistachios
6 ounces imported white chocolate, chopped
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift first 3 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl to blend well. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in lemon peel, vanilla, and aniseed. Beat in flour mixture just until blended. Stir in cranberries and pistachios (dough will be sticky). Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Gather dough together; divide in half. Roll each half into 15-inch-long log (about 1 1/4 inches wide). Carefully transfer logs to 1 prepared baking sheet, spacing 3 inches apart.
Bake logs until almost firm to touch but still pale, about 28 minutes. Cool logs on baking sheet 10 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.
Carefully transfer logs still on parchment to cutting board. Using serrated knife and gentle sawing motion, cut logs crosswise into generous 1/2-inch-thick slices. Place slices, 1 cut side down, on remaining 2 prepared sheets. Bake until firm and pale golden, about 9 minutes per side. Transfer cookies to racks and cool.
Line another baking sheet with waxed paper. Stir white chocolate in top of double boiler over barely simmering water just until smooth. Remove from over water. Dip 1 end of each cookie into melted chocolate, tilting pan if necessary; shake off excess chocolate. Place cookies on prepared sheet. Chill until chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes. (Can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight between sheets of waxed paper at room temperature.)Makes about 3 1/2 dozen.
Bon Appétit
December 2003

Friday, December 17, 2004

Candied Grapefruit Peels
Greens "The Savory Way" Cookbook

3 grapefruits (preferably organic)
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups water
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
Additional superfine sugar for coating

Juice or eat the grapefruits. Cover the peels in cold water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 25 minutes. Cool. Scrape out the pith with a teaspoon and cut the peels into strips.

Combine the sugar, water, and corn syrup in a 2-quart non-corroding saucepan and bring to a boil. When the syrup is clear, add the peels, lower the heat, and cook till they are translucent, about an hour.

Set a cake rack over a baking sheet. Remove the peels, a few at a time, and spread them out on the rack. If you're using them for cooking, allow them to stand until dry and then put them in a covered container and refrigerate.

If they will be used for candy, put the superfine sugar in a dish, let the peels drain for a minute on the rack, then lightly toss them in the sugar (chopsticks work well for this). Set them on a clean rack. If you're reusing the sugar, sieve it between batches to remove the lumps from the syrup.

Allow the sugared peels to sit for an hour or so, until somewhat dry, then put them in a covered container and store on a shelf (several weeks) or in the fridge (several months).

For orange or lemon peel, use 5 or 6 thick-skinned oranges or 6 large lemons and treat them as above--they make take less time than the grapefruit.

For chocolate-covered fruit peels, let the rinds drain till fairly dry and not too sticky, then dip in melted bittersweet or semisweet chocolate instead of sugar. For 2 cups candied peels:
5 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
2 tsp unsalted butter

Put the chocolate and butter together in a heavy saucepan or double boiler and gradually melt over low heat. Stir to combine. Dip stuff in it.


Friday, November 26, 2004

http://www.frissonsf.com/

I'd like to try this place.

Monday, October 11, 2004

DISASTROUS PESTO

Last time I tried to make it, I spent half an hour trying to scrape the whole leaves away from the sides of the blender with a wooden spoon, so this time I decided to take the trouble to get the food processor set up.

First I discovered I had no more Parmesan cheese (after picking 4 cups of basil from the plants in the front and carefully separating leaf from stem). Oh well, it can be added later.

I put the leaves and pine nuts into the bowl of the food processor and press "pulse." Because of the dumb-ass design of the food processor, leaves start shooting out of the chute at the top (I lost the extra piece you need to block shit from flying out of the container. Too many extraneous pieces on the food processor to keep track of...)

I have some kind of flat plastic thing that fits on top of the blade stem. I figured that might work to keep things from flying out. I put it on, and then discovered that the food processor bowl no longer wanted to lock in place, no matter how hard I pushed on it. Rahul helped me get it locked.

Chewed-up bits of leaves started spewing out of the food processor again; on top of that, I couldn't pour olive oil down the feed tube anymore because there was a flat plastic thing blocking the feed tube.

I opened it again, removed the plastic piece, and got Rahul to help me lock it back in place.

Finally I was able to get the olive oil into the pesto. It turned into a lovely, smooth, creamy green sauce in seconds.

I patted the sauce into an ice cube tray and headed to the freezer.

When I opened the freezer door, a gallon bottle of water that had been precariously balanced on top of the fridge immediately fell down and burst open, pouring water all over the floor and my feet.

The mop was sitting on the bare dirt outside in the side yard, so I ended up soaking up the water with a towel rather than washing the mop as a preliminary to cleaning up the kitchen.

What a way to spend 10:00 on a Sunday night. I'll feel good about it later when I'm enjoying the nice summery pesto, I guess.

4 cups basil leaves
2/3 cup almonds and pine nuts
2 cloves elephant garlic
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt

Tuesday, August 24, 2004

After Rahul and I went for a bike ride to the Peralta Community Garden and back,

I cooked up some polenta:
3 cups water
1 cup polenta
1/2 tsp salt
1 chicken bouillon cube (I figure it's OK as long as I'm just using it up)

I spread it on waxed paper in a baking dish and let it cool in the fridge. In the meantime, I turned my tomato soup into sauce:

Sliced up a couple handfuls of fresh button mushrooms.
Browned them in olive oil.
Threw them into the soup with a handful of dried oregano.
Added a handful of fresh basil leaves, minced with the mezzaluna.

Then I sliced the polenta into squares and fried it in butter and oil, poured sauce over the top, added some sprinkles of vegan mozzarella, and melted the "cheese" in the microwave.

I ate some delicious black seedless grapes for dessert.

Monday, August 23, 2004

USA Today takes Marcella Hazan to Olive Garden
http://www.usatoday.com/money/mds048.htm

Wednesday, August 18, 2004

YUMMY heirloom tomato soup:
3 lbs. heirloom tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
Salt
Pepper

Saute the onion in a saucepan till soft.
Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 25 minutes.
Puree.
Add salt and pepper.
Eat.

I also made pesto, which I haven't tried yet:
2 cups basil leaves (I added stems and flowers... trimming the basil plants back)
1 tsp minced garlic
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Blend.

I stirred in a bit of lemon juice--it doesn't seem to have helped; the pesto seems brown today. No salt yet.

Friday, July 23, 2004

my pimp name is "Master Fly Chye Loco" according to http://playerappreciate.com/pimphandle.asp

Tuesday, June 15, 2004

Fried portobellini (coated in egg and breadcrumbs) with garlic salt and pepper, with ketchup. More soup.

I bought Red Shell miso salad dressing and Rahul says it's the same as the restaurant kind. I haven't tried it yet.

Monday, June 14, 2004

Fava bean puree again with garlic pita chips.

Soup: browned onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, added rainbow chard stems from the garden, then added 8 cups water, all my remaining lentils, some dried peas I accidentally made from fresh shelling peas, 2 peeled, diced potatoes, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and then the chopped-up chard leaves towards the end.

Thursday, June 10, 2004

Bookclub food:
Fava bean puree crostini: fava beans from the garden, thyme from the garden, mint from the neighbors' garden, fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper, a little dab of minced garlic, some extra virgin olive oil, a small splash of seasoned rice vinegar, all blended together with the stick blender and eaten on slices of bread.

Asparagus risotto with lemon zest and lemon juice and thyme and basil from the yard and butter and Parmesan, with an onion and celery base.

Carrots and celery that ended up on the floor and were washed and eaten with hummus.

Dulce de leche mousse cake.

Baked potato chips and Doritos and Chips Ahoy.

Lots of Shiraz.

Monday, June 07, 2004

From our company Intranet site. I LOVE the Ranch cookies--big and soft and chewy and full of chocolate chips...

Such Things as Dreams are Made Of:
Macaroons & Chocolate Chip Cookies
May 26, 2004

By Stephen Simmons



Photo by Tina Mills
(click on image for an enlarged photo.)
It seems that everyone loves the Ranch cookies. And lately we’ve had a lot of great comments on two cookie recipes in particular, the coconut macaroons and the chocolate chip cookies. Here we’ll provide instructions to make them in smaller batches than we normally would for all of the Cookie Monsters at Big Rock and Skywalker Ranch. The size of the individual cookies depends on you. But please try to remember to bake the cookies before you eat them…as difficult as that may be. Each recipe makes about 18–24 cookies.


Coconut Macaroons

5 cups flaked coconut
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1-½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
½ cup currants (optional)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl mix the coconut, milk and the extracts.
Add the currants at this point if you like.

Spoon out consistent portions onto a greased baking sheet. You may use a teaspoon or tablespoon or small ice cream scoop for portioning.

Bake the cookies 8–10 minutes or until they are just browning on the edges.
Remove them and let them sit for a while before eating.



Chocolate Chip Cookies

½ cup granulated sugar
2 cups light brown sugar
1 ½ cups butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
2-tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
16 ounces chocolate chips


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside.
In a mixer, cream the butter and both kinds of sugar together. Add the vanilla and the eggs one at a time until incorporated. Next add the flour mixture and chips.

Remove from the mixer and place in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough for at least an hour. Scoop out the dough with a small scoop or spoon and place on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake the cookies 9–11 minutes. For chewier cookies bake 7–9 minutes. For crunchier cookies bake 10–12 minutes.

As a side note: After the dough has been chilled, you can roll it into a log approximately 1 ½–2 inches thick, wrap it in plastic wrap, and store it in the freezer. Remove from the freezer, let it sit out for about 10 minutes, and then cut it as thick as you want…or just eat it raw if you simply can’t help yourself.

Enjoy!
Friday night, before going to Troy and watching Brad Pitt jump around in a tunic, I made this:
Eggplant Parmesan-type stuff:
fried eggplant and Yukon Gold potato slices layered with vegan mozzarella in between layers, tomato sauce made with canned tomatoes and a fresh red Anaheim pepper and basil and Italian parsley from the garden, and sprinkled with capers and toasted pine nuts.

Sunday I went to a barbecue at my parents' (Mom and stepdad's) house.
Mom made 2 kinds of cherry pie: a baked pie with cherries suspended in a custard filling, and a no-bake pie with sour cream/cream cheese filling and cherry topping, both in graham cracker crusts. She also made miso-crusted wild king salmon and described a lovely dish with fresh peas, chopped water chestnuts, chopped shiitake mushrooms, and omelet pieces.
I made portobello mushroom caps marinated in lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, fresh rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper, and cooked on the grill; the lemon and rosemary were from the yard.
Also brochettes of summer squash, zucchini, onion, and shrimp, marinated in a mixture of fresh orange juice and lemon juice, soy sauce, maple syrup, garlic, salt, and pepper.
CHT made his famous chicken wings: a vinegar and soy marinade brushed with maple syrup at the last minute.
And we grilled corn and ate that as well, and had some fresh Acme sweet rolls and ciabatta. It was very nice.

Tuesday, June 01, 2004

Friday:
Hung out with Molly, who was in town for her grandma's 90th birthday, and had latkes at Saul's with her parents.

Saturday:
Saw _The Day After Tomorrow_. Shaved the piggies. Dad and Patty came by. Went to Red Lobster and ordered coconut fried shrimp; Rahul had the Admiral's Feast. A very friendly Midwestern waitress who kept calling us "my friend." GW couldn't make it cause his roommate's cat got out.

Sunday:
Rahul and I went to Carnaval but missed Sarah. Bought a coat in the Mission for $5--Banana Republic microfiber trench. Went to the Ferry Building and couldn't find Christy. Ate an egg and red pepper sandwich with harissa at Lulu Petite, along with homemade rosemary potato chips. Baker came over and played Viewtiful Joe with Kyle. I made corn chowder from John Thorne's recipe (4 ears white corn, simmer scraped cobs in 3 cups salted water for 20 minutes, saute an onion, fish out the cobs and add the onion and corn kernels and 2 cups milk and simmer for 5 minutes, season with red pepper and black pepper and salt); Rahul thickened it with cornstarch.

Monday:
I made rosemary onion home fries for breakfast, and had some coffee. We had a BBQ for Kyle's birthday. Sarah, Jeni, Christy, Baker, and Christy's friend Mike all came over. We had carrots and celery, hummus, tortilla chips with bean dip, Morningstar Farms Grillers Prime with lettuce and tomatoes and mustard and mayonnaise and ketchup and grilled red onions, beer, "beer brats" (Tofurky sausages), zucchini, corn, cheesecake, and tea.

Friday, May 28, 2004

This has nothing to do with food, but I'm still repeatedly suddenly sad about Thom Gunn passing away.

Monday, May 24, 2004

Tartine: baguettes and butter and strawberry jam.

Watermelon salad: cubes of watermelon with feta, mint from Ernestina's garden, and cilantro.

Quiche: Rosemary pie crust made with minced rosemary from the neighbor's garden, sauteed onions, beet greens and arugula with thyme, salt, and pepper, 2 eggs and 1/2 cup milk and smoked gouda cubes tossed in with it. Brought this to Erin's BBQ party--a bit too much veggie in proportion to the custard, but still good.

Quiche scraps: rosemary pie dough scraps sprinkled with Parmesan and baked till brown and crunchy

Friday, May 21, 2004

ended up being:
Herb salad mix w/Newman's Italian dressing, sunflower seeds, and 1/2 avocado, diced
1 can Black Beluga lentils with tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, curry, cumin, chopped Swiss chard from the garden
Whole wheat couscous
Roasted beet, carrot, onion, and fennel salad with thyme, dressed with blood orange juice and olive oil
Strawberry-rhubarb sauce with blood orange zest and sugar (ate this later with vanilla frozen yogurt)

Tuesday, May 18, 2004

Lentil salad (or soup?) with tomatoes, carrots, celery, beet greens or chard, thyme, orzo?

Roasted beet, pine nut, and feta salad, dressed with blood orange juice

Green salad with seared marinated tuna (lemon and garlic) and avocado

Cooked rhubarb and strawberry with Meyer lemon and blood orange zest, with yogurt

Monday, May 17, 2004

After I got back from Italy, I went to the garden--now overflowing with fava beans--and picked a large metal mixing bowl full of them. Shelled them, blanched them, peeled off the tough outer skin of the beans; sauteed them with thyme, Italian parsley, and a red spring onion from the garden.

At Molly's house in LA we had a few meals of the following:
Black bean chili
Avocados
Raw corn, grated carrot, and sweet onion salad with lime juice and cilantro
Pico de gallo (tomatoes, onions, cilantro)
Plain yogurt
Tortilla chips

Friday, April 23, 2004

We ate at Rivoli last night.

It was warm out; I wore my olive green sueded button-down shirt over the black lycra-blend skirt, black microfiber knee socks and my black sneakers, the rose quartz dangly earrings, and my black leather jacket.

Rahul, after a lot of silly deliberation with his navy and brown sport coats over blue jeans, ended up just wearing a nice light blue dress shirt tucked into his jeans with the braided brown leather belt, and the black leather jacket over it.

Seated with a not-quite-satisfying view of the garden--I could see (well-lit) ferns and camellias and white African violets that made me think of Jen's Secretary's Day flower arrangement from Uncle George, curved around the rounded stone patio, with some big tree--fig maybe--arching overhead. Cats wandered around--Rahul saw a black one, but I could only see a long-haired tortoiseshell cat cleaning itself in the middle of the patio. The table next to us had a birthday; the waiter sprinkled metallic "Happy Birthday" confetti over the table, and I kept sneaking glances at her big bouquet of candy-striped tulips laid on the chair--white with thick pink stripes, probably two dozen of them.

The bread was OK--the crust was too chewy and thick for my taste, although the inside was nice and wheaty--the whole served with a little dish of butter and a little dish of kosher or sea salt.

We started with some really delicious portabella mushroom fritters--meaty and juicy and thick inside (just big slices of the cap) covered in a crunchy, salty batter, with capers and shaved parmesan scattered on top, on a little bed of dressed arugula, and lemon aioli to dip it in.

Rahul had mushroom, ricotta and chard cannelloni with roast pepper vinaigrette, fonduta, roast shiitake mushrooms and fried sage. I tried a bite--wasn't that impressed; the texture of the filling was dissatisfying to me, too chunky, with too strong & wild a vegetable taste from the chard. It was pale, almost flabby-looking, with a white sauce (the fonduta) on top and the red pepper puree underneath. The shiitakes just sat on top of the cannelloni.

I had grilled Gulf shrimp with white corn pudding, oven roast tomato, snap pea and cucumber ragout , shrimp butter and basil aïoli. It was really good. The ragout was a little weird--didn't quite seem to go with the rest; the whole thing was served together, which I hadn't expected--a sea of shrimp butter and aioli (pale yellow with green commas and pools here and there) with a few saggy cherry tomatoes scattered around with tiny discs of cucumber and little julienned pieces of peapod, the corn pudding on top in a big molded mound, and the grilled shrimp scattered on top and around it--a little smaller and drier than I would have liked, but delicious nonetheless. The corn pudding was amazingly good (Rahul didn't like it that much, though, although he loved the sauce)--yellowy and browned from the oven around the top edges, but creamy and rich and light and eggy inside, with a strong sweet corn taste and kernels (but no distracting kernel husks) well-mixed into the pudding.

I wanted the buttermilk and Meyer lemon panna cotta with strawberries and whipped cream for dessert, but they were out of it, so we went without and just went home, where we had a harrowing evening clipping guinea pig nails.

Thursday, April 22, 2004

Other leftover dishes:
Veggie omelet
Veggie pizza
(both of which were made with some combination of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, purple potatoes, green, yellow, and orange bell peppers, mushrooms, green and yellow summer squash, olives, and broccoli)
Pasta with tuna, summer squash, olives, broccoli
Last night's dinner: pasta with cauliflower, almonds, summer squash, sardines, tomatoes, garlic, currants, fresh basil and italian parsley, red pepper, freshly ground black pepper. Also, oddly, some enoki mushrooms I bought for the party but didn't open.

Yesterday for lunch at Big Rock: A phyllo triangle stuffed with walnuts, caramelized onions, brie, and pears. Side of braised red Swiss chard. A grilled polenta square.

Monday, April 19, 2004

http://www.evite.com/huanhuachye@yahoo.com/playwithyourfood

attendees:
me
rahul
kyle
atsushi
debra
pei
jameel
jeni
sarah
alan
debbie
jason
dawn
jennifer
andrew
mike
bryan
christy
chris
billy
hiromi
john
mari
rick
fernando

Monday, April 05, 2004

Yum, yum, yum--simple risotto:
Soffritto (1 onion, 4 smallish carrots, 2 sticks celery), a generous teaspoonful or two of chopped garlic, Arborio, veggie stock, 1 container halved yellow cherry tomatoes, ~1 cup frozen peas, dried basil, salt, pepper, and ~3/4 cup shredded mozzarella stirred in at the end.

Thursday, March 04, 2004

Wednesday, March 03, 2004

Greens/Deborah Madison's black bean chili < fritolay > 03/01 13:08:43

Part one:

2 c black turtle beans, soaked overnight
1 bay leaf
4 tsp cumin seeds
4 tsp dried oregano leaves
4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 chili negro or ancho chili, for chili powder, or 2 to 3 tbsp chili powder
3 tbsp corn or peanut oil
3 medium yellow onions, diced into 1/4 inch squares
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 lbs rip or canned tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped; juice reserved
1 to 2 tsp chopped chilpotle chili
about 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
4 tbsp cilantro, chopped

sort through the beans and remove any small stones. Rinse them well, cover them genrously with water, and let them soak overnight. Next day, drain the beans cover them with fresh water by a couple of inches, and bring them to a boil with the bay leaf. Lower the heat and let the beans simmer while you prepaere the rest of the ingredients.

heat a small heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, and when they begin to color, add the oregano leaves, shaking the pan frequently so the herbs don't scorch. As soon as the fragrance is strong and robust, remove the pan from the heat and add the paprika and the cayenne. Give everything a quick stir; then remove from the pan--the paprika and the cayenne only need a few seconds to toast. Grind in a mortar or a spice mill to make a coarse powder.

Preheat the oven to 375. To make the chili powder, put the dried chili in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes to dry it out. Cool it briefly; then remove th stem, seeds, and veins. Tear the pod into small pieces and grind it into a powder in a blender or spice mill.(con't next)
Heat the oil in a large skillet, and saute the onions over medium heat until they soften. Add the garlic, salt and the ground herbs and chili powder, and cook another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, their juice, and about 1 tsp of the chilpotle chili. simmer everything together for 15 minutes; then add this mixture to the beans, and if necessary, enough water so the beans are covered by at least 1 inch. Continue cooking te beans slowly until they are soft, an hour or longer, or pressure cook them for 30 minutes at 15 pounds' pressure. Keep an eye on the water level and add more, if needed, to keep the beans amply covered.

When the beans are cooked, tastethem, and add more chilpotle chili if desired. Season to taste with the vinegar, additional salt if needed, and the chopped cilantro.

Prepare the garnishes [I like just jack cheese myself]:

1/2 to 3/4 cup muenster cheese, grated

green chilies: 2 poblano or Anaheim, roasted, peeled and diced, or 2 oz canned green chilies, rensed well and diced

1/2 c creme fraiche or sour cream

6 sprigs of cilantro

If using fresh green chilies, roast them over a flame until they are evenly charred. Let them steam 10 minutes in a bowl covered with a dish; then scrape off the skins, discard the seeds, and dice.

Serve the chili ladled over a large spoonful of grated cheese, and garnish it with the creme fraiche or sour creen, the green chilies, and asprig of fresh cilantro.
----------------

Here's one I adapted from The Whole Chile Pepper < data_snoop > 03/01 12:05:12

Book by Dave DeWitt and Nancy Gerlach.

Once I served this at a party, and people had to be told it was veggie chile.

Casi-Style Chili

Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients
4 Jalepeno chilies stems & deveined, halved
4 tb Chili powder
1 tb Paprika
2 lb Beef chuck [substitute 2 pkgs Yves Veggie Ground Round]
1 md Onion, chopped
2 tb Kidney suet; chopped [substitute vegetable oil ]
8 oz Tomato sauce
12 oz Beer [essential!! use a decent dark beer like Negra Modelo]
2 c Beef stock [substitute veggie bullion or mild-flavored veggie stock]
3 ts Cumin, ground
2 ts Garlic powder [substitute 3-4 cloves minced fresh garlic]
1 ts Pepper, black
1/4 c Masa harina (finely ground maize flour) [can be omitted w/o a problem]


Instructions 1. Brown the veggie ground round and onions in oil or fat.

2. Add the tomato sauce, beer, stock, chilies, cumin, garlic, black pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the Chili Powder. Simmer the chili over a low heat for 2 hours until the meat is tender.

3. To thicken, make a thin paste of the masa and water. Quickly stir this into the chili -- if done too slowly it will lump.

4. Add the remaining Chili Powder and Paprika. Simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Remove the Jalepenos and serve.

I have also made this subbing a mix of NM/Anaheim chile paste (from the Santa Cruz Chili [sic] & Spice Company] and chipotle puree for the chile powder.
-----
This one is a favorite of mine < disco45 > 03/01 13:59:13

It is from epicurious.com - Their recipe uses whole cumin seeds - I changed it to 1 TB ground cumin for time saver and I always use sweet maui onions. The ingredients don't sound too impressive but this chili has received rave reviews from friends and family - and some can't even believe it's veggie.

Serve chopped green onion, sour cream and grated cheddar on top.

BLACK BEAN, YELLOW PEPPER, AND CUMIN CHILI

6 tablespoons olive oil
1 12-ounce onion, coarsely chopped (about 3 cups)
1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chilies
3 15-ounce cans black beans, well drained
2 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes with roasted garlic
2 cups vegetable broth

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and cumin; sauté until onion is soft and golden, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add chipotle chilies and stir 30 seconds. Add black beans, diced tomatoes with juices, and vegetable broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer uncovered until liquid is reduced by half, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer 2 cups chili to processor. Blend to coarse paste; return to pot. Simmer chili to thicken, if desired. Season chili to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated. Rewarm over medium-low heat before serving.)

Makes 6 servings.

Tuesday, February 24, 2004

http://forums.craigslist.org/?ID=12195716
http://www.dafiore.com
http://forums.craigslist.org/?ID=12623885

Thursday, January 29, 2004

I think this comes pretty close. < Maithx > 01/29 13:19:34

3/4 cup red miso
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons water, hot
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Combine the miso and sugar first, then whisk in the other ingredients

Wednesday, January 28, 2004

http://www.fatduck.co.uk/menu.html

Really bizarre stuff, just like El Bulli:
Designed to maximise the Fat Duck dining experience. This menu - consisting of a series of small courses
(plus a few hidden extras) - is intended to be taken by the whole table

NITRO-GREEN TEA AND LIME MOUSSE
OYSTER AND PASSION FRUIT JELLY, LAVENDER POMMERY GRAIN MUSTARD ICE CREAM, RED CABBAGE GASPACHO
QUAIL JELLY, PEA PUREE, CREAM OF LANGOUSTINE

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SNAIL PORRIDGE
Jabugo ham

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ROAST FOIE GRAS
Almond, cherry, chamomile

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SARDINE ON TOAST SORBET
Ballotine of mackerel

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SALMON POACHED WITH LIQUORICE
Chicory, "Manni" olive oil

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SWEETBREAD COOKED IN A SALT CRUST WITH HAY Crusted with pollen, cockles a la plancha
and parsnip purée

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MRS MARSHALL'S MARGARET CORNET

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MANGO AND D0UGLAS FIR PUREE
Bavarois of lychee and mango, blackcurrant sorbet, Blackcurrant and green peppercorn jelly

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SMOKED BACON AND EGG ICE CREAM
Tomato jam, tea jelly

Monday, January 26, 2004

Wine tasting and tour at Rudd Winery (Oakville).

2000 RUDD RUSSIAN RIVER CHARDONNAY
"BACIGALUPI VINEYARD"

The Bacigalupi Vineyard is located on benchland along Westside Road within the fog belt of the Russian River Valley. The 2000 vintage of this vineyard designate Chardonnay Rudd's second release made from blocks 1,3, and 5 planted on the Wente clone in 1966. These same vines were the source of the legendary 1973 Chateau Montelena that won the Paris Tasting in 1976. The vines are low yielding, producing fruit of intensely focused yet elegant flavors.

Harvest 2000 began on September 9 and was completed over a 4-day period. This vintage exhibits fruit forward aromatics and a wonderful minerality, balanced with a long, elegant mid-palate with a persistent savoriness in the finish that only mature vines can produce. Once harvested, the grapes were gently whole-cluster pressed, then gravity-fed to French oak barrels in Rudd's underground caves. Native yeasts were allowed to induce both the primary and malolactic fermentations. Weekly stirring of the lees occurred until the secondary fermentation was complete, then the wine was stirred monthly for the remainder of time in barrel. After 22 months of barrel aging, the wine was racked to tank, settled and minimally fined before being bottled unfiltered in early June 2002.
Blend: 100% Chardonnay
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Appellation: Russian River Valley
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Fermentation: Native yeast and natural malolactic
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Aging: 22 months in French oak; 70% new
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Cases produced: 970
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Suggested retail price: $50

2001 RUDD NAPA VALLEY SAUVIGNON BLANC

The 2001 Sauvignon Blanc, produced from vineyard sources in Oakville, Rutherford, and Calistoga exhibits the richness and classic varietal flavor that has become the hallmark of Rudd's approach to Sauvignon Blanc. The blending of these three fruit sources resulted in a complex integration of subtle tropical fruits with herbal undertones framed by crisp, refreshing citrus nuances.

Harvest 2001 began on August 23 and was completed over a seven-day period, beginning with the Rutherford fruit, followed by Oakville and ending with the Calistoga vineyard on August 30. Once harvested, the grapes were gently whole-cluster pressed, then gravity-fed to French oak barrels in Rudd's underground caves. Native yeasts were allowed to induce fermentation. This primary fermentation was completed in a combination of fourth-use French oak and stainless steel barrels with no subsequent malolactic fermentation. The wine was stirred and topped monthly for eight months, then racked, fined and bottled without filtration in June 2002.
Blend: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
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Appellation: Napa Valley
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Fermentation: Native yeast / no malolactic
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Aging: 8 months in a combination of neutral French oak and stainless steel barrels
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Cases produced: 2700
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Suggested retail price: $28

2000 RUDD OAKVILLE ESTATE PROPRIETARY RED

The 2000 Rudd Oakville Estate is the first vintage from our newly replanted vineyard at the corner of Oakville Crossroad and Silverado Trail. Our vineyard is planted on rocky, red volcanic soils at the foot of the Vaca Mountains. We planted the vineyard to 4 X 4 spacing using low vigor rootstock to encourage the vines to produce smaller, highly concentrated fruit. The 2000 was made primarily from Clone 337 Cabernet Sauvignon, a highly regarded Bordeaux clone that successfully expressed this unique Oakville terroir.

Harvest 2000 followed ideally mild summer temperatures, allowing for extended hang time that produced mature tannins in all three varietals. As a result, the wine exhibits powerful ripe tannins balanced by a seamless mid-palate, concentrated dark fruit flavors and complex aromatics. After eighteen months of barrel aging, the wine was bottled without fining or filtration in early June 2002.
Blend: 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit Verdot
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Appellation: Oakville
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Fermentation: Native yeast and natural malolactic
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Aging: 18 months in French oak; 83% new
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Cases produced: 1200
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Release Date: Fall 2003
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Suggested retail price: $100

and a Petit Syrah/Zinfandel blend, but I couldn't find the wine on their website.

We ate 8 dishes:
1) Cold cuts (smoked fish, jellyfish, pork, vegetarian goose, etc.)
2) Fried chicken
3) Steamed fish with preserved vegetables--full of tiny bones
4) Pig knuckles with tofu skins and hair vegetables
5) Sweet and sour beef with onions
6) Soy sauce braised pork (with fat)
7) Chinese greens with mushrooms and abalone
8) Stuffed tofu skins with veggies

White rice,
Chicken soup with vegetables,

and for dessert,
Aunt Peggy's walnut soup with tapioca balls:
Shell and blanch walnuts, then peel off the papery skins.
Deep-fry the walnut meats.
Puree in a blender with some skim milk and raw rice, for about 30 minutes.
Heat on stove.

Produces a thick, creamy, nutty, sweet, light tan-colored soup.

Thursday, January 22, 2004

In my experience instant mixes < amateur_pro > 01/22 07:18:02

do not work very well. It is a long process, but the dough keeps in tne refrigerator for about a week. Here is a recipe that works for me. It is ok to halve the recipe.

Long grain rice - 3.5 cup
Uncle Ben's rice - .5 cup
Urad dal - 1 cup

Soak rice and dal separately for 3-4 hours (even overnight). Blend smoothly (I use an osterizer blender). The blended dough should have the consistency of sour cream. Blend urad dal (available in Indian grocery stores) the same way. Mix blended rice and dal together well, and keep in a warm place overnight. I usually keep it in the oven with the light turned on. The dough has to slightly ferment.

Potato masala:
Boil fingerling potatoes and mash coarsely (leave some big chunks). Heat oil, fry mustard seeds and saute sliced onions, green chiles and ginger. Add turmeric and potatoes. Add curry leaves (optional). Add mashed potatoes and mix well. Heat well and add chopped coriander leaves.

Make dosa on a hot griddle. Pour 1/2 cup of dough and using a ladle make a thin crepe. A little tricky, but practise makes perfect! Add a tsp. of oil or ghee. when it looks cooked turn over. Keep the potato mixture on to one side of the dosa and fold over. Serve with coconut chutney.

If you want to try instant mix, MTR products are better than most.


Ate at Foreign Cinema last night for the SF Dine About Town program. It's in the Mission. We ate inside, by the fireplace and a group of Japanese Mafia types instead of outside under the plastic tent and the huge projected movie playing on the back wall.

Wheat and white bread (the white was better). Not as crusty and delicious as at Buckeye's, but still very good.

Appetizers:
Fromage d'Affinois with potatoes, roasted garlic puree, and bay leaf--a delicious heap of melted cheese (with a rind, somewhat Brie-like) with a few potatoes and about a teaspoon of roasted garlic. It was good, but I wished there was a bit more balance between cheese and potatoes.
Grilled squid with harissa, cilantro, and toasted almonds--a tiny portion. The squid was grilled to just the right meaty consistency, not tough at all. The combination of flavors was nice and interesting, although the harissa seemed more like a romesco, not the fiery paste Patty remembered from Libya.
Chicory salad with apples, walnuts, and blue cheese dressing--unexceptional, but good. A mixture of somewhat large pieces of purple endive and icebergy, flat chicory.


Entrees:
Curried chicken with bacon vinaigrette--by far the most generous portion, almost too much meat. It was moist and tender, but didn't taste much like curry. It was served with what looked like tiny wilted bits of romaine lettuce and a thin bed of mashed potatoes.
Roasted duck breast--rich little slices of moist duck meat rimmed in fat and intense, herb-crusted skin. Served on a bed of polenta. The sauce had unidentifiable little brown bits in it--looked like raisins but crumbled more like those brown bits inside a roasted chicken. Served with a little bruschetta toast with something brown on it (liver?) It was in some kind of wine sauce, I think.
Salmon with butternut squash puree--the salmon was cooked to the perfect degree, but unexceptional. The squash was delicious, probably from large amounts of butter. The salmon was dressed with a green sauce on one side--looked like pureed peas with little bits of onion in it, but I don't know what it really was.

Desserts:
Grapefruit and blood orange granitas--Dad couldn't have much of the grapefruit because it reacts with his medications, but the grapefruit granita was the better of the two, very intense and clean-tasting. The granita kept hitting my crown and making me jump from the cold. Ours had the grapefruit piled on top of the blood orange in a martini glass, but a much prettier one at another table had them side by side, so you could see the contrast between the deep red and the pale orange.
Ginger cake with orange and caramel sauce--Good, though I was very full by this time and couldn't eat much. Reminded me of Sarah's lebkuchen.
Cannoli--disappointing. The cannoli was tiny and bland--the ricotta was like wallpaper paste, the candied fruits were colorless and flavorless instead of sparkling and sharp and sweet.

We also had a glass of nice red wine--Cabernet-Syrah blend or something.

Patty recommended a Searidge Merlot to me from the Chron's top 100 wines list--$3, she said. I'll have to try it.

Raise the Red Lantern was playing on the screen outside, in washed-out colors.

Monday, January 19, 2004

Black beans and corn

Mince 1 white onion and saute in olive oil till translucent. Mix in a teaspoon of minced garlic or 2 cloves of fresh minced garlic in the pan, saute.

Cut up and add one fresh tomato.

Add one can of corn and one can of black beans (organic).

Season with paprika, cumin, oregano, salt.

Mince one green chile pepper and add it. Add the zest of one orange and the juice of one lemon.

Add one or two tablespoons minced cilantro at the end of the cooking time.

I ate a ladleful of this this on a whole-grain sprouted tortilla (Ezekiel 4:9 tortillas from Trader Joe's) with some mozzarella melted on top, 1/2 avocado, diced, and some TJ's Brown Rice Medley (cooked with chicken-flavored ghee from my Chicken in Milk--contains brown rice, daikon seeds, and black barley).

Yum!

Friday, January 16, 2004

Mango curry salad

2 ripe mangoes, diced
1 avocado, diced, minus one slice
3 green onions
1/2 fresh jalapeno, minced
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup slivered almonds

Curry vinaigrette:
1 clove garlic
1 tsp salt
Juice of 1 lime
Juice of 1 lemon
5 Tbsp olive oil
1 slice avocado, mashed
2 tsp curry powder

Mix the salad ingredients. Mash the garlic with the salt and then whisk in the citrus juice, olive oil, and avocado (for a creamy texture) and the curry powder. Dress the salad ingredients with the vinaigrette.
turkey empanadas
> I used the basic pie crust recipe from the Joy of
> Cooking. I don't remember everything from the
> filling, but an approximate recipe would be:
> - Chopped cooked turkey meat
> - A handful of currants, soaked in hot water till soft
> and drained
> - Chili pepper
> - Unsweetened cocoa powder
> - Cinnamon
> - Oregano
> - Salt and pepper

Monday, January 12, 2004

Stuff tofu with peanut sauce and deep-fry!

Thursday, January 08, 2004

We cooked the 23-pound turkey a few days ago. We brined it. Rahul said it looked like Rush Limbaugh sitting in the bathtub. Dad and Patty came over and we ate cranberry sauce and stuffing in addition to the turkey with its nice browned skin. Then we had chocolate. Yum! Then Rahul decided he was going to stop eating poultry, so now the burden to finish the meat is on me and Kyle.