Entries from October 2007
Remember that salmon that almost set my house on fire? Of course you do… it’s right below.
Well, anyway, I just realized I got the recipe from Prevention magazine.
Hey, I’m as surprised as you are. One of the best pieces of fish I’ve ever prepared and it’s from that magazine you read at the doctor’s office? You never know.
Incidentally, I found this recipe using Google, which is probably the biggest cookbook in the world. All you have to do is throw together a couple of ingredients in the search bar and it brings up a ton of great options.
This one was the first response to “salmon + ginger.” Mmmmmmmm, Google.
Categories: Recipes
Tagged: fire, ginger, google, prevention magazine
When I buy fish at the supermarket, I usually get two kinds: tilapia and salmon. This is not because those are my two favorite fish. This is because those are the two cheapest fish that I like and won’t fall apart on me - yeah, I’m looking your way, flounder.
Anyway, I actually really like tilapia and salmon, especially when prepared right. The problem is, while I definitely make edible fish, I can’t quite get the quality up to the same level as my other recipes.
Quick recap: I made both fish in the oven, even though I can safely say that I like pan-frying tilapia a lot more. When I baked it, I used a butter-based bath and a panko breadcrumbs. It was very tasty, but somehow too plain. I also can’t get those panko crumbs to really crisp up. In my third attempt with them, it still didn’t get that “crusted” texture I was going for.
The salmon, despite being a disaster for the household, was an unmitigated success. I don’t think I’ve ever made salmon that good and I credit it to two things: fresh ginger and the broiler.
Despite putting up with the incessant squawking of the fire alarm for 10 minutes, the broiler helped make some of the most tender fish I’ve ever tasted. Ginger, in my first time using the ingredient, proved to be a good alternative to my usual flavors, and really complemented the salmon.
I think I’ve found my Excalibur of salmon recipes.
Categories: Cooking
Tagged: fish, salmon, tilapia
The “Vegetarian” part of the title is a bit misleading. It’s not like there’s hundreds of unique, vegetarian dishes to wow your palette here.
It’s a falafel place, nothing more. Granted, they make some mean falafel, but just because you also offer roasted eggplant and potato pancakes does not mean your food-shack is anything more than a falafel shack.
Regardless of the name issues, the food is really good. You can either get sandwiches, made in fresh-baked pitas, or contribute to global warming with a styrofoam platter. Honestly, both methods have the same stuff - hummus, veggies (including tomatoes, cabbage and cucumbers), sauce and your choice of main dish - but there’s more of everything in the platter.
Two complaints:
1. The other day, the falafel balls were a bit too crispy.
2. There’s this one guy that’s given me the spicy sauce twice, even though I’ve turned it down twice. You can say he’s busy and not paying attention, but he probably just hates me.
Categories: Philadelphia · Restaurants
Tagged: falafel, hummmus, mama's vegetarian, pita
This is a food mill. Hypnotic, isn’t it?
Categories: Tools of the trade
Tagged: food mill, tomato sauce
See, I told you: five ingredients. Unless you want to count salt & pepper separately, but that’s just silly.
Anyway, the key to tomato sauce (”marinara” is something different in my book, even though most places and companies confuse the term) are the tomatoes. While that may be obvious, using canned tomatoes may not be.
Fresher is not always better, especially when it comes to tomatoes. Preparing fresh tomatoes to use in sauce takes an awful long time, a lot of work, and even then, will usually not come together as well as the canned kind.
I have a picture of Rosa tomatoes here, but you can use any kind, as long they’re Italian. I know, it’s snobby, but the Italian ones really are the best.
The tomatoes are usually packed in puree, and should come with basil. Make sure they do not have tomato paste (Death to tomato paste!) or are Italian style (meaning they are probably from New Jersey, not Italy: actually two different places, as opposed to what cable TV leads you to believe).
On a side note, my friend Lou maintains that the onions are dispensable, Sicilian addition. I can’t bring myself to try it another way.
Categories: Recipes - Observations
Tagged: food mill, Italian tomatoes, tomato sauce
Ingredients
- 1 32 oz. can Italian plum tomatoes (with basil leaf)
- 1 medium onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt & pepper
Directions
Chop onion and saute slowly in olive oil. Halfway through, add sliced garlic. Cook onion and garlic until soft, but not browned.
Meanwhile, empty tomatoes into a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer.
When onions and garlic are done, add them to the tomatoes and position a food mill over the now-emptied saucepan. Put tomato mixture through food mill and strain through.
Cook slowly for 15 minutes to an hour, depending on your taste. During last few minutes, add salt and pepper.
Read my observations.
Categories: Recipes
Tagged: food mill, garlic, olive oil, onion, tomato sauce
Qdoba Mexican Grill. What exactly does that mean?
Somehow, I don’t think many Mexicans have high-tech grills where they prepare pounds and pounds of chicken and steak every day.
Also, most of the food prepared at this burrito factory doesn’t even involve a grill. They steam the tortillas, press the quesadillas, mix the pico de gallo and warm the beans.
I guess it’s a marketing thing.
While I’ve graduated to shredded beef and shredded pork burrito, I occasionally return to the good ol’ grilled chicken, like I did today at lunch.
I usually eat these things for dinner and now I know there’s a good reason: they give you less stuffing at lunch. My burrito was definitely a little smaller, a little lighter than usual.
Now, I know the stretchability of these tortillas: they could probably wrap a rotisserie chicken in one. So, I behoove you Qdoba lunch manager, is it too much to ask for your dinner portions at lunch?
Categories: Products
Tagged: chicken burrito, mexican grill, qdoba, tortillas
You ever eat at some place the first time and it’s great? And yet, the next few times don’t quite live up to that first magic moment?
This was my third time eating at Pietro’s, which is not far from where I live. I’m a big brick-oven advocate, which is what attracted me here in the first place. Unfortunately, unlike Bertucci’s (one of my favorite chain restaurants of all time), Pietro’s just can’t keep things consistent.
Today, I went out with a few co-workers for a lunch celebration. We had salad and pizza, and both were meh. The salad, while good, did not have enough dressing and certainly not enough shrimp. The pizza was decent but the sauce strikes me as too thin and over-spiced. And instead of splashes of sauce and cheese, it was covered with both.
Of course, the first time we hit this place, it was fantastic. Go figure.
Categories: Restaurants
Tagged: bertucci's, pietro's coal oven pizza, salad
I know this might be considered heresy to some of you big-time bakers, but the most addictive chocolate chip cookies ever created are from Costco.
I try to convince myself that I buy them only for the big plastic case they come in… but that’s just a cover. They consume my every thought and I can’t help but consume them in return.
Categories: Products
Tagged: chocolate chip cookies, costco, crack, drugs
Went up to visit the ‘rents this weekend in Yonkers (NY). Here’s what I ate:
Bagel with Cream Cheese
It’s New York. Bagels practically grow on trees. The folks only had one left in the fridge and it was an “everything” - not my favorite, but a good start for the weekend.
Leftover Lasagna
Mom usually doesn’t make this Garfield favorite, but when she does, it’s oh-so-good. Truthfully, it could have used a splash more sauce, but you can’t argue with six layers of pasta, ricotta and mozzarella. No meat allowed.
Fish Tacos
After helping a friend move into his new apartment in White Plains, we hit the Cheesecake Factory (which is now only a few blocks from him). Like most people, I have a ‘usual’ CF meal - Crusted Chicken Romano. It was hella late, so I tried something less filling. The fish tacos were pretty good: too much cabbage, but the fish was cooked perfectly. Very California.
Maple Mini Wheats
This was the only cereal in the house and I was definitely psyched to try them as I’m a big mini wheats fan. The new flavor was ok, but not really good enough to switch from the usual.
Cobb Salad
My folks wanted to show me the Yonkers waterfront, which is being developed into a yuppy heaven. There’s already a fancy place called CXO (or something like that), but we decided to go to the pub next door. We got a great table overlooking the Hudson River and my dad and I both ordered the grilled chicken cobb salads. Pretty standard setup - lots of grilled chicken, hardboiled eggs, blue cheese, bacon, avocado, tomatoes. The only disappointment was the iceberg lettuce underneath. I also removed about half a pig’s worth of bacon.
Categories: Roundups
Tagged: cereal, cobb salad, lasagna, mini wheats, new york
