Today was a good day for food.
Our first stop today was at Lina's Italian Market (2202 Centre St NE). We love Lina's but don't go there much since we moved to suburbia. We loaded up on supplies like cheeses, Italian bread crumbs, saffron, and risotto. We also got some goat cheese flavored with star anise and pepper, some serano ham, and some pastries we did not care for at all. But if you don't try, you never know.
Then we went downtown to Chinatown. We went to the Golden Dragon Bakery for some ham and green onion buns, to Can Fung Market (215 1 St SE) for dried noodles, curry sauce, wonton wrappers and fried onions. And a stop at Chuen May Food (227 1 St SE) for some frozen dim sum - pork spring rolls, chicken dumplings, and crab claws stuffed with crab, prawns and pork.
We were in a bit of a hurry, since all these stores are a long way from home. But when we were at Chuen May, Scott noticed a Vietnamese Sub shop next door that had a line up out the door. And the line just kept getting longer! Neither of us had ever had a Vietnamese sub before, and it looked like we wouldn't today either, as we had no time to wait. But on our way to our last stop, we came across Trung Nguyen Vietnamese Submarine (#10-132 3 Ave SE), a very cute and teeny shop. We decided to split a sub before heading home. Scott grabbed one of the 3 tables, and I ordered a Satay Chicken sub and a root beer from the very charming man running the register. After confirming with me twice that I did not have a peanut allergy, he asked me if I wanted my sub "loaded" with carrot, cilantro, cucumber, hot peppers and onions. Sounded good to me! The tab for the sub and pop? $5.50! After a less than 5 minute wait, our sub was brought to our table. After our host re-arranged our purchases, and made sure that we had no peanut allergy (why would someone with a peanut allergy order satay in the first place?), we were left alone to eat what was probably the BEST sub I have ever had in my life. The bread was crusty and warm, the chicken was tender and coated in a spicy satay sauce. The addition of the carrot, onion, cuke, and hot peppers was SO good. We wolfed that sub down in no time flat, and it was not a small sub. As you should always do when you have an amazing meal, we made sure to thank the (husband/wife? co-workers?) before leaving and tell them how great the food was.
Sometimes it's nice to get a reminder that great food does not need to be fancy or expensive to be wonderful.
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Lobster dinner
This was Scott's lobster dinner at Joe's Crab Shack in San Francisco. Doesn't it look good?
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
Recent meals
I made a potato, onion and mushroom gratin from one of Martha's cookbook, except that we had no mushrooms. So it was just a potato and onion gratin. It could have been great; it is a lower calorie/fat version of a gratin as it has no milk or cream or butter. But I made a mistake. The recipe calls for thyme. Scott and I have recently decided that we don't care that much for thyme. But instead of just easing up on the thyme, I eased up on all the seasonings, leaving it quite bland. But I'll make it again for sure.
We had Black Bean Chili from Delia's webiste the other night. I have never cooked chili in the oven before, or made chile with steak. I've always used ground beef. This was pretty good, but Scott didn't think it tasted very chili like. More like a tomato based stew. But it's true, it doesn't have the usual chili spices in it, like, CHILI POWDER!
Another meal we had was from Nigella's book Forever Summer, a butterflied lemon and rosemary chicken. We cut the backbone out of the chicken and marinated it overnight with onion, olive oil, lemons and rosemary. Then we roasted it and ate it with roasted blue potatos and brussel sprouts. It was pretty good, although the chicken was not as lemon-y as I expected from an overnight marinade.
When the weather warms up some more, I am going to cook a butterflied chicken on the bbq. Did anyone see the episode of Cook Like a Chef on Food Network when the chef deboned the chicken but left it whole and intact?
Tonight I made Sunday Night Chicken Noodle from Nigella Lawsons website as well as one of her cookbooks. Eh. It NEEDED something. Maybe some ginger, or hot sauce, or something. I think I'll make it again, but there will be changes made. Also, I used big fat noodles; next time I'll use a skinnier type.
We had Black Bean Chili from Delia's webiste the other night. I have never cooked chili in the oven before, or made chile with steak. I've always used ground beef. This was pretty good, but Scott didn't think it tasted very chili like. More like a tomato based stew. But it's true, it doesn't have the usual chili spices in it, like, CHILI POWDER!
Another meal we had was from Nigella's book Forever Summer, a butterflied lemon and rosemary chicken. We cut the backbone out of the chicken and marinated it overnight with onion, olive oil, lemons and rosemary. Then we roasted it and ate it with roasted blue potatos and brussel sprouts. It was pretty good, although the chicken was not as lemon-y as I expected from an overnight marinade.
When the weather warms up some more, I am going to cook a butterflied chicken on the bbq. Did anyone see the episode of Cook Like a Chef on Food Network when the chef deboned the chicken but left it whole and intact?
Tonight I made Sunday Night Chicken Noodle from Nigella Lawsons website as well as one of her cookbooks. Eh. It NEEDED something. Maybe some ginger, or hot sauce, or something. I think I'll make it again, but there will be changes made. Also, I used big fat noodles; next time I'll use a skinnier type.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Bouchon cookbook
I have the best husband ever. I got this amazing cookbook for Christmas. I am spoiled!
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Buendnerfleisch
Is the very red meat at the bottom of the plate. For those of you (like me) who have never had it before, it is air-dried beef. And it is good.
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Hoisin Pork
From Bobby Flay.
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 Tb rice wine vinegar
2 Tb soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 to 2 lb pork tenderloin.
Mix all ingrediants together except pork. Slice pork into medallions and pound thin with mallet. Marinate pork 4 hours to overnight. Cook on a griddle pan or on a bbq.
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 Tb rice wine vinegar
2 Tb soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 to 2 lb pork tenderloin.
Mix all ingrediants together except pork. Slice pork into medallions and pound thin with mallet. Marinate pork 4 hours to overnight. Cook on a griddle pan or on a bbq.
Monday, January 03, 2005
The story of Christmas
Well, apart from the cold that my mom gave me and Scott, we had a great time. We were all thoroughly spoiled.
Did the crab cakes for dinner on Christmas Eve, along with some fresh Malpeque oysters for Scott and my dad. My parents brought some pate and a really good mango chipolte sauce. We put the sauce on pita crisps with some cream cheese.
Christmas morning, we had the breakfast rolls with fruit and yogurt.
Lunch we had snacks - more pita crisps, pate, antipasto, pepper jelly and cream cheese on crackers, and some really great sausage from Granville Island Market in Vancouver.
Dinner, we had turkey with all the trimmings. One problem - NO FRESH BRUSSEL SPROUTS! I went to all the stores in our area on Christmas Eve, and they were all out. We had frozen ones, but they were awful. Tortuga cake for dessert.
Boxing day breakfast- bagels and cream cheese, and used our new toaster.
Lunch - see lunch from yesterday, with the addition of some wild boar sausage that Spud got in his stocking from Granville.
Dinner - Tenderloin steaks (cooked on the new BBQ, which is mighty fine) with potatos, chop salad, and carrots. The last of the rum cake for dessert.
The next day - toast and fruit for breakfast.
Lunch - homemade french onion soup with brandy and toasted baguette.
Dinner - Hoisin Pork tenderloin (I'll post the recipe later) with asparagus and more chop salad. No dessert as we went out looking at Christmas lights and didn't get home until 8.
Nothing super after that until the New Year. We stayed home on new years eve. I was too sick to eat (ha!), but Scott had a feast of mussels steamed in beer, garlic and hot chiles. We had the chateaubriand (that we were supposed to have on the 31st) with bernaise sauce and potatos on the 2nd when I felt better.
Now that all the fun is over, it's time to give the bank account a rest, and clean out the pantry of all the chips, chocolate and the like. It's a new start.
Did the crab cakes for dinner on Christmas Eve, along with some fresh Malpeque oysters for Scott and my dad. My parents brought some pate and a really good mango chipolte sauce. We put the sauce on pita crisps with some cream cheese.
Christmas morning, we had the breakfast rolls with fruit and yogurt.
Lunch we had snacks - more pita crisps, pate, antipasto, pepper jelly and cream cheese on crackers, and some really great sausage from Granville Island Market in Vancouver.
Dinner, we had turkey with all the trimmings. One problem - NO FRESH BRUSSEL SPROUTS! I went to all the stores in our area on Christmas Eve, and they were all out. We had frozen ones, but they were awful. Tortuga cake for dessert.
Boxing day breakfast- bagels and cream cheese, and used our new toaster.
Lunch - see lunch from yesterday, with the addition of some wild boar sausage that Spud got in his stocking from Granville.
Dinner - Tenderloin steaks (cooked on the new BBQ, which is mighty fine) with potatos, chop salad, and carrots. The last of the rum cake for dessert.
The next day - toast and fruit for breakfast.
Lunch - homemade french onion soup with brandy and toasted baguette.
Dinner - Hoisin Pork tenderloin (I'll post the recipe later) with asparagus and more chop salad. No dessert as we went out looking at Christmas lights and didn't get home until 8.
Nothing super after that until the New Year. We stayed home on new years eve. I was too sick to eat (ha!), but Scott had a feast of mussels steamed in beer, garlic and hot chiles. We had the chateaubriand (that we were supposed to have on the 31st) with bernaise sauce and potatos on the 2nd when I felt better.
Now that all the fun is over, it's time to give the bank account a rest, and clean out the pantry of all the chips, chocolate and the like. It's a new start.
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