Updates & Events

Today's post was going to be a recap of my olympic distance tri.  Hurricane Irene had other ideas, and Sunday's race was cancelled.  Boo.  Moving on.

A few small updates in case you hadn't already noticed:

• Tri to Cook now has a facebook page!!  It's still in its infancy, but show me the love and like me :)   Come say hi and let's chat about recipes you've tried, what's cooking in your kitchen, or recipes you'd like to see me make!
• You can also subscribe to Tri to Cook by email (see the box in the right sidebar), getting new posts directly in your inbox so you don't miss a thing!
• There are also now sharing buttons now at the bottom of each post, so you can tweet/email/share your favorite recipe with...  the rest of the world ;)

Some upcoming events for Boston-area folk...

Want to support the Breast Cancer Fund and meet some new folks on a fun run/walk?  You can do both Sept 8th in Cambridge Common, 6:30pm with the Boston LUNA Chix!!  Check it out and register here.

Think your pickles/preserves/baked goods reign supreme?  Put them to the test at the Urban Ag Fair Sept 18 in Harvard Square!  More info on the fair and how to enter the contest, click here.  You have until Sept 8th to submit an entry from!! 

Unidentified Flying Objects and Pianofortes

Unfortunately, all the YooEffOh enthusiasts are wrong. No way would aliens smart enough to fly here actually make the trip, and here's why: FM radio. All those thousands of radio stations are blasting a wall of sound into space, a kind of Force Field of FM. NEW 105, ROCK94.4, YOURBESTOFTHEEIGHTIES 101.5 have been sending an electromagnetic shock wave into the rest of the universe for decades.



If we can barely stand it, what do you think the Little Green Women in flying saucers will think?



One horrific consequence of spending a lot of time driving is exposure to the idiocy of FM music stations. Hells Teeth, listening should come with a Government Health Warning, like cigarettes:



Caution: More than three hours per week exposure to FM music stations will cause your brain to mushify and leak out of your ears.



In my considered analysis, a big part of the problem is that the music on FM is all AT ONE VOLUME - LOUD. The reason is that most people are listening, like me, in the car, with all the associated noise competition. Radio stations know this. Then the ads play, and they're at VOLUME 11 so the message gets through. Ah, no. I don't want to lease a new Chevy Malibu at an all-time low price, thank-you. For the fifty-seventh time.



So one naturally hungers for music more in tune with one's soul. Music is meant to speak to the emotions, and emotion implies ups and downs - in strictly musical terms, piano through forte, soft through loud. Classical music (by which I mean everything from Baroque through mid-century Big-Bands) fits the bill. The nuance of volume changes opens a door to somewhere in our heads that standard FM music cannot.



If I were an alien, I'd be repulsed by mono-volume music and intrigued by vari-volume music. Life (and relationships) can't be lived at full-throttle all the time, so finding a tune (or a person) fitting the spectrum of emotions that fit mine is the thing.







Bottoms Up, Turn it up to Eleveners.

Tomato Corn Pie (CSA Week 10)

With the appearance of native beefsteak tomatoes and corn in my CSA, I knew exactly what was going to be on my menu this week...  tomato corn pie!

This recipe has been on my radar for awhile, and I'm glad I finally got around to making it.  Frankly I don't know what took me so long ;)  Combining two of summer's best with a biscuit crust, this is certainly a winner.  

Tomato Corn Pie
adpated from Gourmet
Serves 4-6

The lemon "mayo" (I swapped greek yogurt for most of the mayo) was a delightful surprise, although I'm going to suggest you put it in between layers instead of on top of all of the tomato and corn.  Even after draining the tomato slices a bit my pie was still juicy when I cut into it, just pour off the liquid if this happens to you.

For the biscuit crust:
2c white whole wheat flour
1T baking powder
3/4t salt
6T cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes
1/4c greek yogurt whisked with 1/2c milk (or 3/4c buttermilk)

For the filling:
1/3c greek yogurt
2T olive oil mayo
zest and juice of 1/2 lemon (could double this if you have it)
1 3/4lb beefsteak tomatoes, peeled* and sliced crosswise 1/4" thick and drained on paper towels
corn kernals from 3 ears (~1 1/2c)
3 scallions, sliced (~1/2c)
2-3T thinly sliced basil
salt & freshly grated black pepper
5oz grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 400deg.

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients for the crust (flour through salt).  Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or your fingers), until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.  Add milk, stirring just until a dough forms.  Gather into a ball and divide dough in half.

Roll out each half of the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper to a size that's bigger than your pie plate.  With one circle, remove one sheet of parchment, invert into pie plate.  Use your fingers to pat the crust into the plate and discard the other sheet of parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together greek yogurt, lemon zest and juice, and mayo.

Arrange half of the tomatoes on the bottom of the pie crust.  Top with half the corn, scallions and basil.  Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Pour lemon-yogurt mixture over the filling and top with half the cheese.  Repeat layering with the rest of the ingredients.

Place the other half of the dough on top of the pie and then pinch the edges together with the bottom crust to seal.  Cut 4 vents in the top crust to allow steam to escape.  You can brush the top with melted butter, milk or an egg wash...  but I chose not to.

Bake for 30-35min, until crust is golden and filling is bubbling.  Cool on a wire rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

*To peel the tomatoes, slice a shallow X on the bottom and drop in boiling water for 10sec.  Plunge into ice cold water to cool, then drain and the peel should easily slip off!

Hang onto summer and go make this pie!!

In Praise of Leftovers

I love to cook. I love to eat. I love to go out to restaurants and eat. 

Those are my primary directives, to borrow a Star Trek expression. I have a couple of others.

Waste nothing. Get good value out of whatever I buy.

Combining all those together means when I go to a restaurant I always bring home a doggie-bag so I always get a second (sometimes a third!) meal out of my restaurant meal. That saves money and I exercise my creativity transforming one chef's ideas into my own.

Portion control is another advantage. Because I know I am not going to eat everything on the plate, I save the calories for another day.

That probably sounds obsessive, compulsive or just nuts, but there you have it. Me in a nutshell.

For Zesterdaily I posted two recipes that demonstrate the method in my madness.

Corn & Caramelized Onion Salad

Cake, cake and pie, oh my!  Time's been short, and those recipes were just easier to type up :)  Anyways...  this recipe was a surprise hit at a BBQ I went to recently, so I figured you'd want to know about it!  I saw it on food52 earlier in the week and instantly knew what dish I'd be bringing.

Corn & Caramelized Onion Salad
adapted slightly from food52
serves a crowd

I used a mix of cooked and fresh corn kernals here because I didn't have enough corn the night I was preparing this, but liked the combination.  Feel free to use one or the other entirely!

7 ears of corn, divided
1 large red onion, peeled and diced
1-2T extra virgin olive oil
2T balsamic vinegar
scant 2t evaporated cane juice (or granulated sugar)
2oz diced pancetta (I bought mine pre-diced at trader joe's)
3-4T chopped cilantro (I used ~3T fresh frozen cilantro

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Cook 4 ears of corn in boiling water for 3-4min, then plunge into an ice water bath to cool.  Drain and then cut off kernals from both the cooked and raw corn cobs into a large bowl.

Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add diced onions, balsamic, sugar and a dash of salt, stir to coat the onions.  Cook for 2-3min, stirring occasionally, and then reduce heat to medium low.  Cook for 20-25min, until the onions are nice and caramelized.  Remove from pan and set aside to cool.

Add pancetta to the pan and cook on medium heat until brown and crispy.  Drain pancetta on paper towel-lined plates.

Add caramelized onions, pancetta and cilantro to the corn.  Mix well, taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.  Garnish with cilantro or parsley, if desired.

What was the last dish you made that was a surprising hit?

Healthy Cake

At some point this summer, you're bound to have carrots, zucchini and summer squash ready and waiting to jump into your next dish.  I wanted to try a play on zucchini bread and carrot cake, and this was what I came up with...  it's neither of those things, but it was tasty.

I brought it to work to get some opinions and everyone enjoyed it without knowing what it was.  When I inquired about what it tasted like, I think the best response was "healthy".  They know me so well ;)  I'm going with it, as I think it's rather appropriate!

Healthy Cake

adapted from my kitchen addiction

yield:  two 8-9" cake layers

1c shredded zucchini

1c shredded summer squash

1c shredded carrots

4 eggs, beaten

1/4c mild flavored oil

1/4c greek yogurt

1/4c milk (dairy or nondairy)

1/2c applesauce

1t vanilla extract

2 1/2c white whole wheat flour (or AP or WW pastry)

1/2c sucanat (or brown sugar)

3/4c evaporated cane juice (granulated sugar)

2t baking powder

1/2t baking soda

Preheat oven to 350deg.

In a large bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (eggs through vanilla).  Add squash and carrots and mix well.

In a separate bowl, add dry ingredients and mix until well combined.  Add to the wet ingredients and fold in just until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Try not to overmix!

Pour into 2 cake pans sprayed with Pam for baking (or butter and flour your pans).  Bake in preheated oven for 25-30min, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool completely, then frost with your favorite icing, cream cheese frosting anyone?

It might not be quite what I intended, but still seemed to be a hit.  Not the most indlugent cake, and full of vegetables, you can totally feel good about eating a slice!!

A 30 Minute Pasta with Sautéed Farmers Market Vegetables

At the height of summer, the farmers markets have the most amazing selection of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Corn, tomatoes, carrots, beets, eggplant, zucchini, peas, broccoli, parsley, arugula, frisee, plums, pluots, figs, peaches, nectarines, apples, grapes...I'm running out of breath trying to say them all.

Part of me wants to spend the whole day in the kitchen experimenting and playing with all these great ingredients.

The other part would prefer to stay outside, enjoying our beautiful Southern California weather. This recipe splits the difference. I can have fun with the farmers market bounty and it takes only 30 minutes.

That's a win-win if ever there was one.

Sautéed Vegetables and Pasta

For vegetarians, this is a very satisfying meal-in-one. For everyone else, cooked meat, poultry and seafood can easily be added with great results.

I choose to cut all the vegetables so they are similar in size to the corn kernels, although I make an exception for the string beans, which I think are more enjoyable when cooked in lengths of at least 1". A personal preference.  At any rate, cut the vegetables small or roughly, depending on how you like them.

Yield: 4

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound pasta
1 ear of corn, kernels removed
1 carrot, washed, peeled, finely chopped
1/2 pound string beans, washed, ends removed, cut into 1" lengths
1 small yellow onion, peeled, ends removed, finely chopped
1/2 cup Italian parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sweet butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Method

Bring to a boil a gallon of water with the kosher salt. Add the pasta and stir well initially and every couple of minutes to prevent sticking. Cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Place a heatproof cup in the sink and capture one cup pasta water when you drain the pasta.

Return the cooked pasta to the pot. Toss the pasta with 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and sweet butter. Season with sea salt and pepper. Lightly cover--do not seal--with a sheet of aluminum foil to keep warm.

In a large frying or chefs pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sauté all the vegetables until brown. Add 1 tablespoon sweet butter and 1/2 cup pasta water. Simmer over a medium flame until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the cooked pasta. Toss well to coat. If more liquid is needed, add more of the remaining pasta water and a pat of butter. Taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt and pepper.

Serve with freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Variations

Instead of Italian parsley, add 1 tablespoon fresh oregano.

For heat, add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne to the vegetable sauté.

Along with the pasta water and sweet butter, add 2 cups of any chopped, cooked meat, poultry or seafood you like.

Add roasted, skinless, chopped tomatoes with the pasta water and sweet butter.

Add 1 cup raw, chopped tomatoes with the vegetables.

Along with the freshly grated cheese, add 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or roughly chopped almonds.

Along with the freshly grated cheese, add 1/4 cup toasted or sautéed bread crumbs.

Slow Cooked Pork Spring Rolls

Got a beautiful pork shoulder from Paulina Market and decided to cook it for a real long time and eat it. I'm old and have traveled a lot, and the one thing I've learned is that very few things are universal. Not every culture is monogamous, not every culture has money or property, not every culture even has numbers to express quantities bigger than three. But everybody on earth not forbidden by religion cooks pigs slowly and eats them. Some do it by burying the pig in a hole full of hot rocks, some wrap the pig in leaves and build a fire over it, some rotate the pig on a spit over the fire, and some put it in a pot and braise it. The only  common feature is that a pig is getting cooked for a long-ass time and people are going to eat it and tell each other how fucking delicious it is. Pork is magical, in that as long as you season it and cook it for a real long time, you basically can't make it anything but delicious. We've all had bad barbecue or mediocre ribs. Delicious, wasn't it? Totally finished the whole thing.

I seasoned the shoulder with salt and pepper, after first scoring the beautiful fat cap into a diamond pattern, and started it off in the dutch oven. With pork I usually like to bring the meat up to temperature slowly, so it doesn't seize up and get tough. If I want to caramelize a pork chop or roast, Ill do it at the last minute under the broiler, once the meat texture has been finalized by slower cooking. For a big butt like this though, I brown it all over to develop a nice flavor and fond first, then let it braise long enough to break down and become unctuous. I started the browning on the fat cap, so the rendering fat would provide most of the cooking medium and I don't need to add much extra oil, just enough to get the fat started.

Once the meat was browned all over, I moved it to a platter to make room and loaded the pot with an onion and apple, both cut into substantial chunks, a handful of little carrots from a bag and six cloves of garlic, smashed but not chopped. I let all that brown in the rendered fat, then seasoned it all with salt, pepper and a couple glugs of vinegar. I threw a cinnamon stick and some dried hot chiles in the pot, nestled the pork back among the vegetables and added a  pint each of chicken stock and apple juice. Once it came up to a boil, I stuck it in the oven at 225 degrees with a lid on it and let it cook for christ knows how long. Hours. Five hours, maybe eight.

How was it? Dude, we've been over this. It was slow cooked pork, it was fucking awesome. Delicious, succulent, unctuous and tender. That's what you get when you do this. You strike a match, you get fire. You cook pork a long time, you get something delicious. When it's a big ass pork shoulder, you also get a lot of it, way more than can be eaten all at once, and that's where the spring rolls come in. We had so much left over that I could make enough spring rolls to feed both Heather and the poker crowd.

Somewhere in there Legs* sent me an email asking if raw apples would be good with cooked pork. I replied of course they would but then realized I hadn't eaten raw apples with cooked pork before. A regular late-night snack for Heather and me is a plate of apple slices with prosciutto or salami, and I cook pork with apples all the time, but raw apples with cooked pork, nope. Time to give that a shot. I began grating an apple in preparation for making rolls with it, but the grated apple began discoloring immediately. I tried acidifying it with a little rice vinegar but that didn't stop the discoloration. I decided that since the apples were going inside the roll the discoloration wouldn't offend, and stopped worrying about it. I made the spring rolls with the apples and shredded delicious braised pork on a bed of rice cooked in stock and saffron, and some parsley, basil and mint from the alley. I served them with a quick Siracha aoli made by emulsifying some Siracha with an egg yolk, a little honey, mustard, pureed garlic, salt, sesame oil and olive oil. It's a favorite quick sauce and all-purpose dressing. It goes well with anything containing strong flavors.**

* Single men, for a good time in the LA area, call Legs. Can't find a photo of her at the moment, but picture the girl of your dreams, only sexier. That's Legs. She has a car and a Prince tape she plays in the car. She will sing along to Prince in the car. Guys, really it's better than I'm making it sound.

** Absolutely no dick jokes this time. Didn't even slip one in accidentally.***
*** Footnotes don't count.

Salads & Cake (CSA Week 9)

Week 9 goods

Weeks are disappearing before I have a chance to catch up...  I really don't know how we're already halfway through August?!  Thank you all for the birthday wishes!

This week I've got a couple salads that I've had the please of enjoying recently.  No real recipes, just some fresh pictures and ingredients :)

Aurgula
Green beans, blanched
Fresh corn kernals, raw
Yogurt-marinated chicken, diced
Croutons, made from cubed wheat baguette, rubbed with olive oil and garlic
Leftover dressing

Baby spinach
Fresh corn kernals, raw
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Feta, crumbled

To balance out the carrots, how about some cake?  (I know, you just had pie)  This one is totally worth it, too, everyone at work was a fan-- especially my birthday buddy :)  Unfortunately I didn't get good pictures...  check out Jen's!!

Please excuse the mess and out-of-focus picture, it ended up looking great!!

Carrot Cake Cheesecake Cake

slightly adapted from Jen

I followed her instructions, but used slightly different recipes, which I'll note below.  The cake was nicely spiced and not too sweet.  The cheesecake, well,

Carrot Cake Layers

adaptations to the CI recipe:

Mix of all purpose and white whole wheat flour

Reduced sugar to 7oz

Reduced oil to 3/4c

Added 3/4c applesauce

Cheesecake

adapted from Louis

2 pkg reduced-fat cream cheese, RT

1c evaporated cane juice (or granulated sugar)

3 eggs, RT

8oz greek yogurt, RT

1t vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 330deg.

Cream together cream cheese and sugar.  Add eggs and beat until incorporated.  Add greek yogurt and vanilla and mix until well combined.  Pour mixture into a springform pan, give the pan a tap to unsettle any bubbles.

Bake at 330deg for 30min, then lower temperature to 300deg for 15min.  Turn off the oven and leave cheesecake in oven for 1hr.  Then remove and let cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe by Shannon

8oz reduced fat cream cheese, RT

4T butter, RT

1 3/4c powdered sugar, sifted

1t vanilla extract

Add cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy, a few minutes.  Add butter and continue mixing until well combined.  Gradually add in powdered sugar until frosting has reached your desired consistency (might be more or less than what I used depending on temperature/humidity/personal preference).  Add in vanilla, mix well and then refrigerate for a bit before frosting the cake.

Wombatgram #20 - Relationship Arcs

Naturally, we're all different. Equally, we're all human too. So patterns will emerge despite our best efforts to be different.





Click on Wombatgram for better viewing.





Bottoms Up, Individualists.

The Long and Short of Strap-On Dildos

I'm in two minds about fishing. On the one hand there is the grouper sandwich and macadamia encrusted mahi-mahi. Mmmmm....mahi-mahi. On the other hand there are hooks and nets.



How is the salmon served again?



Fishermen are divided into two species - recreational anglers, that is. There are live-bait fishermen and artificial-bait fishermen. It's not a trivial difference. These are Old Testament/New Testament kind of arguments, unsolved by beer or beer-battered catfish. But let us not tarry. My fishy musings aren't for nothing, dear friends. There are sex aids afoot and what wonders lie before us!



Behold, the strap-on dildo. This piece of priapic pulchritude fills a gap - so to speak - when a penis is missing. One imagines that most owners are lesbians, but no doubt there's a big market for women who want to show their menfolk what it's like to have six or more inches of extruded polymer shoved up their butt.



Which isn't where I'd like to focus. What's interesting to me is that Mr P is always invited to the party, whether the participants like penis or not. Lesbians, are, presumably, those most likely to purchase a strap-on...which must pain them no end. Interesting that those with only sapphic attractions still like an ersatz bloke about the place; one held in place with buckles and straps.



Let's review: When a dick's not to hand, there are always artificial dicks, even if you don't like dick or the person to whom he's attached. Bravo, marital aid industry and UPS. You've done us proud. Even those of us who use live bait.









Bottoms Up, Naturists.

Blueberry Goat Cheese Pie

It's been a busy summer.

Three weddings and a wedding cake (and cupcakes) all within 5 weeks.  A fabulous holiday weekend at the Cape.  Training for my first OLY tri (T minus 2ish weeks).  Some Hugo-sitting and trips to visit family.  A continuous stream of veggies thanks to my CSA.  And who knows what else I've forgotten.  Oh, right, I turned 30 last week.

Bake a pie to celebrate with me!

Luckily my aunt knows me well, so when she showed up at camp, she came with a large bucket of blueberries in tow-- fresh from the farmers market that morning!  We plowed through half the bucket in 3 days, but I was determined to save enough to make a pie.  And not just any pie.  A blueberry goat cheese pie that first caught my eye watching and episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with my parents.  I've been dreaming of it ever since, waiting anxiously for blueberry season!

There's another secret ingredient in the pie, can you spot it?

hint:  it's green!

Basil!  I was intrigued by its addition in the pie, and it added an interesting dimension to this delicious pie.  To keep this pie suitable for a friend who can't do cow's milk, I used coconut oil in the crumb topping.  One taster picked up on this and commented that she would almost like more coconut, so think about adding a little shredded coconut to the crumb topping if you like!

pre-bake

Blueberry Goat Cheese Pie
adapted from this recipe
Yield:  1 9" pie

I tried this pie crust, which worked out fine, but I don't think was my favorite.  Clearly I need to make more pie to come up with a go-to crust recipe ;)

1 pie crust (use your favorite recipe, or even one from the store)

For the filling:
4oz goat cheese, RT
1/2c almond milk (dairy would be fine)
1 large egg
scant 1/4c sucanat (or brown sugar)
1/4c white whole wheat flour (AP or whole wheat pastry would also work)
1/4t salt
loose 1/4c chopped basil
5c fresh blueberries

For the topping:
1/2c rolled oats
1/4c white whole wheat flour (see note about flours above)
1/4c sliced almonds
1/4c evaporated cane juice (sugar)
pinch of salt
3-4T coconut oil, melted  (or melted butter or a mild-flavored oil)

Prepare your pie crust and lay into 9"pie plate.  Flue or pinch the edges if you like.  Refrigerate the crust while you prepare the filling.

Preheat the oven to 350deg.

In a large bowl, whisk together goat cheese, milk and egg until the goat cheese is broken up well.  Add flour, salt and basil and mix together well.  Add blueberries and toss until coated.  Taste and adjust as you

In a small bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (oats through salt).  Add coconut oil, starting with 3T, and mix.  Add more oil if necessary, until moistened (there should be no dry ingredients, and the mixture will be crumbly in appearance).

Remove the pie crust from the fridge and pour in blueberry mixture.  Cover with the crumb topping and bake in preheated oven for 50-60min, until it has set and started to brown on top/edges.  Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate overnight, or at least a few hours before serving.

I will be making this again, for sure.  Perhaps even increasing the goat cheese, since I can't get enough ;)  What's your favorite type of pie??

One Year Old, Santa Monica Place Celebrates with a Restaurant Tasting

The newly remodeled Santa Monica Place has hit its one-year anniversary. As part of the celebration, eight of the mall restaurants are offering tasting menus for lunch and dinner until Aug. 14.

For anyone who hasn't yet visited the remodeled Santa Monica Place, you are in for a surprise. The old school, enclosed big-box mall has had a remarkable make-over.

The top of the old mall was literally peeled off, creating a three-story, open courtyard. On the top floor, a Dining Deck with fast-food restaurants has seating both indoors and outdoors with views of the ocean—provided you stand on tippy-toes and peek above the building to the west.

In the afternoon, cool ocean breezes add to the pleasures of being on the deck. If you happen to visit at the end of the day, you can watch the sun set as you enjoy your plate of fish tacos from Pinches Tacos or Charlie Kabob's rotisserie chicken with humus and rice.

In additon to the Dining Deck, the rennovated mall has ten sit-down restaurants offering a great variety of cuisines.

As part of the anniversary celebration, most of the full-service restaurants on the top deck and in the Market are offering tasting menus for lunch ($20) and dinner ($30) through Sunday, Aug. 14.

Personally, I love tastings. At a reduced price, a selection of dishes from the menu are offered as a way of introducing diners to the restaurant.

The Taste of Santa Monica Place is the perfect opportunity to try out the varied cuisines of La Sandia, Ozumo, Zengo, Sonoma Wine Garden, and Xino on the upper deck, the Blue Stove inside Nordstrom and Primi Al Mercato and The Curious Palate in the Market.

What a great variety of local and global cuisines. From the Curious Palate's farm-to-table American comfort food to Ozumo's authentic upscale Japanese cuisine and sake bar, one could satisfy just about any craving.

With two hours of free parking and valet service available on Second Street, Santa Monica Place makes it easy for visitors to come for shopping and dining. Check in at the concierge stations on the first and third floors about other special events, reduced parking rates, as well as gift bags offers.

Supermarket for People

Everywhere. They're everywhere. Dating sites for this, dating sites for that, dating sites for the most obscure sub-groups of humanity...and some in which only one partner is human.



Ahem.



If the internet has become the most efficient way yet of delivering porn, one side-effect is the cereal-aisle choice of ways to find The One. Not only are we singles looking up at El Capitan when figuring out how to get the right squelchy one, the delivery system is now its own nightmare. Am I a J-Dater? Am I after a MILF? Can I narrow myself down dating only millionaire women?



Oh, darn. That last one is only for women looking for millionaires. Maybe the market niche for men looking to date millionairesses is ripe for exploitation.



When we're all in our dotage, I predict we'll look back on this time with amusement. Apart from the fact that our current state of connectedness will look as clumsy as Bill Gates trying to dance, internet dating will look spectacularly agricultural. Most of these places are great big classified sites with photos. They suit men because we can rifle through a ton of photographs to find the horniest looking women, and send them an email to spark their attention. NO effort required. Thoughtful interest in finding a real relationship NON-existent. Trolling for sex at a MAXIMUM.



Yes, I know. Relationships do start from dating websites. My point is that they're entirely unnatural. Are we really designed to meet people by way of a People Catalogue? Does the supermarket Dating Aisle sound right to you?



There are some folks creating more organic sites. My favourite is Barstalk. The idea of meeting people in real life is the BIG reason I like the idea. It feels much closer to the natural architecture of finding a mate. They use the internet as it should be, as a filter to discard those who aren't up for a drink. Not that drinking is necessarily the right connective tissue for everyone, but if you do drink and live in New York City, it's logical to see if there's someone out there who shares your bar preference or simply looks like a likely martini-partner.



Too many choices make life overwhelming. Simplicity burns away the fog of indecision. Dating can be simple too. Let it be so.









Bottoms Up, Captain Morgan.

Massaged Kale & Corn Salad (CSA Week 8)

My first blueberries from Marshalls Fenway Farm CSA didn't last long-- a day, tops ;)  Luckily I was able to make the other ingredients last a bit longer to pull together a dinner or two!

That sweet onion hanging out in near the blueberries got grilled up to top some simply seasoned grass-fed beef burgers.

Courtesy of my droid

The corn got shucked and added (raw) to some massaged kale (1 large head of kale, 1/2-1 avocado, juice of 1 lemon, coarse sea salt) and halved cherry tomatoes.  Absolutely delicious.


Ah, summer.   Please don't go.


What is your favorite thing to grill?  Mine is probably onions...  although I'll never complain about anything off the grill ;)

Yabu in West Los Angeles - Authentic Japanese

Living in Southern California, we enjoy rich ethnic diversity. Those of us who explore culture through cuisine are very happy about that.

Located in West Los Angeles, a good example of a neighborhood Japanese restaurant, Yabu (11820 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064; 310-473-9757) has a devoted following.

Because Yabu has a much larger, sister restaurant in West Hollywood, when you call to make a reservation, you will be asked to confirm that you want to eat at the Pico restaurant.

You do.

There are lots of chain restaurants with Japanese names, but Yabu is the real deal. The kitchen prepares authentic Japanese comfort food, not unlike what you would eat in Tokyo or Kyoto.

Serving lunch (Mon.-Sat.) and dinner (Mon.-Sun.), the restaurant is perfect to drop in for a quick bite at the sushi bar or with family and friends to hang out at one of the tables tucked into the corners of the room.

Order cups of hot green tea, ice cold bottles of Japanese beers or hot (or cold) sake and try out new dishes as you enjoy easy conversation and good food.

The sushi selections are always fresh and made with precision. Affordable—unless you go crazy—sushi and sashimi can be ordered individually or as combination platters.

The beef tataki, a Japanese version of carpaccio, and the albacore tuna tataki are especially tasty (our son Franklin's favorites). The ponzu dressing is spicy enough to bring out the best of both.

In no particular order, here are some of the dishes we order whenever we visit: fried tofu, stir-fried lotus root (kimpira renkon), edamame, ten don (tempura shrimp and vegetables over seasoned steamed rice), eggplant, spinach in a miso sauce, miso soup, shishito green peppers, black cod and soboro don (finely minced chicken cooked in a ginger soy sauce with a bit of heat and served over donburi rice).

Come at lunchtime and try the combination of noodle soup (soba or udon) and sushi. Affordable and freshly made, the soup is light and flavorful, the noodles chewy and delicious. 

One of my favorites is the tempura udon. Inside the large bowl of soup are chewy udon noodles, slices of fish cake, vegetables and tempura. Ask for the vegetable and shrimp tempura on the side so they stay crisp and crunchy.

Yabu's tempura may be some of the best in Los Angeles. Light and fresh tasting, the shrimp, seaweed square, lotus root and sweet potato have their flavors enhanced, not overwhelmed, by the batter.

Everyone has his or her favorite sushi; mine are tamago (egg), baked crab in a hand roll (on the dinner specials menu) and spicy tuna.

For a small restaurant with a kitchen about the size of a Mini Cooper, you'll be surprised at the plentiful menu.

Make reservations by calling 310-473-9757 and be sure to mention you want to dine at the Pico location. Valet parking is available. Pay in cash and receive a 10 percent discount.

Zombies Can be Gay, Right?

The meager circumstances of my life might be about to change. Blogging don't pay much y'all (as they say here in the South) so I've been busily diverting my creative goo into a screenplay. It's more of a treatment, in truth, which is what I might really be needing once it's made into a movie. Called "When Worlds Collide", I've cleverly weaved a number of popular themes into one.

The covering letter (39 networks, publishers and agents so far) in part reads like this:

When Worlds Collide is a funny and heartwarming story of two zombies. Zach and Augustus are two gay zombies recently fallen in love. With TriBeCa as the backdrop, they move into a cute loft to start their lives together eating brains and doing what zombies do. But there's a hole in their life. They want a family. So, given their keen sense of community, they do what any other gay zombie family would do - they adopt! In their case, a gorgeous little Venezuelan girl, orphaned at birth. WWC follows their antics learning how to raise a normal human baby in the midst of zombie mayhem. It's a triumph of the un-dead spirit!

Yes, it's a niche tale, but it has 'Indy cult film finds mainstream audience and fame for the writer' written all over its gorgeous derriere. See you at Cannes.




Bottoms Up, Zombie Lovers.

(App)Led Zeppole

Fried stuff is great, so long as you get it while it's piping hot. Since our place is small, I can get food from the kitchen to Heather in a heartbeat, so I fry stuff all the time. Usually I make little croquettes or other doughy things and fry them, but I thought they might be getting a little heavy after repetition and have laid off the fried things for a bit. Heather and I have been to Hawaii several times, including getting married there, and one of our favorite things from there are local dougnuts called malasadas that are puffy and light but tasty as all hell. I wanted to make something like that for the next fried thing, but savory rather than sweet.

We discovered malasadas at Leonard's Bakery in Honolulu on a tip from Heather's dad, Charles Ellsworth Whinna, USMC ret. When he was stationed in Honolulu in the late 1960s, and then living there at liberty in the early 1970s, he had several regular haunts, and Leonard's was one of them. On our first trip to Honolulu we were delighted to find that virtually all of the favorite spots from his time in the Marines were still going concerns, and all still superlative food experiences. Other Chuck-approved wonders of Honolulu include lau-lau dinner at Ono and shave ice from Waiola Market. Malasadas are apparently of Portuguese origin, and are balls of leavened dough, fried, dusted with sugar and eaten instantly while still in the goddamn parking lot with the box in your lap because fuck me they are delicious. I am a genuine threat to fuck up a whole box of them by myself if there's coffee available. So I always order coffee.

Charles Ellsworth Whinna USMC

Malasadas use yeast, and yeast takes time to work and also is not JP-compliant, so that idea shit the bed before it woke up. In Italy there is another delicious fried thing, the zeppola, and while some zeppole are made of leavened dough, some use beaten egg whites or soda for leavening. I thought I could probably pull that off,* and use the batter to enrobe something savory and delicious. I started the batter by separating two eggs, intending to make the batter with the yolks, then beat the whites and fold them in at the last minute so the batter didn't have time to deflate. To the yolks I added a little sesame oil, yellow curry powder** and salt for flavor and a couple tablespoons of apple juice to provide enough liquid to hydrate the flour. I whisked the yolks until they were lightened somewhat and completely uniform, then added rice flour until the batter was slightly thicker than pancake batter. I expected the batter to thicken slightly as the starch in the flour hydrated, and if I guessed right, when I added the egg whites the composite batter would be thick enough to coat the apples but thin enough to form a nice smooth layer, and aerated enough to puff into an inviting shape when fried.

With that plan, I started on the innards of the zeppole. I cut some apples into thick planks and squared them just enough to get rid of the core and seeds without wasting too much. Each piece ended up being about the size of a matchbox.*** I wrapped each apple chunk with a slice of prosciutto and set them aside. I intended to dunk them in the batter and fry them like pieces of cod, with the light batter forming a puffy orb around them, but for a minute I was baffled by how I would dunk them and transfer them to the oil without marring the coating. Then it occurred to me that I could skewer each piece and use the skewer as a handle to dunk them in the batter and fry them. Bravo me, great idea. Skewers then. I stuck bamboo skewers in all the apple-and-prosciutto hunks. I should probably have soaked the skewers in water for an hour so they wouldn't burn, but I didn't, and ultimately I don't care if they burn. They're little pieces of bamboo, not innocent children. Also, they didn't burn.

With that problem sorted, I started the canola oil heating and returned my attention to the batter. I whipped the egg whites with a drop of rice vinegar until fluffy and folded them into the batter. The rice vinegar acidifies the whites in the manner of cream of tartar, which toughens the protein and stabilizes the foam, but saves me the trouble of having to own a tin of cream of tartar. Other than beating egg whites, what the fuck am I supposed to do with cream of tartar? I could beat the eggs in a copper bowl, which has the same effect, but I'm not a millionaire so I don't own a special egg-white-whipping bowl which sits tarnishing for 360 days a year. A long time ago I saw a thing on TV, maybe Graham Kerr, maybe Julia Child, I don't remember, but the test for when egg whites are properly beaten for inclusion in a batter is to turn the bowl upside-down, and if the whites stay in place then they're done. This is slightly stiffer than "soft peak" stage, but not the completely rigid stiff peak stage. If beaten to stiff peaks, the whites don't incorporate well, and tend to streak or break as they're folded into a batter, defeating their purpose.

The handle-skewer thing worked great. I was able to completely enrobe the apple hunks, move them to the oil and flip them while cooking without marring the coating, and I could even lift them out of the oil to check their color without using tongs. When the zeppole were done, I transferred them to paper towel to drain, and when cool enough to handle, the skewers came out easily. I think I have a kind of awesome thing going with the handle skewer idea. I think I'll call it Moreskewer. I need a patent lawyer right away. Also for Morepencil and Morecupcakes. If you're a patent lawyer and want me to be a millionaire so I can afford a copper egg-white-whipping bowl and a polishing steward to keep the tarnish off it, google up my phone number and give me a tinkle.

The zeppole came out puffy and light just like I had hoped, with a firm exterior skin and a fluffy, soft interior. Traditionally zeppole would be sprinkled with sugar, and I suppose I could have made a mock-icing sugar by grinding salt, white pepper and sesame seeds in a mortar, but I'm lazy, and in service of my laziness I decided that would be tacky. I made a dipping sauce instead. I ran a garlic clove through a microplane to make a puree, then emulsified it with some mustard, sesame oil, rice vinegar, siracha, salt and a little honey. I know, honey isn't JP, but the sauce was a little bitter without it, and it wasn't much.

The apples got warm but stayed firm, making a nice contrast with the puffy dough, and the sweet apple married well with the rich and savory prosciutto. The hint of curry in the dough and the spice in the dipping sauce all made for a multi-layered eating experience in a small package.

Seriously, patent lawyers call me about Moreskewer. It's a goldmine.

*Said the Bishop to the actress.

**I know curry powder is a bastardized version of a masala and unseemly in a proper kitchen. I know using it shows disrespect to the deep and varied cuisine of the Asian subcontinent, and I apologize for that. Regardless, curry powder serves a purpose occasionally and I have some on the shelf. We're not ninjas.

***A box of matches, also a little toy car about the same size. Matches are what people used for fire between the two-sticks-rubbed-together era and the Bic lighter era. Note: the Zippo was a primitive form of Bic.