CSA experiment #4: In my pickinic basket

Inspired by this recipe, on Friday I made a summer salad with feta.

Summer Salad with Feta

4 generous servings

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 large cucumber, seeded, quartered and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 c red onion, chopped (mine was a full super tiny one, half of a normal small one would be about right)
20 or so chopped kalamata olives
salt and pepper
2 T sherry vinegar
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 c crumbled feta (I used Trader Joe's fat free feta, and I couldn't tell the difference)
1/4 c fresh mint, chopped

Toss together the tomatoes, cuke, onion and olives. Mix vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper and toss with the veggies. Add the feta and mint and toss again. Adjust seasonings to taste.

This salad was delicious! My normally anti-vegetable husband was so taken with it that he had seconds, and I caught him standing in front of the fridge eating leftovers out of the bowl.

Tonight, we decided to have a picnic in the park, so to the leftovers of this salad, I added 1 1/2 cups of chopped leftover cooked chicken. I put big leaves of green leaf lettuce in whole wheat pita pockets and stuffed them with the chicken salad mixture. It was divine! The boy noted that it tasted so good that one might have thought that I made the salad for this purpose. I served the pita sandwiches with leftovers of this chilled cucumber soup made with mint instead of basil.

We had a great time. The food was refreshing and light, the park was beautiful and remarkably empty, and it was a perfect end to a relaxing weekend.

The Husband's Hash

The husband frequently brings me coffee and breakfast in bed on weekends as I do the same for him every weekday. A great simple breakfast was served this morning, deserving of a recipe and a little backstory.

The husband was very excited about what he had made. He told me he had been fantasizing all week along about making this for me. Ahh Hash. The husband and I are great admirers of hash. Every time we go camping, and on special occasions, we permit ourselves to indulge in canned corned beef hash and all its wonderful salty fatness. It is an assault on the eyes and the stomach, but the taste buds are blind to the ugly depravity of the dish. We also attempt healthier and fresher homemade hashes -- usually when there is leftover beef in the fridge, admittedly a rarity. We have made it a million ways, but this was the best one ever. I think it had to do with the quality of the ingredients an the specific manner of preparation.

Now one of my secret passions at the Farmer's Market is the "Meat Bags" you can buy. They come in beef, turkey or ham and are basically all the ends or scraps of every sort of deli meat available at the deli counter (hundreds). This is perfectly good stuff, and frequently you get a bunch of high dollar deli (think a wad of prosciutto or parma ham) for like $3 instead of $7/#. Well, I had recently brought home a beautiful bloody bag of roast beef. The husband had taken all the slices for sandwiches and saved the ends for his weekend breakfast. Economy and good taste...what more can I ask for!

The Husband's Hash

2 yukon potatoes diced 1/2"

1 yellow onion sliced

5-6 butt end roast beef, cut roughly into slender chunks

1/8 c veg oil

Wash and dry the diced potatoes with paper towels or dish towel.

Heat the oil in an iron skillet till shimmering. Add taters and turn to coat with oil. Keep heat medium to low, don't let it smoke.

Put onions in and turn contents of pan again. Turn contents frequently till onions are almost caramelized (soft) and add beef. Continued to turn contents gently till potatoes are tender. Serve.

A good roast beef will have enough salt in it, not requiring any additions during cooking, however, taste your hash and add salt and pepper if you like.

We enjoyed with a hot cup of coffee and a little Willie Nelson.

La La Laarb

I love laarb. I don't remember when we first had it. I have been making my own for years and order it every time we go somewhere Thai. It is basically a cold spicy, herby, juicy meat salad. I have had both poultry or beef versions, but I can imagine that you could make with just about any meat except fish. I have made it with chicken, beef and pork before.

We recently had some at dinner with some friends and their children. They all loved it (kids too) an asked for me for the recipe. Here goes:

La Belle Laarb

1 # ground meat (I usually use turkey or chicken)

1 cup cilantro or more

1 tb fish sauce (or soy sauce with a little anchovy paste or just soy sauce)

1/2 tsp splenda or sugar

3 cloves garlic

Juice of 1 lime

Pinch cayenne

3 tb soy sauce

Lettuce or cabbage leaves to accompany.

Cook the ground meat. I usually grill so I get rid of all the fat. Chill in fridge till cold.

Put everything in a food processor and pulse. Don't grind too fine as it will be pasty - ech.

I usually use the above ingredients as a guide, but add more of less of anything depending on personal tastes and my mood. Leave out cayenne if you don't want any spice, add more sweet if you wish, add more juice for a juicier flavor. You can also substitute mint instead of cilantro if you so choose.

You can then serve right away with lettuce or cabbage leaves on the side, or you can make little lettuce leaf wraps filled with the laarb, or serve like a salad. If you let the laarb sit over night in the fridge, the flavors meld even more and it is delightfully piquant. Very refreshing summer meal.

Pilgrimage to a Sage

Our first time at Sage on Sycamore was half-price bottles of wine on a Tuesday, but I can't remember what we ate - it was a long time ago. This time it was a quick on-the-way-home stop for dinner.

We were a little bummed because we were really hot, and I don't think they have a/c (or if they do it is seriously tired), the ceiling fans were running, but we were looking forward to coldness that was not there. The mojitos we ordered were f-ing awesome and very cold and refreshing so that made it a little better, the second one made it even better than better.

We like to sit at the bar, and sit we did and nibbled on:

Fried artichokes
These were cornmeal encrusted. I liked them and the spicy sauce they came with. They were not greasy at all, and the portion was a good one. The husband did not like so much.

Mussels Provencal
I admit it. I spooned out every last drop of cream from the left over broth. I would have licked the plate if we were sitting closer to the back, but we were right in front of the picture window. The grilled bread that came with it was buttered and perfect. We eat mussels a lot, cooked every which way, and I haven't had ones this rich in a while. Good Stuff.

Caper Ceaser Salad
I was a bit pissed cause it was served as a wedge with dressing which is irritating to chop up, but maybe I am just lazy. The flavor was excellent though. The capers were a fantastic acidic addition. I scraped at this plate for a while as well trying to get the dressing off.

hmmm. I don't know what the sum up is. The food was pretty darn good. The drinks were perfect. But somehow it didn't feel right. They served all our plates at the same time which was a little awkward when you are eating at the bar. Not to mention we were racing to eat the hot stuff before it got cold, and it cut our dinner (and therefore pleasure) time in half. There also was no music playing when we got there - kinda weird to sit in a big place like that, at the bar, on a Friday night, and not have the music on. Just didn't feel right.

But we'll be back anyway for 1/2 of wine Tuesday night!

Hmmm

The Great Tuna Caper

This was a fabulous dish I made for the husband for dinner. I had spent the morning assembling a new grill, and crowned my satsifaction with a beautiful grilled tuna steak salad.

Caper-Rosemary Tuna with Herb Salad

(Adapted from Bon Appetit recipe)

Serves 2

1 large tuna steak

3 tb olive oil

juice from one small lemon

1 tb capers

2 tsp caper juice from jar

finely grated peel from one small lemon

1 tsp fresh minced rosemary

1/2 tsp sea salt

small pinch crushed red pepper

small pinch of splenda

1 small onion sliced thin

Put tuna in plastic bag with all ingredients and marinate for 1 hour on counter or 4 in fridge.

Turn grill on high. Scrape marinade off tuna and pour remaining - including onions- into small saucepan - simmer. Go to put tuna on grill. I use tinfoil on the grill sprayed with non-stick and put fish on that, sticks less. Cook for 3-5 min each side, keep pink in middle.

Toss for salad:

handful or so of fresh parsely

1/8 c oregano

celery leaves

lettuces

or other herbs and greens

Dress with a squirt of fresh lemon and some olive oil. Slice tuna steak and place on top of salad, top with warm tender onions and marinade.

This was really really good. The capers, the herb more than lettuce salad and the warm onions and sauce on top really made this a different dish. Rich yet light flavors, and the freshness of all those herbs! Lovely.

Yay Yasang!

For once I was grateful for the technolgy that is a palm. Desperate for non-chain dinner ideas in Roswell, fellow YELPer Rebecca K. googled on her palm and we ended up at Rasa Yasang for Malaysian. I think she even used the YELP thing on-line. WOW, these reviews were right-on. This place is a gem.

The decor was lovely, understated, clean and classy. The service was impeccable. Our waiter took the time to answer questions and make special requests happen. When we asked him what he liked on the menu, he had specific things he liked and didn't just fumble around and point out the most expensive thing on the menu. Both Rebecca K. and I took his suggestions.

We had:
First Course
Roti Cana - I had only had Carib Roti - but this was great, and one of our friends with us said it was yummy and authentic.
Shrimp Toast - This was the best I have ever had. Actual shrimp, crispy, covered in an interesting crust of sesame seeds.
Rasa Sayang Special Coconut Soup - I liked this - but prefer the Thai version with its spice and tang. Rebecca K. gulped hers down!
Lobak Roll - This was yummy. Tofu skin, kind of like phyllo, gently held a stuffing of shrimp and meat.

Main Course
Singapore Fried Noodle - Our friend loved this, and requested not spicy, and they had no problem accomodating.
Spicy Garlic Eggplant - This was my recommendation, and boy howdee it was good. I don't know how many times I have ordered something "garlic" off an asian menu only to have it taste nothing like garlic, and more like some innocuous thick "asian" sauce of indeterminate flavor. Not so with this. The eggplant was rich and tender. The Garlic was so full flavored, carmelized....the depth of flavor. It was like heaven.
Basil Beef - Rebecca K. had this. I liked it, and I think she did too, but I honestly was more concerned with my eggplant.

The only thing I felt bad about this place was that we didn't clean our plates! The food was really good, but we were really full of appetizers and sunshine and beer from earlier. I was so excited to eat the leftovers, and the husband and I enjoyed them thoroughly the next day...I could consider driving all the way back up to Roswell for this. Good Stuff.

I shed a tear for the Shed at Glenwood.

I really want to love the Shed. I mean, it's the closest eatery to our house, and it's trying to be much nicer than the other establishments in the vicinity. But I think maybe they're trying too hard.

We arrived around a quarter past 7 on a Friday evening. There were a fair number of parties already seated, but also open tables. The space was attractive, and the soundtrack was '60s pop music. The crowd was pretty diverse--a lot more baby boomers than I generally see in Grant Park.

We sat on the patio since this is the time of year in Atlanta when one must seize the rare opportunity to dine al fresco when one won't sweat one's ass off.

The service was outstanding--dishes were well-paced and attractively plated. They sent out some fresh potato chips with a blue cheese dip and two small cups of boiled peanuts for a quite hefty amuse bouche. The chips were good--thin and crisp, but the dip didn't taste like blue cheese at all. I love boiled peanuts; my husband does not, so I polished off both cups. They were tasty, but I would have liked them to be a little more seasoned than they were.

We had an order of the marinated olives, which were fine, with these two while we were in negotiations over what to order. He had a Stella Artois on draft--they had a long list of beers on draft which is pretty cool. I ordered a glass of the weekly red wine. The server actually brought the bottle to the table to pour my glass which is cool so I could actually see the label. The pour was also extremely generous--probably slightly more than 1/4 bottle.

After a delicate weaving of our inclinations and the server's recommendations, we ordered to share:

the charcuterie plate: mostly good, but a lot of the cured meats were duck, and I think I decided that I like cured pig better than cured duck. The chicken liver pate was quite tasty. The whole think was a little dry...maybe a little olive oil or a vinaigrette would loosen it up?

the roasted beet salad: the best thing we had all night. The creaminess of the goat cheese complemented the tang of the beets. It was beautiful--a blend of yellow and red beets with oranges and some little sprigs of watercress or some similar green leafy stuff. Apparently after 30 years of shunning them, this is the summer in my life where I start to like beets.

the braised short ribs:LOVE LOVE LOVE that they split this and plated each half separately, but that was kind of the best part about it. The broccolini was good, but the meat and the grits were oddly flavorless. I felt like the whole dish needed salt...or something. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I was definitely disappointed. I ate it and it was fine, but in my opinion, an $18 entree should be more than fine.

the truffled fries: tasty, but not crispy enough.

By the time we left, the patio was completely full. I didn't peek inside, but it seemed like the restaurant got pretty busy.

The service was fantastic, and we got out of there for about $70 including the tip. At this point, I should also probably factor in that our total travel cost to the restaurant was $0 since we walked. With gas at $4+ a gallon, that is a luxury that made me think about giving the Shed an extra star.

We'll definitely be back. I love the concept, I love that they are starting a Saturday morning farmer's market, I love the staff. The importance of food trumps all that for me, though. Get your menu up to snuff, Shed, and we'll be BFFs.

Summer in a bowl, or CSA experiment #3

Okay, so I've actually done more than three experiments with my lovely CSA produce, but I've been dreadful about recording them for posterity...

I've been really grooving on my Culinary Artistry book since it basically has lists and lists of flavors that mesh well. I got more cucumbers this week when I still had one left from last week, and as I've got a full container of cucumber onion salad marinating in the fridge, that was out. I checked the pantry and found a can of light coconut milk and I thought--ooh, a cold cucumber soup would be perfect for a hot July evening when I got home from work after 7pm. The recipe below chronicles the experiment.

Chilled Cucumber Soup

2 medium cukes, chopped (I left the peel on)
1 can light coconut milk
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 fat doobie of basil, minced fine (about 1/8 c.)

Put cukes, milk and garlic in blender. (Nothing fancy is necessary. I use the Osterizer Galaxy that my parents got as a wedding gift in 1975.) Puree for a minute or so until pretty well blenderized. Add basil and a little salt and blend. Taste.

It still needed something so I added:

1 T lemon juice
4 good shakes of white pepper
more salt

Blend. Taste.

At this point it still wasn't quite right, so I added a little more salt and pepper.

There was still a place in the back center of my tongue that the soup was missing. I decided it needed something tangy, so I added:

1-2 T. white wine vinegar
a couple more shakes of white pepper
a touch more salt

Blend. Taste. Perfect! Chill for a few minutes (or more) before serving--in retrospect I probably should have added a couple of ice cubes to help with the chilling process. But it was still good only a little cool.

Makes about 3 servings, 2 generous servings.

The boy called this "the best cucumber I've ever eaten." It was crisp and cool and the flavors meshed really well. I'm not always that into cold soups, but this was excellent, and also super easy and quick.

No love for Noche

I met an old friend for dinner at Noche tonight. I hadn't been since a good friend who was hooked on $1 Dos Equis moved to Africa a few years back.

From memory, Noche was squarely in the Srat/Frat-People-with-Real-Jobs category for me. Not really my scene. A lot of VaHi is like that these days. Seems that as they age, they migrate south from Buckhead.

Anyway, the atmosphere on a Wednesday evening was nicer than I remember. It wasn't too crowded for us to be seated immediately a little after 7. I liked the soundtrack (though it was definitely in the aging Srat/Frat genre), but after about 8, it got too loud. I guess as the restaurant filled up, they were trying to convince folks not to linger.

The server was friendly and gave us a bunch of recommendations--especially important when eating tapas as there are so freaking many choices! I was a little concerned because 75% of the recommended items were breaded and fried, but we had plenty to work with, at least.

We started with drinks--I had the Noche margarita and my companion had the pineapple upside-down martini. My margarita was kind of watery, and left not a whiff of tequila on my tongue. I hate weak margaritas. My friend reported that her martini was good, though. Maybe I just picked the wrong drink.

First course:
Chicken ravioli special-solid. It came in a nice cream sauce with roasted corn. The filling was more spinachy than chickeny, but it was tasty.
Calamari-mediocre. The big loops of squid look promising! But the flavor didn't deliver. The breading was bland, it was slathered in this heavy aioli and the salsa dipping sauce didn't work. It also needed salt. With salt and a squeeze of lemon, it was better than mediocre, but I don't think it achieved average.

Second course:
Fried green tomatoes-Breading was gritty and too-dry, sauce was thick and kind of dry and the manchego was wasted, I thought. Mmm...manchego.

BBQ salmon-the fish was cooked well, but the BBQ sauce kind of tasted like Kroger brand or something. The jicama salad that came with it was AWESOME, though. Very summery--cold, crisp, well-seasoned. The jicama salad was the best thing we ate.

Third course:
Dessert trio-
Bread pudding-Delicious. Moist, caramely and everything a bread pudding should be. The ice cream improved it, but again, it was sort of Kroger brand.
Flan-Ick. The texture was okay, but it had a really strong liquor bite to it that was not at all pleasant.
Chocolate mousse-like stuff-Respectable and wholly worth the calories I ingested for it. Chocolatey, creamy, really nice texture.

The price wasn't too bad--check was about $48 pre-tip. So, yeah, in the scheme of the neighborhood Noche is probably pretty decent for the type of food since it's pretty much surrounded by a sea of bar food, but for destination dining, get thee to Eclipse di Luna.

Open Sesame...

and get in my mouth!

Had a great brunch today - brazilian avocados (very rich) and a lovely light salad. I will share the salad as it is so easy and will definitely become a regular around here.

Oriental Watercress Salad
Adapted from Diana Kennedy's Nothing Fancy

Toss
1 bunch watercress
2 tb chopped cilantro
3 scallions white and green parts chopped

Mix
1/2 tsp chopped ginger
1.5 tb sesame oil
3 tb rice vinegar
3 tsp soy sauce
1.5 tp toated sesame seeds

Toss greens with a bit of dressing and enjoy! I think the dressing would be stellar with spinach and mushrooms as well.

A Spoonful of Love

What beautiful day I am having. Very domestic, but very beautiful. I feel very loved and at peace today...and no I have not been drinking, and I am not high. It is a very soy day, in many ways, but let me walk you through it.

The day began with a soy massage from my lovely husband. We got this candle from our friend which smells wonderful and as it melts creates warm soy oil/wax, which you then use in massage. A beautiful and multipurpose item. I won't detail what happened next, but you can guess...

Then the husband brings me coffee and makes me a delicious breakfast of turkey sausage and fried potatoes which I frown at because I am trying to eat healthy, and he assures me it is okay as he cooked the potatoes in the iron skillet with non fat spray. I am breathlessly in love with this man.

After breakfast I set about doing laundry. I hang wet clothes on the line practically humming a damn tune to myself. I go inside and start the soy milk maker. While it is doing its thing I set to roasting eggplants and ironing clothes at the same time. Nat King Cole plays on the record player.

A bit later, soymilk is done, and I flavor with cinnamon, Splenda and vanilla. It tastes SO fresh. I love it. Then I make fresh babaghanoush from the eggplants. While slightly more complicated than making homemade hummus, this is definitely worth it.

Babaghanoush
2 large eggplants
4 cloves garlic
4 tb tahini paste
juice of one lemon
Handful of fresh parsely
Salt and pepper to taste

Roast two large eggplants over open flame or broil in oven till skin is charred all over and flesh is obviously mushy. Place in a paper bag to cool for a bit. Run eggplant under cold water and slide skin off, put flesh in food processor with the other ingredients and voila! Put in fridge to chill...sooooo good.

Then I make vegetarian bites from the leftover okara from my soymilk.

Crab cake okara bites
1 c cooked rice (i use basmati)
1 egg
4tb Parmesan/Pecorino/Romano
1 tb tomato paste
1 tb brown mustard
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp garlic powder
a couple shakes of dried minced onion
2 tb horseradish
1 tb cornmeal
1 can green chilies chopped
1 tb flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 tb chives
1 cup okara
2 tb fish sauce or combo of soy sauce and anchovy

Mix and chill for about 20 minutes. Make little balls, flatten slightly and dust with flour. Fry in iron skillet or other fry pan till crisp on both sides. Enjoy! I think I will try to bake these next time...

While my husband love and cooking love was great today. I have to share that a huge part of this love was from a family friend, Mr. Richards.

I grew up with Mr. Richards, whom was a good friend of our family. He and my parents were culinary adventurers and played a huge role in my young development as a food lover and cook. I watched them make sausage together, wine, beer, bread, all sorts of things. Mr. Richards, throughout my life, even when I moved far away, always had presents for us of homemade liquors, oils, soaps, lotions and all sorts of things. All of these things are his gifts of love. He is a lot like me in that we are not traditionally affectionate, but show our love and joy through the things we make and give the ones we care about. All of these things were pieces of his heart.

As we grew up, my little sister, much more affectionate, was closest to him. However, as I got older, I felt in my heart, the quiet love I have had for years for this kind, generous and gifted man. So fast forward to today -- For my wedding, Mr. Richards gave us the soymilk maker. Which I obviously love, and today has played a huge role in my happiness...a smaller, and perhaps more metaphorical gift from him was a set of measuring spoons shaped like hearts. I also used these today. As I looked at them, covered in tahini and powders and other cooking smegma, I think in my heart, how they remind me that every time I use them I am adding his love to whatever I am making. It also serves as a reminder to myself to never measure out my love in fractional amounts, that it is always okay in life to use a heaping spoonful, life will come out better for it.

Peace and love to you.