Avocado and Pistachio Toast

Few years back I was in Washington DC visiting my friends from the graduate school. We went out for dinner to Cork. Very vibrant small plate wine bar. One of the appetizers we had was grilled bread with avocados, pistachios, pistachio oil and salt. I thought it would be nice to replicate it at home and I did.

List of ingredients is short: ripe avocado, some good bread (I use Bakery Nouveau baguette or Grand Central Bakery's Piccolo Como), roasted pistachios, roasted pistachio oil and salt. To assemble, toast several slices of bread and place 3-4 thin slices of avocado on each, sprinkle with chopped pistachios and drizzle with pistachio oil. Salt in the end.

Japanese Sweets from Tokara

Last weekend I tasted something new - Japanese sweets called wagashi. My friends brought them over for Russian Orthodox Easter. They bought them from Tokara store. I tried three sweets - Sakura Robe, Petals of Cherry and Spring Daydream. All sweets looked beautiful. Taste wise they seemed all similar to me and I could taste the bean paste and sugar. It is definitely something unique that I have never tried before. But is it better than praline dream cake from Bakery Nouveau? Hmm, not for me. Yet. But I am sure there are people who appreciate and love wagashi. Hope some will find this post useful.

Tender Pork Chili Verde

One of my favorite Mexican dishes is Chili Verde. Few years back I learned how to make it at home by adapting a recipe from PCC Natural Markets. It takes a long time to make it (4 hours) but I love eating leftovers for lunch for several days. Ingredients list may seem long at first but a lot of them are spices. This is also a great dish to make for a big family dinner. Here is the recipe I use.


Ingredients:

For Chili Verde:
2.5 - 3 lbs of boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup of chicken stock
1/4 cup of white flour
1 yellow onion, half-moon sliced
1 poblano pepper, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of dried ground oregano
1 bay leaf
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive oil for cooking
Tomatillo Sauce (2-3 cups)

For Tomatillo Sauce:
7 fresh tomatillos, cleaned and cut into quarters
2 cups of chicken stock
1 green pepper, diced
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of dried ground oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste

Extra cilantro for garnish


Preparation:

1. Start by making the Tomatillo Sauce. Combine all ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 minutes until soft. Transfer to a blender/food processor and puree. I usually do this in two batches since my food processor is small. Set the sauce aside.


2. Preheat oven to 425F. Toss pork with flour using your hands. Salt and pepper to taste. Next I add about 2 tablespoons of oil and toss pork in it. Transfer pork on to a baking sheet and roast for about 45 minutes until crispy and brown. I usually turn pork after 20 minutes. Once cooked drain the excess fat and transfer pork to a clean bowl. You can turn the oven to 325F.

3. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a pan and on medium high heat saute onions, garlic and poblano peppers for 2 minutes. Add chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano and saute for another minute. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling turn the heat off and set aside.

4. It is time to assemble chili verde and bake it in the oven. You should have kept oven on at 325F. I use Le Creuset Cast Iron pot for this. I start out by putting a layer of pork on the bottom, then add onion mixture and bay leaf, then add chopped cilantro and pour tomatillo sauce. Mix with a wooden spoon. Cover the pot and bake in the oven for about 2 hours, stirring once or twice. Taste for salt and pepper. Add if needed. Serve with white or brown rice.

Lemongrass Chicken Skewers

 

Have you ever thought about making lemongrass chicken skewers at home? I have. I used to eat them at a restaurant and think how good it would be to be able to make them at home. So, about two years ago I made my first lemongrass chicken skewers and they turned out pretty good. So last week when I had some guests over I decided to make them again and some vegetable skewers. Below is the recipe I followed.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 stalks of lemongrass, white parts only
1 medium shallot
4 cloves of garlic
1 thai chili pepper
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of oyster sauce
1 tablespoon of honey
1 teaspoon of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Bamboo skewers

Preparation:

1. In a food processor chop together lemongrass stalks, garlic, shallot, chili and oil together until fine. Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Mix well.

2. Add chicken cubes and using your hands cover with the marinade. Let chicken marinate for 1 hour. At the same time soak bamboo skewers in a warm water.

3. After 1 hour thread chicken pieces on bamboo skewers. Grill chicken skewers for about 5 minutes per side. You can also make a dipping sauce but I did not. I served them with veggie skewers and a green salad.

Eating out in San Francisco, Sonoma and Napa

Earlier this month my family took a trip to San Francisco and Sonoma. Prior to our visit I read about places to eat in the Bay Area and made reservations at a few spots. Below I describe our experience at each of the places that I would go back to and recommend to others. This trip was different than others because we had an infant with us, which explains why we chose to go out during lunch time. Dining with the baby is not the same as without one but all places that we visited were accommodating.

First one is Nopalito - Mexican restaurant that serves sustainable and organic food. We stopped there for lunch before our walk in the Golden Gate Park. It was easy to find a spot at 2 p.m. on Friday afternoon. We shared three plates: Salad made from cara cara oranges, blood oranges and grapefruit, Fish Taco and Carnitas. Carnitas was definitely a highlight - pork was moist and you could taste orange and cinnamon. Fish Taco was uneventful.

Prices seem to be higher for a portion size. But I can't speak much about how reasonable prices were at this place since I have not dined in San Francisco a lot. I do know it is more expensive than a taco truck. I would classify this place as an upscale Mexican lunch spot targeting people who appreciate quality ingredients and are willing to pay a premium for them.

Our second memorable lunch stop was Moritomo in Napa. We watch Iron Chef all the time so when we knew we were heading down to Sonoma we decided to make reservations at his restaurant.

We got there at 1 p.m. - at the time when lunch crowd was dissipating. Overall, this place did not blow me away - it was a nice Japanese restaurant, we have few of these in Seattle. The prices, however, were much higher (at least 1.5 times what I am used to). Fish tasted very fresh. We ordered 10-hour braised pork belly with congee rice, Spicy Chirashi bowl, Bento Box with Black Cod and Kabocha Squash Sticky Toffee Cake. I would say pork belly gave us a taste of Morimoto's ability to add Asian flavor to any ingredient, just like on the Iron Chef. Dessert was very good too - I am biased of course since I love toffee and caramel! Below are pictures from our lunch.

The trip to Sonoma would not have been complete without going to my favorite restaurant The Girl and the Fig. This time we sat outside and enjoyed California sun. I ordered Duck Confit and my husband had Pork Belly sandwich - very decadent lunch I would say.

Frances was the only dinner spot in San Francisco we went out to on this trip. I made reservations 6 weeks in advance. The place is small, has vibrant environment, quality food at reasonable prices - no wonder it is hard to get reservations. We got the only large round table available for a party of 4 and a baby. So, if you plan on bringing a kid or kids with you, call way in advance and let them know that you will be bringing a stroller.

We ordered Applewood Smoked Bacon Beignets and Little Gem Salad as a starter and for dinner I had striped bass and my friends had steak and a duck breast. The meal was what you expected - excellent! The only disappointment was dessert - I was not thrilled with their offerings. All in all, I enjoyed this place and would go back.

This concludes my report about my dining experience in San Francisco and Wine Country. I hope it provides some ideas where to eat when you are in the Bay Area.

On this trip I also tasted Ledson Sauvingnon Blanc and right now it is my favorite white wine. Another travel tip: visit Visitor's information center in Napa and/or check in with your hotel's concierge to get one-for-two wine tasting coupons.

Grilled Caesar Salad with Warm Polenta Croutons

Grilling Romaine Lettuce is a fun variation to your regular Caesar Salad. I also made Polenta croutons to go with the salad instead of wheat croutons. Below is the recipe I followed.


Ingredients:

1 romaine lettuce heart, washed, pat dried and cut in half
2 tablespoons of Caesar Salad dressing
2 handfuls of Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Polenta croutons (optional)
Olive Oil

Preparation:

1. I first prepare Polenta croutons. Make polenta in advance (day or few hours before), pour it in a square container and let it solidify in a fridge. Polenta recipe is available on my blog, here is the link How to make Polenta? Take polenta out of container and cut into about 1 inch cubes. Fry Polenta in Olive Oil until golden brown on all sides. Use splatter screen to prevent oil splashing on you and stove. Keep croutons warm under the heat lamp.

2. Turn on the grill. Once the grill is hot brush some olive oil on it. Also brush both lettuce halves with olive oil. Grill lettuce for about 3-4 minutes turning few times until its outer layers start to wilt and form brown spots. Take lettuce off the grill and cut the stems off. To assemble the salad, place one romaine heart half on a plate, drizzle it with Caesar dressing (1 tablespoon), spread 1 handful of cheese on top and add 5-6 Polenta croutons. That's it! Salad is ready to serve.

Canada's Flavours Part 2 - Handmade Tamales

I love tamales when they are done right which in my experience does not happen too often. The only place that makes good tamales close by is Aqua Verde in U-District. However, it is not on their regular menu. I get them there when they are a "daily special." I have tried tamales in other Mexican restaurants and the biggest problem for tamale is to taste like a tough blob of corn which you try to mask with sour cream, cheese and piles of salsa.

Few years back I got introduced to the Flavours Magazine from Canada while on a trip to Victoria, BC. That issue had the recipe for tamales which I made. This week again I decided to make tamales. The best part of the recipe is the dough - it comes out moist, fresh and has a nice corn smell. Here is a link to the original recipe from Flavours and below I describe how I made them in my kitchen. 

Ingredients:

Filling
2 chicken breasts
4 fresh tomatillos
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and cut in half
1 clove of garlic
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup water
Fresh cilantro, few springs
Salt and Pepper to taste

Dough
1 pack of dried corn husks (I used Los Chileros brand)
2/3 cup of vegetable shortening
2 cups of dried corn masa mix
2 cups of water
1 teaspoon of baking powder
Salt to taste

Preparation:



1. Start out by softening the corn husks following the recipe on a package which is to boil a big pot of water, add dried corn husks to it, turn the heat off and let husks stay in hot water for 1 hour.

2. Next, prepare filling. Remove husks from tomatillos, wash them and cut in quarters. Add tomatillos, jalapeno pepper, garlic and onions into a small pot. Add water, salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until tomatillos are soft but not falling apart (10-15 minutes). Remove tomatillos from the heat and let cool.

3. You can cook chicken ahead of time. I simply fried 2 chicken breasts in olive oil in a pan and let them cool off. My food processor is small so I had to chop tomatillos and chicken separately and then combined them in a big bowl. I started by chopping tomatillos mixture and then chicken and cilantro. I tasted the filling for salt and added a bit more. I always err on a side of salting less than more since you can always add salt later but taking it out is tricky.

4. I followed the original recipe step by step in making the dough. I fluffed shortening with a fork first, then added corn masa, baking power and salt and thoroughly mixed all ingredients with my hands. I then added water and mixed ingredients together until the dough got to a spongy consistency.

5. Finally, we can assemble tamales. Take one corn husk and spread some dough in the middle, put filling closer to one side and then fold corn husk in half, fold one more time to keep the dough from falling out. Then fold the top and bottom of the husk and tie the tamale with a corn string (use one corn husk to make strings). Repeat the process. I made my tamales small. I also did not use all the filling. Steam tamales for 45 minutes. Serve with sour cream and salsa.