• 29Nov

    lI was on San Francisco for a work trip, and was not about to let the grueling conference schedule interfere with my penchant for finding random weird people at a happy hour someplace not a hotel bar. As usual, some obliging randoms (hi Juan, Mai, and JJ, if you’re reading this!) entertained me at a recommended bar (Vesuvio) one evening during my stay. Sadly, they’d been drinking all day and were ready for bed by about 10PM, leaving me to realize that I had not had anything but bar snacks for dinner, and was actually pretty hungry.

    So I wandered back towards my hotel, keeping an eye out for food. Being slightly tipsy and more than a little indecisive, I ended up steps from my hotel before realizing that I was still, in fact, hungry (and slightly tipsy). There I came across Cocobang. It’s near the hotel (a bad sign), but was full of people, including ones speaking Korean, drinking and eating and looking like they were having a good time (a good sign); anyways San Francisco is known for great food of the Asian variety, so I figured I’d give it a shot.

    I went in to the dark restaurant and was greeted by cheesy techno and a friendly host, who sat me in a corner where I could observe the whole scene. May I mention how much I love California’s smoking ban? In Atlanta, this place would have been full of cheap cigarette smoke. My server brought me tea (in a plastic cup), a menu, and asked if I’d been there before. I told him no, but that I loved Korean food and wanted to try his favorite dish on the menu. I don’t think he believed me, and tried to steer me towards the fried chicken wings which, on the next table, looked OK, but not at all like what I wanted.

    Again emphasizing that I wanted the regular version (as opposed to the for-whiteys version), I ordered the spicy beef short rib BBQ plate, because it smelled really good from the table on the other side of me from the chicken. I was loving the hilarious music videos being played on the giant TV over a bar that looks more like someone’s office than a place to set drinks (papers are piled high on top), and only nearly stopped myself from adding a soju cocktail to my order. But, I had to be up for work in the morning!

    My food came out: slices of beef in a neon red sauce. My server again looked incredulous when I told him that I didn’t need a fork and knife (I’d been glancing now and again at my neighbors, ensuring I had the proper technique in mind). Since the ribs were bone-in, and you really just had to gnaw the meat off the bones, it was messy and a bit of a challenge, but food’s more fun when you earn it!

    It was tasty, but not the best I’ve ever had. The sauce was nice – not much oil in it, letting the fat from the beef take care of that texture – and while not as spicy as I’d have liked (mine was clearly not as spicy (by smell alone) as the one next to me), it was not too sweet and still had good flavors. The accompanying kimchee, pickled soybeans, and radish were good too. I finished my meal, happily sated but not stuffed at all (the portion was really just right for me). I sipped tea and water, watched the really drunk patrons (most of the others there) and giggled at the videos.

    All told, Cocobang is not the kind of place I’d go out of my way for, but as far as tourist-district restaurants go, it was tasty, pretty cheap ($15 plus tax etc.), and open very late. If I was in town on vacation and staying near Union Square (OK, that’s not likely, but whatever), I’d probably end up there for end-of-night munchies.

    Cocobang
    550 Taylor St
    San Francisco, CA 94102
    (415) 292-5144

    -MAW

  • 26Nov

    Summer’s been over a while, and my food habits had gotten lazy. I needed a jolt: some dish that could pull me back to caring about food enough to spend the time to cook it. Discovering YDFM‘s bloody fabulous unpasteurized Parmesan was a good start, but it mostly just lead to Alfredo comas and suspicious decisions involving grits. Fall, it seems, was wasted on me. paulaner-oktoberfest

    But then came October and, better yet, Oktoberfest. Having drunk myself…drunk…all month, I ended up finding myself with a couple leftover bottles of Paulaner’s delightful seasonal. For reasons best left to everyone’s imaginations (quiet, you!), I realized they’d probably not get consumed in time, so I decided to try something a bit strange with some veggies, also nearly past due: I braised them. In beer. And put Parmesan on top. It’s like a very, very bougie ratatouille, and was bloody delicious, and easy, and a nice way to slide out of fall. I plan to keep on making until I get sick of it, which may be never. And it’ll be a great accompaniment to my Thanksgiving spread.

    Here’s the stuff:

    Preheat your oven to 350 while you chop.

    Fresh fennel, washed and cut into big bits (quarter the bulbs, etc)
    Yellow onion, similarly cut
    A couple handfuls diced carrot
    A couple handfuls diced red bell pepper

    And prep:
    Kosher salt
    Black pepper
    Enough Paulaner Oktoberfest to cover the rest
    Parmesan cheese (unpasteurized, though you could use pasteurized too, as long as it’s not from a green cylinder)

    Put everything except the cheese into a baking dish, and bake, uncovered, for about 15 minutes (less if the beer is not cold). After that time, take the dish out of the oven, stir things around, and sprinkle some cheese over top of the veggies. Now crank up the oven up to 400 and put the dish back in for 8-10 minutes, until the veggies are cooked. If you’ve used the right amount of beer, the cheese will get all nice and melty and brown, but if you’ve used too much, it’ll just melt into the liquid, which isn’t as elegant but may also be very tasty.

    Eat, preferably accompanied by the rest of that giant bloody beer you opened.

    Bonus: sopping up the clearly excessive quantities of braising liquid with hearty Bavarian rye bread. For dessert. Or breakfast. Possibly with all that leftover turkey.

    -MAW

  • 24Nov

    This article is by (Guest Blogger) Culinary Historian Michael Twitty of Afrofoodways.  I met him a few years ago at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, where he had an exhibit.   I have been bugging him to write an article for a couple of years now.  I expected a recipe with background story that tied his African American culture with his (adopted) Jewish faith..which this is not.  It’s a helluva read.  Thanks Michael.

    -JAY

    —————————–

    twit_frontI am not big on Thanksgiving.  I can’t stand the set menu.  It doesn’t mean much to me.  Sure, I love a brined breast or fried turkey leg as much as the next nouveau gourmet addicted to food porn and Paula Deen; but its okay—nothing special.  Besides, according to my adopted faith I’m supposed to eat a button-bursting meal the next day for the Sabbath.  Commercials with disgusting green bean casserole with those canned onion ring things sucked up by thuggin’ evergreens that take a bite and go all a flutter with Christmas queer?  Cranberry sauce from a can? Really? Cranberries hand-picked by Martha Stewart with a friggin’ 19th century cran-cradle and lovingly stewed into something that looks like the insides of road kill? Goyishe naches!

    I am not snarky. I’m actually the kind of metaphysical-spiritual-earthy-wispy food fairy that makes Anthony Bourdain want to go postal.  I am just annoyed that good food in American culture is symbolized by a meal the Pilgrims didn’t even eat.  It’s a holiday built on food fakelore and myths meant to re-connect North with South, immigrant with native, and 19th century Manifest Destiny with 17th century Gold, God and Glory. During the one pleasant memory I have of the holiday—the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade–my militant high-yellow grandmother used to remind me every year, “See them marching down Fifth Avenue; the Dutch ripped the Indians off for 24 bucks! Shame! Shame! The Indians should have put glass in the Pilgrim’s food—would have saved them some trouble!”  Grandma was multicultural when multicultural wasn’t cool.  Ripe with symbolism and cultural myths that have nothing to do with me and my people(s); and a menu that makes me want to regurgitate, I never liked Thanksgiving.  Maybe it never liked me.

    But I guess I’m Frank Capra enough to admit that Thanksgiving isn’t about the idol of Norman Rockwell’s images of tables of plenty.  It’s about the family and the friends and the connections between each other.  If you have a house to go to, and a table to sit around and food on the table to eat—you give thanks.  Thanks to God or the animals and plants that gave it up, or Mom for making it, or each other for being there, or gratitude for making it in traffic.  This isn’t about me and my cultural angst towards the blanket mandated closing of America and the earliest retail day of the year that follows it.  This is about being thankful and all that this means to us.

    It’s been a hard year.  I have to admit I’m poor like never before thanks to Ms. Recession. It sucks for most of us out here.  And yet I feel more connected to the past I study—the world of enslaved men and women—and their sharecropper kids.  I’m thankful that I have a precedent to rely on.  Stories of “wishmeat” sandwiches and great-grandparents who drank eight glasses of water while eight hungry kids sat around a table devouring a pot of beans with cornbread down to the last drop and crumb.  Without those weekly fasts, I might not be here.  I am thankful for a system of survival meant for times like these.

    This year I was fortunate to curate and cultivate a 19th century kitchen garden at the Montgomery County Historical Society. I’m grateful for the sixty-one different types of plants we grew there…many of which I got to taste and cook.  Collards and cabbages, carrots, parsnips, salsify, celery, parsley, lettuce, potatoes, onions, turnips and turnip greens, okra, heirloom tomatoes, peppers hot and sweet, sweet potatoes, corn, pattypan squash, green beans, lima beans, black eyed and other field peas, peanuts, nasturtiums, pumpkins, muskmelons, basil, oregano, marjoram, sage, mint, thyme, rosemary came from the giving earth.  Each sprout, each flowering, each fruiting made my hand tremble.  I was partner with the earth and not its enemy to make my food come alive.  Green glaze collards sliced up with red onions and streaked fish peppers and garlic and olive oil and chicken stock over Carolina Gold rice plated with edible nasturtiums in reddish orange, pinkish yellow and sunburst amber blossoms.  Wow! Thanks, isn’t the word.  Reverence comes closer.

    I’m thankful that my Mother is still here to teach me what real food should taste like and the secrets of our brand of Southern cooking—courtesy of southern Ohio by way of Alabama by way of Virginia and the Carolinas by way of Africa, England and the villages of my Creek ancestors.  I chatted her up about shelling bags of crowder peas on the stoop, footlong (“Were they really?) Kentucky Wonder beans, about men selling sugarcane and watermelons from the backs of trucks, grilling pork chops over hot charcoal and chicken wire; and tea cakes—a fluffy Southern adaptation of English tea biscuits that every Black woman in my grandmother’s generation had a recipe for.  I’m thankful she still tests me—how does a fresh potato roll keep from getting soggy?  How do you know skirt steak gravy is ready to come together?  How do you clean a collard properly?

    I give thanks for being able to give back.  It’s giving kids just learning the joy of growing their own food, heirloom seeds and lessons in Black food history at the Washington Youth Garden.  It’s being aware that a homeless person took a couple of healthy bites from the corners of the historical garden.  It’s hands of bananas and cans of tuna to the men and women who advertise their hunger on Rockville Pike.  Thankfulness is taking my 91 year old Grandfather from South Carolina to the Obama inauguration and stuffing him with fried chicken and in his words, “a hot samm’ich” after walking him back “a country mile” to the Imani temple where his van was docked.  Being thankful is appreciating being able to have places to write for.

    -Michael Twitty

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  • 24Nov

    Washingtonian tagged us here in their recent article about using Thanksgiving leftovers.  I gave a bunch of ideas, and this was the one they asked me for additional information about.  They tagged about a dozen local food bloggers.

    -JAY

    Washingtonian_logoTired of Pumpkin Pie Yet?

    • Jason, DCFud.com

    Cranberry Parfait

    “I like to use my homemade cranberry sauce as a topping on vanilla or chocolate ice cream. If you want to bring it to the next level, make a parfait out of it with yogurt and granola or crushed cookies. Gingersnaps, lemon cookies, oatmeal cookies, or even cubed pound cake will work. Layer the vanilla yogurt, cranberry sauce, and your granola or crushed cookies. Make two layers of each ingredient. Serve the parfaits in something glass, like a large wine goblet, so you can see the layers.””

    In my communications with them, I had actually included this cranberry sauce recipe as well:

    * Boil 1 cup of water with 1 cup sugar, and stir until sugar is dissolved.

    * Reduce heat to medium.

    * Add one bag of cranberries (12 ounces) and cook it for about ten minutes, until the berries pop.

    * You can then add 1/2 to 3/4 of a teaspoon of freshly grated orange or lemon zest.

    A variation that I enjoy is to add two chopped pears to the hot dissolved water/sugar for 3 minutes and then add the berries until they pop.


  • 20Nov

    vegan apple crunch-top pieI ran into Debbie Miller of Art of Compassion at an art opening.  She isn’t the first person to ask for vegan representation on DCFUD, but she was willing to provide some…in the form of some upcoming events and this pie recipe.   Thanks for the article Debbie.

    -JAY

    ——————————-

    ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Thanksgiving. For a vegan looking for a delicious, cruelty- free way to celebrate Thanksgiving, the internet is an invaluable too. Thank goodness for Google searches and Yahoo searches and any searches really. Type in Vegan Thanksgiving and up pops 12 million plus hits.

    vegan pumpkin custard pieFor those in DC who wish to celebrate with like-minded folks, here are two such celebrations that come to mind. Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary will host its annual Thanksgiving with the Turkeys potluck this Saturday, 11/21 from noon to 4:00. Of course the animals eat first, and the amazing food brought by DC area vegans will knock your (cotton) socks off.

    The Vegetarian Society of DC will host its annual Thanksgiving feast in Bethesda (almost DC…) on Thanksgiving Day from noon to 5:00. (You must arrive no later than 1:00.)

    For those who prefer a more homespun, “traditional” Thanksgiving feast, there are plenty of healthful, cruelty-free ways to celebrate. Truth be told, most regular Thanksgiving sides – yams, squash, roasted veggies, various casseroles, stuffing, etc – are pretty delicious and are already vegan or easy to veganize by subbing Earth Balance for butter, soy creamer for heavy cream, and Ener-G egg replacer or whizzed-up tofu for eggs.

    Really, it’s so unnecessary to kill the bird to get wonderful food on Thanksgiving.  But, if you really feel as though Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete with out a “centerpiece” food dish, there are a ton of easy and delicious turkey and meat alternatives. Tofurkey (don’t laugh…), Field Roast, tempeh, seitan, Portobello mushroom anything, are all easily available. Again, the internet is a great recourse for shopping tips and recipes. Of course you might not get the tryptophan-induced drowsiness, but heck, that’s what wine is for.

    To me Thanksgiving dessert means pie! Really, it’s my favorite part of the meal. Below are recipes for a pumpkin custard pie, courtesy of www.cancerproject.org, and an apple crunch-top pie which I have been making for 25+ years. Most store-bought pie crusts are vegan. (Actually, a lot prepared stuff you already eat is vegan, you just might not be looking as closely at the label as I do.)

    Pumpkin Custard Pie

    (Serves 6)

    In this recipe, cornstarch replaces eggs as a thickener.

    Filling:
    1-1/2 cups soymilk
    4 tablespoons cornstarch
    1-1/2 cups cooked pumpkin
    1/2 cup raw sugar or other sweetener
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
    1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

    Fat-free pie crust: (Honestly, you can make your own regular pie crust, purchase a frozen store-bought crust, or make this crust-less in a 9 X 12 Pyrex baking dish – it’s all good!)
    (makes one 9” crust)
    1 cup Grape Nuts cereal
    1/4 cup apple juice concentrate
    Preheat oven to 350° F.

    Mix the Grape Nuts and apple juice concentrate. Pat into a 9” pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then cool before filling.

    For the filling:
    Preheat the oven to 375° F.

    In a large bowl, whisk together the soymilk and cornstarch until smooth, then blend in remaining ingredients. Pour into pie shell (recipe follows) and bake for 45 minutes, or until firm. Cool before cutting. Serve with vegan whipped cream or soy ice cream.

    Nutrition information per slice: 203 calories, 3.6 g protein, 47 g. carbohydrate, 0.6 g fat, 3% of calories from fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 347 mg sodium.

    Apple Crunch-top Pie

    (Serves 8)

    About 6 large tart apples (I like Granny Smith)
    1 Unbaked frozen pie crust
    1 cup graham cracker crumbs (don’t crunch up too fine, some larger pieces are good)
    1 cup sugar or succanat
    ½ cup flour
    ½ chopped pecans
    ¼ to ½ teaspoon cinnamon
    ½ to 1 whole stick of Earth Balance butter spread (use less if you’re worried about fat/calories)

    Preheat oven to 350° F.

    Take one pie crust out of freezer and place on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. This is a messy pie, and this step will spare your oven.

    Peel, core and cut the apples into 1/8, then cut each 1/8 into 1/3 or ¼. Put the apples in the pie crust until they create a nice mound above the rim of the crust.

    Mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar (or succanat), flour, pecans and cinnamon in a bowl. Using your hands, add on top of the apple mound and pat down.

    Melt the Earth balance and slowly drizzle on top of the pie.

    Bake at for 1 hour.

    Serve as is or with vegan whipped cream or soy ice cream.

    I have no idea what the nutritional information is, but I know this is one damn good pie. Note: The topping is great for those times you have fruit about to go bad. Put in a baking dish or pie crust. Add the topping. Bake. Yum!

    Go online (wait… you already are online if you’re reading this) and type into your search engine your favorite Thanksgiving food with the word “vegan” in front of it. Chances are you will find a really wonderful, easy to prepare vegan recipe to take to your family gathering. Here’s the really fun part, don’t tell anyone it’s vegan. I bet even your rotund, carnivorous uncle Harold with the napkin stuffed in his collar won’t even know the difference.

    Whether you’re concerned with animal welfare, your health, the planet, are trying to cut costs, or you just want to try something new, treat yourself this Thanksgiving to a meal free from animal products. You’ll be thankful for the good karma points you get.

    Debbie Miller

  • 19Nov

    I’m in the middle of a crisis.  It’s not that I’m watching Angels in American while drinking pink champagne.  That my friends, that is divine!  Here is my problem; an age old conundrum that haunts us all at one time or another – where do I eat and what should I order?

    Let me use Thanksgiving as a case study.  My parents are coming for dinner – that makes us a party of four.  I love to cook – the brown butter pound cake fresh from the oven to my right would agree to this.  But for only four people, the hassle of Thanksgiving preparation becomes almost unbearable.  So, we shall eat out…but where?  Everyone loves Citronelle.  The Blue Duck Tavern was ok the first time I went, but if the Obama’s can date night there, may be its gotten better!  Rasika perhaps?  In the end, we’ve picked Corduroy.

    Why Corduroy?  Because it suits everyone’s needs.  Some hate fish, others don’t eat meat.  I’ve looked at the menu for Central – it looks delicious – but my partner won’t stick a chunk of bumblebee in his mouth unless there’s some mayo smothered on top.  I’ll probably never eat at Central.  Another place I’ll probably never eat – Wolfgang Puck’s offering. Asian-fusion speaks to everyone born after 1972, but it’s closed on Sunday.  Like Komi.  Chefs, I work hard for a living -hard, long hours.  Saturday is time to spend at home with my loved ones.  Sunday, I can eat out.  But not at The Source or Komi unfortunately.

    My point, as I come up for air through my rambling, is that I will probably never eat at some of the best restaurants in Washington, D.C.  Not for lack of resources or interest, but because dining out, is, in the end, compromise.  I eat out with people I enjoy – and if they hate seafood, good-bye Hook.  Should I go by myself?  Some people would.  I’ve seen a movie by myself, and I’ve buffeted at Bob’s Big Boy solo, but I’m not going top notch as a single.  Where’s the fun in it?  It’s all for the food some would say.  But eating is a communal act, and I need someone to trash talk the scallops with!

    Where do I eat, and what do I order?  I order what I want – I’m a big boy, like Bob, and I eat where everyone can enjoy the experience.  Everyone’s hungry?  Perkins is a no.  But we may stroll over to Open City.  Food is best when savored with company.   When everyone at the table is happy, the gods smile down from their endless serving of ambrosia, knowing in that moment, that we are all eating from the same dish.

    AEK

  • 17Nov

    gordon-ramsayHere you go…one opportunity for cooks and one for chefs.  Contact them ASAP for the “All Cooks” opportunity.  Good luck.

    -JAY

    ————-

    GORDON RAMSAY: COOKALONG LIVE CASTING
    ATTENTION ALL COOKS – ANY LEVEL!!!
    Deadline Extended to Nov 20.

    Do you have the passion for cooking, but lack certain skills?

    Have you always wanted to work alongside a professional chef
    to observe his or her technique?

    Do you watch cooking shows to get ideas for recipes and meals for your family?

    DO YOU WANT A CHANCE TO APPEAR ON A NEW FOX PRIMETIME SPECIAL FROM YOUR OWN HOME FEATURING:Â

    WORLD-RENOWNED CHEF GORDON RAMSAY?

    If this sounds like you, then contact us quickly!

    GORDON RAMSAY: COOKALONG LIVE is a one-hour live special that will air on December 15, 2009 at 9:00 PM ET/PT on FOX

    We are looking for Couples, Families, Best Friends or just YOU
    — People who have a PASSION to COOK and a passion to LEARN!
    Download the Application and Submit by Nov 20.

    —————–

    “HELL’S KITCHEN” IS NOW CASTING THE BEST CHEFS IN AMERICA!
    FOX’s SIZZLING unscripted series “HELL’S KITCHEN” is back again as Chef Gordon Ramsay looks for the BEST of the BEST to work beside him in the HOTTEST kitchen on Earth! The nationwide casting call starts September 28, 2009, and we’re in search of America’s culinary elite who not only have the SKILLS, but the STAMINA to cook alongside the infamous CHEF GORDON RAMSAY.

    “HELL’S KITCHEN” will follow the chefs 24/7 through the perils of working in Chef Ramsay’s PRESSURE filled restaurant, capturing the wrath, emotion and adrenaline rush that comes with cooking in a top-notch restaurant. Contestants will have to prove they have the endurance and skills to work with Chef Ramsay, as they are pushed to their limits.

    CASTING is searching for Chefs, 21 and over, who are outspoken, competitive and can stand the HEAT in one of the MOST EXCLUSIVE and TOUGHEST kitchens in the world. Applicants must be passionate, skilled at their craft and aim to become the next winner of “HELL’S KITCHEN.”

    Click here to apply online.

    You must submit a digital picture to complete the online application. If you cannot submit a picture online, please download and complete the mail-in application, and send it in with pictures to:

    The Conlin Company
    11825 Major St Ste 106
    Culver City CA 90230

    Click here to download the mail-in application.

    Click here to find casting open call info for your city. You can meet the casting directors in person for your best chance to be on the show.
    Apply Online!

  • 09Nov
    The Neelys presenting on the big screen

    The Neelys presenting on the big screen.

    I attended the Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show yesterday.  I attended two Presentations.

    The Neelys:

    The Neelys had a good crowd and  took questions;  someone gushed about how great it is to see an example of “black love” on TV.  They are an awesome couple.  The Neelys worked together well and are a great example of a healthy and playful married couple.  They also asked Neelys trivia and gave the trivia contest winners bottles of their BBQ sauce.

    At one point, six or so women had asked questions, and Pat asked “Where are the men?” and there I was, next in line to ask a question.

    Pat: “Where’s you wife?” (I look around playfully like I’m looking to find a woman to marry.)  “Do you cook?”

    Me:  “Yes and I’m a food writer.” (He looked suitably impressed.)  The women were asking a lot of “touchy feely” type questions so I went the more logical route with “What are some ingredients you feel are underutilized in the home kitchen?”

    Gina:  “Tofu.  Oh, you didn’t mean a meat did you?”

    I don't remember what he said that got her Mad.  They play around like that a lot. :)

    I don't remember what he said that got her mad. They play around like that a lot. 🙂

    Me: “That isn’t meat.” (I gave her a big smile and she smiled back.)

    Gina: “Right.  It’s vegetarian.”

    Pat: “Hickory.  And, paprika, which we love so use a lot, but I don’t think is used much in people’s homes.  People should cook what they like.  We cook what we like.”

    He isn’t into broadening his taste buds as much as I would have expected.

    Gina (to me): “Hey, were you in Miami?”

    Me: “No.” (I didn’t realize this was a routine of hers and had started to leave the question line.)

    Gina:  “He’s walking off.”  (So, I got back to the mike so she could finish her routine.) “I was dancing on tables in Miami and someone taped it and put it on Youtube.  Was that you?”

    Me: “No, but the second I get home, I’m doing a web search.”  (She laughed.)

    They were awesome and I had a great time talking to them.  They make you feel like part of their family.

    The birthday girl next to me had been invited to the stage for samples and she returned with three; she brought back one for her, one for her sister, and one for me.  It was a cheese fritter and was crispy, but under seasoned.  It must be difficult to cook and perform before a camera at the same time.

    ————-

    Mike Hanratty of "Mie n Yu" all set up and ready to cook

    Mike Hanratty of "Mie n Yu" all set up and ready to cook.

    I also watched Mike Hanratty of Mie N Yu doing a presentation at another cooking stage.  He made a Moroccan beef dish with vegetables and a fruit sauce.  It was delicious and he was nice enough to email me the recipes to share with you.  He said that he uses a variety of cuts for this dish including short ribs or brisket.

    Moroccan Style Braised Beef

    Serves 6

    Ingredients

    4 lbs. boneless beef chuck cut into 2” wide pieces

    hanratty22 quarts water

    1 lb. pitted prune

    ½ cup olive oil

    1 yellow onion, chopped

    ½ cup ginger, chopped

    1 bunch parsley

    1 cup soy sauce

    1 teaspoon cuminhanratty1

    1 teaspoon chili powder

    ½ cup sherry wine

    2 teaspoons garlic, sliced

    1 bunch oregano (or 2t dry)

    1 teaspoon turmeric

    1 teaspoon salt

    1 teaspoon black pepper

    Combine onions, garlic, ginger, herbs, and spices in a blender.  Blend until the mixture is pour-able.   In a deep dish or pot, pour mixture over the beef.  Mix beef into the marinade with your hands to make sure it is well covered.  Let stand in the refrigerator overnight.  The next day remove the meat from the marinade, scraping off the excess.  Save the marinade.   Heat a large bottomed pot, add the oil and begin to brown the meat on all sides. Add the water, marinade, and prunes and simmer on the stove top, or in a crock pot for 2 ½ hours.  When the meat is tender, remove it from its cooking liquid and lay it out on a baking sheet or plate.  Allow the liquid to cool and return to the blender.  Blend thoroughly and then pour the liquid through a strainer.  Re-combine the beef with the finished sauce.  Serve with roasted vegetables, fruit and sliced almonds.

    Moroccan Roasted Vegetables

    Ingredients

    1 pound potato

    1 pound carrot

    1 pound turnip

    2 ounces olive oil

    ½ bunch cilantro

    1 teaspoon garlic, chopped

    1 teaspoon ground coriander

    1 teaspoon ground cumin

    1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped

    1 teaspoon turmeric

    1 teaspoon salt

    2 teaspoons black pepper

    Cut the vegetables into pieces about half inch wide.  Combine all other ingredients in a bowl and toss together with the vegetables.  Line a baking sheet with paper and cooking spray.  Spread the vegetables evenly onto the sheet.  Roast in a 400 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes.  When finished the vegetables should be slightly brown and tender enough to pierce with a fork.

    Moroccan Fruit

    Ingredients

    1 pound golden raisins

    1 pound dried apricot

    1 pound pitted prune

    1 cup granulated sugar

    1 cup honey

    1 ½ cups white wine

    2 cups water

    ¼ ounce saffron

    2 cinnamon sticks

    Place the fruit in a medium sauce pot.  Add the water, wine, sugar, cinnamon, and honey.  Bring to a simmer.  Cook on a low simmer for 20 minutes.  Add the saffron, check to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot.  Add more water if needed and cook for 20 more minutes.  Remove from the heat to cool.  The finished product should be plump pieces of fruit with golden yellow syrup.

  • 06Nov

    burrito box3Burritos have been street food in DC for years but tend to be the vegetarian variety as witnessed in last year’s DCFUD article: A Tale Of Two Burrito Stands.

    Colin Hudson has opened a non vegetarian burrito stand called “The Burrito Box” in Ballston near the Ballston Mall and 30 feet from Pupatella.

    I’ve tried his (vegetarian) tortilla soup, but he has since upgraded it; I’ll try it again soon.  The beef and chicken burrito included corn, black beans, onions, peppers, and a green salsa.  It was good although the beef was a tad tough but he uses a lower fat cut of meat.  In general, the stand leans towards lower fat options (and has vegetarian options as well). He does a good job of mixing up the ingredients in the burrito so that the rice is coated and flavorful.

    Burrito Box is a new stand, and a work in progress.  Colin just upgraded from hand-written to self-printed menus and will get laminated menus soon.  He is

    Colin selling tacos.

    Colin selling tacos.

    also still working on the menu.

    Stop by, get some takeout, give him some foodback, and give him a reason to stick it out all winter in the freezing cold. 🙂

    Mon – Fri: 7:30 am – 10:00 am for breakfast (breakfast burritos etc.) and 11:30am-3:00pm for lunch.

    -JAY

  • 03Nov

    GiadaDeLaurentiis_0This is your reminder that this show is in DC this weekend at the Walter Washington Convention Center. I’ve been to it in the past and it’s  a good show – I even volunteered at it one year and got to see the Dean Brothers in action.  I’m seeing the Neely’s presentation this year.

    Here is the show’s facebook.

    ———————-

    Come meet Food Network celebrities Paula Deen, Giada De Laurentiis, Tyler Florence, Guy Fieri, and the Neelys!

    The Metropolitan Cooking & Entertaining Show features more than 250 exhibitors, live cooking demonstrations by nationally renowned chefs, tasting and entertaining workshops, plus presentations from Food Network celebrities.

    This is a one-of-a kind event for anyone who loves to cook or entertain!

    DC’s hottest chefs presenting culinary demonstrations at the upcoming event include:
    -Chef Victor Albisu, BLT Steak
    -Chef Cathal Armstrong & Todd Thrasher, Restaurant Eve, Eammon’s, The Majestic
    -Chef RJ Cooper, Vidalia
    -Chef David Deshaies, Michel Richard Citronelle
    -Chef Daniel Giusti, 1789 Restaurant
    -Diane Gross, CORK Wine Bar
    -Chef Mike Hanratty, Mie N Yu
    -Chef Mike Isabella, Zaytinya
    -Chef Jamie Leeds, Hank’s Oyster Bar, CommonWealth
    -Chef Patrice Olivon, L’Academie de Cuisine
    -Khalid Pitts, CORK Wine Bar
    -Chef Barton Seaver, Blue Ridge
    -Chef Bryan Voltaggio, VOLT
    -Pastry Chef Thomas Wellings, Equinox
    -Chef Robert Wiedmaier, Brabo, Brasserie Beck, Marcel’s

    ——————————-

    Here is the show’s schedule of events.

    -JAY

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