Okay, I wish I could say I’m that clever, but alas this is just my take on one of my favourite pickles by Rick’s Picks, a local pickle artisan with pithy pickles like Phat Beets and Wasabeans. I love all their preserved produce, but at 13 bucks a pop, it’s a splurge I can’t indulge as often as I’d like to (especially considering I’m prone to eating an entire jar in 1 sitting if someone doesn’t take them away from me).
They have a tangy bite with a smoky spice that’s mellowed out by the slick crunchy texture of the okra. I can’t think of anything better to pair with BBQ’ed and smoked meats, or even a hamburger. But personally I could just go on eating them out of the jar until there are none left.
The other day I saw some svelte young okra lying in wait at the farmers market and I just couldn’t help but cop a feel. They were covered in soft blonde fuzz and radiated a particularly enticing shade of green without a scar or bruise in sight. I quickly scooped up a few handfuls knowing exactly what I’d be doing with them when I got home…
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I’m fascinated by foods that have been transplanted from one country to another and in the process become their own unique dish. Some dishes like Chop Suey get totally lost in the translation, while others, like Tacos Al Pastor, and Japanese Curry take on a different, though no less tasty life of their own.
This dish originated in northern China as a dish called Zhajiang mian. In its native form, it’s a fried mixture of fried scallions, garlic, ground pork, and black bean paste that’s all served over a bed of thick wheat noodles. The dish migrated to Korea with Chinese immigrants and there it began to change. The Korean-Chinese dish is called Ja Jang Myeon and is a popular staple in Chinese restaurants there. As it evolved, it took in more veggies like onion and zucchini, and got a black bean “gravy” thickened with cornstarch.
I’ve had both versions and my recipe below takes it in a new direction. It’s lighter than both the original and Korean versions and has a full compliment of veggies. The sauce is less cloying and strikes a pleasant balance between sweet and savoury, enrobing the veggies and noodles like a satiny black cloak. I don’t like wimpy noodles and this dish is no exception. I’ve found that dried linguine cooked al dente makes the perfect foil for the sauce, putting up a good fight from the beginning until the very last noodle is slurped up.
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I won something today. It wasn’t a plastic tchotchke from a trade coference, nor was it a Publisher’s Clearing House giveaway… I actually won 10lbs of something delicious because some people over at Marx Foods liked my burger! It’s the first food competition I’ve ever won and given all the tasty looking entries, I’m pretty excited to have won. This means I’ll have 10lbs of kobe beef hamburger to store/cook/eat, so expect some more burger recipes over the next few weeks.
For those that haven’t heard of them, Marx Foods has an awesome selection of hard-to-find foods ranging from kangaroo meat to truffles to a plethora of seaweeds. A great resource when a recipe calls for Poussin and you start thinking dirty thoughts.
I wish I could share the prize with all you readers since my waistline doesn’t need another 10lbs of anything added to it, but after you’ve had a few pieces of this watermelon you’ll feel like you’ve won something too.
This is a no-cook dessert that’s so simple it’s not really even a recipe, perfect for the middle of summer. I also can’t claim it entirely as my own since it was wholly inspired by Michelle’s wine-marinated grapes over at Thursday Night Smackdown.
The watermelon doesn’t freeze solid and is more like a popsicle in texture. The alcohol flavor is totally subdued by the cold temperatures so it’s one of those things where you eat a few pieces and wonder why you feel so good.
The best part is that nothing goes to waste. The wine that the watermelon soaks in takes on a great watermelon flavour and makes a fantastic sangria. If you really want to make the most use of the watermelon, you can also peel the rind and salt it to make pickled watermelon rind (more on this some other time).
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Given that steak is such a dense heavy dish I never fully understood why steakhouse sides are always so heavy. Don’t get me wrong, I love me a good baked potato with butter, sour cream, cheddar, bacon and chives, but it’s not exactly what I’d call a contrast up against a big hunk of grilled meat.
Creamed spinach is one of those steakhouse sides that I’ve always loved in theory (what’s not to like about a veggie that consists of more cream and butter than spinach?). But every time I tried to order it (usually in a steakhouse) I was so filled up by the headline act that the thick cloying side just didn’t work for me.
For my version, I went with another green veggie that has a bit more texture that could stand up to the bechamel. Instead of cream, I used milk, although you’re welcome to put the cream back in if you’ve been feeling a little skinny lately. I added gruyere to give it some more depth and a nice crusty top and since steak dinners have a certain decadence about them, I added some earthy truffle oil and shaved black truffles.
Honestly though you could leave the shaved truffles ($15 an ounce) out as a few drops of the truffle oil adds plenty of flavour at a much more reasonable price. Also, if you’ve never used truffle oil before, be careful, a little goes a long way and I find that too much oil makes stuff taste rather unpleasant.
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Perhaps it’s your body telling you that you need more iron, or maybe it’s a commercial you saw on TV, but sometimes you get a hankerin’ for a big juicy steak that just can’t be satisfied by any other means. In New York that usually means you head to Peter Luger’s, Strip House, Craft Steak, or one of the other dozen premium steak houses in town. This also means your wallet will be about $150 lighter.
Being on a budget, I almost never go to a steak house as it’s about the easiest thing you can make at home and it will cost less than 1/3 of the price. All you need is a good cut of meat, a heavy bottomed pan and timer. I went with two 10 oz. dry aged rib eye steaks from Whole Foods at $25 a lb. It’s not the best piece of meat I’ve ever had, but it was a heck of a lot better than most steaks I’ve had in restaurants and took me about 10 minutes from start to finish.
The trick is to get a heavy bottomed pan (which means the heat is distributed evenly) really hot then sear the steaks on either side for a few minutes. Doing it over medium heat ensures an enticing brown crust without destroying a stainless steel pan and a sheet of aluminum foil prevents a huge mess of splattered grease.
Chimichurri sauce is an Argentinian condiment served with meat that usually consists of oil, parsley, and some kind of acid, but for my version, I opted for mint and lime. It lightens up the heavy hunk of beef and provides a nice tart contrast while the olive oil adds some extra body to the meat.
I served this a with truffle creamed chard which I’ll tell you more about tomorrow.
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