“Icky” foods. What’s yours?

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What’s a food that you absolutely-under-whatever-circumstance cannot stand?

tofu

In my recent discovery of my passion for food-writing (because let’s face it, my passion for food in general has always been known), I’ve gotten to reap some pretty amazing benefits. One such benefit has been getting to taste an incredible variety of different foods and beverages while wearing a press pass. Thank you Taste Terminal! I’ve gotten good feedback from family, friends and other bloggers. Getting to answer How’s it going? How’s the food? Have you gained any weight from it? with a Heck yes, I’ve gained weight… and it’s AMAZING has been pretty great. However, one question that still bothers me is, What’s the least favorite thing you’ve ever eaten?

How can I answer that?

My cousin recently told me that she hoped I stumbled upon something absolutely repulsive. Or rather, Jealous!!! Until you have to try something nasty lol :) . She said that jokingly of course. At least I hope so. I’m happy to say that I have yet to encounter this. I haven’t found a food that I particularly dislike. I’m a firm believer in trying everything once. All the foods that I’m not the biggest fan of, I make sure to give a “second chance” at some point.

For instance: tofu. I despised tofu as a child. tofu-catagoryIt’s mushy and tastes gross! I believe that it was sometime in High School that I eventually gave it another go. To be honest, I think I tried it just to “fit in” with all the other girls trying to be healthy, going vegetarian and what not. I went on a tofu-eating binge to make myself like it. I tried this coagulated soy milk in every which way. I found that fried tofu, served in agedashi sauce works best. It stuck.

Another example: lamb. I could not for the longest time truly enjoy it while my family members devoured the sizzling rack in front of me. I’m not sure what it was. Maybe the taste of herbs and grass? Maybe the image in my head of the countless cute sheep I had wanted as pets at the State Fair petting zoos? Who knows. A little less than two years ago is when I gave in and stopped giving a bahhh about those damned sheep.flat,550x550,075,f

It was when I had first signed up for the teaching program in Greece. How was I going to survive in a country where lamb was one of the main staples? Again, binge. This time on lamb chops and gyros. Eventually, it stuck.

Lo and behold, I didn’t end up going to Greece. Instead it was Spain where it was ham in lieu of lamb. Did I mention I was never a big fan of porky meats either (besides bacon, of course)? Barcelona came and I got used to it. ¡Melón con jamón, por favor! Seriously, yum.

mare_spiced_lamb_chops_vTwo years ago, answering that question would have been a breeze. Today though… it has me completely stumped! What food(s) would I never try again?

I can’t…. really can’t think of one!

My mom let me know on numerous occasions what a weird kid I was growing up. Whereas many children my age would prefer pizza and fish sticks as their dinner of choice, my requests would be raw onions and steamed clams. What???
Once this foodie thing really kicked in I had my mind set on trying more exotic foods. Try everything at least once, right? So I picked snake. Why? Probably because as a kid I was obsessed with Indiana Jones: The Temple of Doom. Alright, that’s a lie. I’m still obsessed with that movie. That dinner scene when they’re presented with a huge boa constrictor? Yep. I wanted to eat it. Temple-of-Doom-Snake-Dish

Three years ago on a family trip to the motherland, Cambodia, I got to finally try snake. I just wanted to be more of an adventurous eater. I didn’t think I’d actually like it. Neither did my mom. I thought, hey at least I’ll be able to say I tried it! Right. Instead, to my mothers disdain, I smiled and said, tastes like chicken, Ma! I have to say that on this same trip I also got to taste fried tarantula and actually enjoyed that as well.

So, there you have it. I’m S-T-U-M-P-E-D. Maybe that’s just cause to travel more? To get to see, smell and taste different dishes that I haven’t gotten to yet. One day.

Today though, I ask in all seriousness… What is/was your least favorite food? Where’d you have it? Would you ever eat it again?
And more importantly, what would you recommend that I try?

Delicious when fried

Good eatin’!!!

Note: All photos featured were found via the “interweb”. Except the one of my pops with the tarantula. Boss.

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Foodies Unite! Ravenous for Ravioli.

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Homemade lemon-pepper ricotta-stuffed ravioli with sage butter sauce – Chef Julia Mallon.

I’ve always had this irrational fear of making things from scratch. Why spend 5 hours making pasta when you can go out to the stores, pick up a bag and whip up a dish under 30 minutes? Convenience, right?
Sure. But if you’re one that truly enjoys cooking — you’ll understand the pleasure of putting in a bit more effort into what you cook. The satisfaction you get from getting to say, Hey, I made that! I actually made that!… well, really can’t be beat.
What’s more is just how simple and easy making fresh ricotta and pasta is. Not joking even in the slightest bit. The daunting task of making things from scratch? No big deal.

Thanks to my newfound Chef of a friend, Julia (I am incredibly excited to finally have found a buddy to get nerdy about food with), two easy-peasy recipes that have got me smiling:

Ricotta

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1/2 gallon whole milk
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon of salt

In a large pot add milk, vinegar and salt. Bring the milk’s temperature up to 185-200 F. Stir occasionally. The milk will curdle (this is your ricotta!). Remove from heat and let it sit for 10 minutes to continue curdling.
With a slotted spoon, transfer ricotta to cheese cloth in a colander. Let the cheese drain for a dryer product.

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Add some lemon and pepper. Salt to taste of course. The outcome is marvelous alone.

If you’re using it to make ravioli, add one egg yolk to the ricotta. It will help bind the cheese when you’re stuffing it into the pasta.

Ravioli (good for two people)

1/2 cup Semolina flour
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 egg
Olive oil

On a flat surface (a counter top in our case), mix the Semolina and all-purpose flours. Create a little hole in the middle of the mound to add egg and oil.

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Mix the ingredients together and form a nice round ball with the dough.

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Set it in a bowl and cover it with saran wrap. Let it sit in the fridge for at least half an hour.

After letting the dough sit, cut it into portions. With your hands, shape the dough to fit into whatever sized pasta maker you might have. Since we’re making ravioli, a small rectangular shape works best. Roll through, setting the levels each time. Julia’s pasta maker had grades of 1-7. Thus, first start with level one. Roll the dough through and on to level two! I am an amazingly talented poet. So on a so forth until you’ve got yourself a long strip of fairly translucent pasta!

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Add the ricotta by the dollop. Make sure that you don’t add too much so that it ends up spilling out the ends when you cut the pasta into pieces. We learned that the hard way. Made for some pretty sad raviolis.

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Using just egg whites (the yolk is incorporated into the ricotta), brush around the ricotta dollops. This will keep the two layers (assuming you’ve made two layers of pasta already. Did I forget to mention that? Yes, make two layers) together.

Add the second layer, pressing down and around the ricotta. Using a ravioli “stamp”, as I like to call it, cut out your cute little pastas!

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Really, how adorable is that?

Place ravioli’s one at a time into salted, boiling water. Once they start to float you know they’re done.

For the sauce, add butter and fresh sage leaves to a sauté pan. Once the butter has melted, reduce the heat and let it continue to brown. The ravioli should be finished at this point. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the raviolis directly into the sage-butter mixture. And presto! Get ready to dig in.

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I realize how much work this would actually be if you were having a large dinner party, but for two ladies on a Sunday night with time to kill, this simple dinner was amazing and definitely worth the wait. Julia and I, needless to say, devoured every single bite. We were pretty famished at 22:00. As I said before, I am thrilled to have befriended another foodie. So what that it took almost 4 hours to finish. Mind you, all of it shouldn’t take nearly as long. We spent most of that time in the kitchen drinking some nice vino while gossiping. Oh and of course taking about (and maybe drooling, just a bit) over foods and dishes we’ve had in the past. For some girls, yoga is the go-to therapeutic form of exercise. For us, it’s cooking!
…buon appetito!!!

Gettin’ Cheesy.

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As you all may (or may not) have been aware, I’ve taken quite a bit of time away from this. A blogging no-no if you want to retain a group of nice followers. Has it really been 3 months since my last post? Yikes!

Anyway, I’m back! And hopefully with more frequent updates. I’ve been busy these past couple of months with my transition up to the Bay Area, because yes, I’ve finally made it up here! Loving it thus far. The food culture is amazing and I’m incredibly excited to be a part of it. I’ve started interning at The Cheese School of San Francisco. First job in the city, yay! With this job comes great perks. 1. I get to taste an unlimited and incredible variety of different cheeses 2. Pairing said cheeses with wines, beers and other spirits is encouraged and 3. It’s, for lack of a better phrase, ridiculously fun! As I get the ball rolling (excuse the excessive use of clichés) with this blog again, I thought what better to write about than my own life and the food that surrounds it? 

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Bare with me. My knowledge of cheese is very limited as I’ve just started. Onward and upward! Last week, we had a Springtime Cheese & Beer class. Beer and cheese? I for one had always thought cheese was accompanied strictly with wine. Good ole vino, right? Nope! In fact, some cheeses just pair better with beer. Skeptical? Try it out for yourself!

The Beers (taken from course handouts):

1. Lagunitas Pils, Lagunitas Brewing Co. (Petaluma, California): This Czech style pilsner is crystal clear with a bright golden-straw color and aromas of toasted biscuit malts that float to the top with an undertone of something slightly metallic, like new copper pennies. A quick bite of bitterness leads right into toasted biscuit malts with a taste of honey and a soft, herbal finish. Straightforward an uncomplicated beer, it’s fresh and tasty — exactly what you want while hanging out on the back porch after a long day. 6.2% alcohol by volume.
2. Racer 5 IPA, Bear Republic Brewing Co. (Healdsburg, California): This hoppy American IPA is a full-bodied beer brewed American pale and crystal malts and heavily hopped with Chinook, Cascade, Columbus and Centennial. A fantastic IPA, with a cloudy orange/copper pour and a thick white head. The flavor is grapefruit and toasted malts with a woodsy finish. 7.0% alcohol by volume.
3. Velvet Merlin, Firestone Walker Brewing Co. (Paso Robles, California): This is a decadent Oatmeal Stout brimming with cocoa and espresso aromas. This beer features a rich, dark chocolate and roasted coffee flavor with a creamy mouth feel and wonderfully dry finish. The addition of U.S. grown fugues hops contributes the perfect amount of bitterness to this exceptionally balanced beer. 5.5% alcohol by volume.
4. PranQster Belgian Golden Ale, North Coast Brewing (Bend, Oregon): Belgian Ales represent the height of the brewers’ art. Sophisticated brewing techniques, yeast blends and unique flavoring elements have elevated the beers of Belgium to the status enjoyed by wine in other countries. PranQster follows in this tradition using a mixed culture of antique yeast strains that results in a floral nose, a full fruity flavor and a clean finish. 7.6% alcohol by volume.
5. Three Philosophers Quadruple Ale, Brewery Ommegang (Copperstown, New York): Three Philosophers is a limited edition strong ale brewed by Brewery Ommegang in response to a home brewer’s description of his dream beer. Realbeer.com, the internet’s largest beer website, hosted a contest called “Create a Great Beer.” Brewery Ommegang was chosen by Realbeer.com to brew the Belgian-style ale for the winning essayist. Noel Blake, a home brewer from Portland wrote the winning description or what his “dream beer” would be like. The result is flavors of sweet caramel malt and dark cherries. 9.8% alcohol by volume.

IPA’s are and will always be my favorite. Thus, Racer 5 IPA is definitely on top of my personal list out of this group. Another favorite of mine is the PranQster Belgian Golden Ale, which is surprising as I don’t usually take to lighter ales!

The Cheese (cheeses are plated accordingly, starting at 12:00 and moving clockwise):

* √ signifies favored cheeses

IMG_42721. Cameo, Redwood Hill Farm.
Provenance: Sebastopol, California
Type: Pasteurized goat’s milk

My notes: This soft cheese is incredibly creamy. It’s salty and has a very mild “goaty” or herby flavor. The rind is incrusted with peppercorns, rosemary and bay leaves. It pairs well with Velvet Merlin Oatmeal Stout.

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2. Toma, Pt. Reyes Farmstead  √
Provenance: Pt. Reyes, Califronia
Type: Pasteurized cow’s milk

My notes: Toma ages for about 3 months. It’s strong and tangy. It pairs well with either PranQster Golden Ale or Racer 5 IPA.

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3. Tarentaise, Spring Brook Farm √
Provenance: Reading, Vermont
Type: Raw cow’s milk

My notes: Tarentaise is aged for 10 months. It’s similar in flavor and texture to comté or gruyere. Smells like browned butter. It’s an easy party cheese, as it’s enjoyed by both cheese enthusiasts as well as party-goers just looking for something to munch on.

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4. Cave-Aged Marisa, Carr Valley Cheese Co.√
Provenance: La Valle, Wisconsin
Type: Pasteurized sheep’s milk

My notes: Cave-Aged Marisa smells like lamb chops! Smooth, creamy consistency. Eating the rind is not preferred.

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5. Willoughby, Jasper Hill Farm √
Provenance: Greensboro, Vermont
Type: Pasteurized cow’s milk

My notes: Willoughby is extremely buttery… as in it’s tastes and feels like a stick of butter. But since when has butter ever been a bad thing? Spread it on some crusty ciabatta and you’ve got yourself a nice starter. Pairs well with Three Philosophers Quadruple Ale.

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6. Lincolnshire Poacher
Provenance: Lincolnshire, England
Type: Raw cow’s milk

My notes: Lincolnshire is very strong, tangy and fruity. It pairs well with PranQster Belgian Golden Ale.

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7. Big Woods Blue, Shepherd’s Way Farms
Provenance: Nerstrand, Minnesota
Type: Raw sheep’s milk

My notes: Blue Woods Blue is an incredibly strong blue cheese. I’m usually a big fan of blues, but found this one to be a bit much. For the extreme blue cheese lovers, this is your best friend. For others — to tone the flavors down a bit, I’d suggest accompanying it with some bread instead of just eating it by itself.

I hope you all enjoyed this and are eager to give these a taste yourselves! Cheers, good eating and remember to Get Cheeeezy! ’Til next time.

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The chicken or the egg (noodles)?

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Mrs. S’s Chicken Noodle Soup. 

Buurrrrr. It’s mid January — and it’s pretty close to freezing here in Southern California. Not really, but as we So’Calians are known to moan about even the mildest of weather… might as well go ahead and add to it!
As it’s “freezing”, all I want to do nowadays is cozy up to something warm. Heck, hot.
This recipe got me through the chilly days back in school on a starving student’s budget. Make a pot full, share it or freeze it for the rest of the season. It’ll be sure to warm those frigid bones!

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Ingredients:

- 1-2 chicken breasts
- 7.5 cups of low sodium chicken broth
- 1.5 cups water
-  brown onion, chopped
- carrots, chopped
- green beans, chopped
- 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
- 4 oz. egg noodles

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Salt, pepper and oil the chicken breasts, pan-sear and set aside to cool. Shred when possible with your fingers. Forget the fork.

In a large pot, toss in chopped onions and green beans. Celery would add nicely to this as well. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Add minced garlic. Once the onions are close to transparent, add the chicken stock, water, egg noodles, bouillon cubes, dried dill and shredded chicken. Bring soup to a simmer.

Here, it doesn’t really matter whether the egg (noodles) or the chicken came first. They’re delightful together in this dish.
Serve warm, cozy on up and watch for the smile to creep.

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