SF Beer Week 2011

Well. Despite a diligent regimen of daily Emergen-C vitamins, green juice and avoiding anyone who looked even remotely sneezy on the train, I got a cold right smack dab in the middle of SF Beer Week. Last year was excellent fun, and I had really been looking forward to this. Jason has been busy writing extensive beer coverage of the events around the city. I have been busy parking it on a couch for the last four days.

Things started off well. I made it to the Opening Gala. Between events at Triple Rock and The Jug Shop, I sampled over 30 sour beers. In. A. Single. Day. I even made it to a beer dinner on Valentine's Day.

And then. Sick! And I have been feverishly shivering and coughing since. Unless you count scrambled eggs, a batch of soup and some infamous no-knead bread, I have cooked absolutely nothing in the past week. On the upside, however, I think things are on the mend and I expect to be better by the weekend. Three-day weekend.

With all this beer talk going on, I was motivated to round up my "beer cellar". It's kind of funny to even call it a cellar; it's more of a small collection that I inevitably gathered in the last six years of dating the beer geek, whose real cellar actually contains over 500 bottles. I have come around to really appreciating beer in those six years. And i've learned a lot about various styles and flavor profiles. Unsurprisingly, it turns out that I like 1) really rare beer, 2) sour beer (with heavy fruit content), 3) beer that is never going to be bottled and can only be found on tap in one spot on one day, 4) beer with really high alcohol or 5) really expensive beer. And so, my collection reflects just that: ten highly-coveted sour beers!

So, in honor of SF Beer Week, here it is. My cellar, from left to right.

Russian River Consecration (10% abv)
Russian River Toronado 20th Anniversary (10.4% abv)
Alpine Chez Monieux Belgian Kriek (5.8% abv)
Lost Abbey Framboise de Ambrosa (7% abv)
New Glarus Cran-bic (6% abv)
Russian River Framboise for a Cure (5.9%)
Lost Abbey Veritas 006 (8% abv)
Cascade Vlad the Impaler (8% abv)
Lost Abbey Cable Car (7% abv)
Russian River Supplication (7% abv)

Vegetarian French Onion Soup

You don't need me to tell you its cold out. And it's been raining for days. I don't know how I feel about this winter thing. Actually, I do know. I feel like eating soup. I want to stock my freezer with eight different kinds that I can choose from on a whim. I'd even make nice labels for the tupperware containers.

The way I see it, everyone should have soup to choose from. Ready at your beckoning. February might sneak on by in four short weeks, but you might notice that you've made good use of your ladles, bowls and soup spoons. Carry on, carry on, soup spoons!


I have always loved french onion soup and have really wanted to make a vegetarian version that still carried some heft and dignity. Some people like to add soy sauce or a dash of Worcestershire to offer some "meaty" flavor and darker color, but I like to bolster my broth with a solid dose of red wine. And, between you and me, if you happen to have an open bottle of red wine, you could use it here even if it is a little bit oxidized. I mean, ahem, I don't find myself in this situation because I finish the bottle right away, but I hear that leftover wine can add a little vinegary tang here.

The thing about this soup is that it takes time. You want to start up some onions in a pot in the mid-Sunday afternoon and then forget about them while you are folding laundry and mailing out bills. Since the onions are the true base and foundation of the soup, You have to give these onions some love and let them slip into a nice coma submerged in the depths of butter and olive oil. It just can't be rushed.


But, rest assured, love and tenderness always pays out handsomely in the end. After the onions melt down and you build up a rich stock base, you add in some flecks of thyme for an earthy boost. Toss a hunk of bread on the top with some grated gruyere cheese and pop it under the broiler for just a minute or two until the cheese bubbles and browns lightly.


INGREDIENTS:

* 5 cups good-quality vegetable broth (homemade if you have it, or I used Trader Joe's organic vegetable broth)
* 2 cubes of vegetable boullion (or "not beef" bouillion if you have it)
* 1 cup red wine
* 4 onions, sliced thinly
* 4 Tbsp. butter
* 2 Tbsp. olive oil
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1 tsp. sugar
* 1/2 tsp. dried thyme (or 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme)
* 1 bay leaf
* bread (ciabatta or country bread is best; day old is even better)
* gruyere cheese for topping

DIRECTIONS:

Heat a large dutch oven on medium heat. Add the butter and olive oil. Add in the sliced onions and lower the heat a little to medium-low. You can stir occasionally, but give them lots and lots of time to melt down. About 20-30 minutes. They will begin to relax and soft into a sticky mess, but you don't want them to brown so resist cranking up the heat.

After the onions have softened, you can deglaze the pan with the wine and stir. Add in the salt, sugar, thyme and bay leaf. And then the stock--I like to heat my stock and melt in the bouillion cubes and then add it all to the pot. Let this simmer uncovered for another 15 minutes.

Ladle the soup into oven proof bowls. Top with a slice of bread and shredded cheese and pop under the broiler for just a couple of minutes until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Nem Khao: Laotian Crispy Rice Salad

You know what I miss about the cities I have traveled to? The. Food.

I've often dreamed about flying back to Sydney (where I lived for nearly a year) for a plate of hand-pulled noodles from Chinese Noodle Restaurant. Perhaps flying home to Maui for some Sam Sato's Dry Mein Noodles would be a lot cheaper. But, believe you me, not a day goes by when I don't crave my San Diego comfort food of choice: a thali plate complete with rice, perfectly bubbled naan smeared with ghee, smoky murgh makhani and mushroom masala from Punjabi Tandoor. Most of these dishes sink into my memory and become the elusive stuff that dreams are made of. But, occasionally, I work up the nerve to trust my palate, memory and photographs and re-create a dish. And sometimes, it actually works.

And, tonight, a wonderful Laotian classic called Nem Khao made its way to the dinner table.

Some time ago, my dear friends and trustworthy foodies, Ali and John, recommended a tiny little Laotian mom-and-pop place in San Diego called Asia Cafe. You might notice that all the yelpers said to order the one thing that is inexplicably not on the menu: Nem Khao. I love secret menus!


Nem Khao is essentially a salad composed of fried rice balls that have been mashed up and tossed with generous amounts of scallions, cilantro, and peanuts. Like any regional specialty, the recipes vary widely. Some might have lemongrass and ginger; some use seasoned patties with spices and egg. This dish generally contains some sort of pork and is almost always served with red chili peppers (as noted in photo above) and doused with fish sauce and lime juice.

I omitted the pork and chillies because I wanted to focus on recreating the foundation of the dish, which is the rice salad. Now, this is all speculation, but I believe Asia cafe keeps it simple. Besides some key ingredients, this dish is all about texture. You use cooked jasmine rice that has been chilled to get rid of excess moisture. You could use broken jasmine rice (cheaper) or regular jasmine rice. Or you could gently pulse some jasmine rice in your food processor to break up the grains just a little bit, but I don't think this step is necessary. You fry up some rice patties until they form a nice, crispy golden brown crust, but still maintain a fluffy interior.


Then you chop it up into rugged chunks and toss it with lots of scallions, cilantro, shallots and peanuts. A winning combination, really. Kind of like the Asian version of Panzanella, but rice replaces bread and cilantro steps in for basil.

A dose of salty fish sauce is the cornerstone of this dish, but it livens up into something so nice and bright when it tag teams with fresh cilantro, lime and scallions. Some peanuts join the green party for some added crunch.



INGREDIENTS:

2 cups jasmine rice (cooked and chilled)
1.5 to 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
4 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. lime zest
pinch of sugar
* 2 tsp. garlic, crushed
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
3/4 cup scallions, thinly sliced
small pinch of kosher salt (optional)
canola oil for frying

DIRECTIONS:

* Cook the rice as directed and let it cool and then chill. You do not want to fry wet hot rice, so this step is important.
* Form the rice into 6 large patties (at least one-inch thick).
* In a large cast iron skillet or dutch oven, pour about 2 cups of oil for the shallow fry and heat on medium-high.
* Fry the patties for about 5-7 minutes on each side. You want to allow it to become golden brown before flipping the patties, but be careful not to burn them.
* Place patties on a paper towel to drain excess oil and cool for a few minutes.
* Roughly chop up the patties and place in large mixing bowl.
* In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce, garlic, sugar, lime juice and zest and add this mixture to the rice.
* Add in the scallions, peanuts, shallot and cilantro and mix everything together.
* If necessary, add a pinch of kosher salt to adjust seasoning to taste.

Veggie note: If you want to make this vegetarian/vegan, you can make some Fishless Fish Sauce. I'd love to know how it turns out!

Plant Burger: Revisited

Over the holidays, twelve hungry people found themselves in need of a lunch. My aunt left it up to my eight-year old niece, Hana, to decide our fate. Hana typically selects the Soup Plantation, a classic favorite of hers since she was little, but this time she opted for Islands. Oddly enough, my meat-loving brother (Hana's dad) tells me that his favorite thing to get there is their housemade veggie burger. I was totally shocked by his enthusiasm over this veggie burger. I went along and ordered it, finding myself pleasantly surprised by its cheesy nutty flavor. Besides the lentil walnut burger, I haven't made too many other veggie burgers at home. (This is mostly due to the fact that I usually cling to a simple lettuce, tomato, bread-and-butter pickle sandwich with vegenaise). But I wanted to revisit my standby veggie burger.

I decided that the time had come to revamp this recipe for my favorite veggie burger from the Plant Cafe. You good people have been cooking up this recipe and sending me all sorts of emails of how much you love this burger. So, I wanted to make it better.

And I did.
I had been wondering if cooking the lentils and bulgur would be better than soaking it, so I tried it both ways, tweaked it a little more and worked out some kinks. First, I should clarify that the old recipe listed post-soaked quantities of lentils and bulgur, which is more conducive to a restaurant that can make larger quantities. So, I wanted to rewrite the recipe to make use of all of the soaked lentils and bulgur.

Soaking proved to be the winning method because cooking the lentils created a mushy texture. After soaking the lentils for 4-6 hours, the lentils will have a texture akin to water chestnuts (it might taste a little raw and starchy, but this will cook out). The lentils nearly double in size and release some starch, so you will want to drain them and give the lentils a little rinse. I also decided to slightly increase the salt and use unsalted roasted cashews instead of raw cashews to enhance the flavor.

I also discovered that the patties hold up better if you shape them and then refrigerate them for 1-2 hours. This allows some of the moisture to evaporate so it doesn't turn into mush when you cook it. Finally, as any restaurant chef would attest, you cannot be shy with the oil when cooking the patties. You only flip this once so you need a good amount of fat and a hot skillet or griddle to really make this work.This recipe makes 8-10 patties, which may seem like a lot, but it makes such a colossal mess in the kitchen that I recommend just making a big batch and freezing the patties for later use.

INGREDIENTS:

* 2/3 c. quick cooking wheat bulgur (measure dry and then soak in water for 4-6 hours)
* 3/4 c. dry red lentils (measure dry and then soak in water for 4-6 hours)
* 2/3 c. raw cashews (blended into a powder)
* 2 cups beets, washed
* 8 oz. white mushrooms, sliced
* 1.5 tsp. sea salt
* 4 Tbsp. olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

* Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
* Place the beets in a 9 x 13 pan, add a cup or so of water and cover it with foil and bake the beets for about 45-60 minutes or until very tender.
* Allow beets to cool slightly, then peel off skin and discard the root.
* Dice the beets and set aside.
* In a skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil and sautee the mushrooms over medium-high heat until cooked (you can add a sprinkle of water if needed since the mushrooms will instantly soak up the olive oil).
* In a food processor, pulse the cashews into a medium fine powder.
*Add the beets, sauteed mushrooms, lentils, bulgur, and sea salt and blend until combined.
* Form mixture into 8 burger patties. Place them on a tray lined with wax paper and refrigerate them for 1-2 hours before cooking.
* When ready to cook the burgers, heat remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a skillet or griddle on medium high heat. Cook burgers for about 5 minutes on each side, but try not flip more than once to avoid burgers falling apart.

Serve on grilled sourdough bread or buns with your favorite toppings!

Mission Gastroclub: New Years Eve 2010

I'm the kind of diner that disects every element of a dish and gets extremely excited if I think I can recreate it at home for a fraction of the restaurant cost. And even more excited when I can't think of how to re-create it, so I want to go read and study up on the myriad techniques of creating various soup textures. I'm the jerk who asks the waitress questions she clearly isn't prepared for and has to retreat to the kitchen to find out how the food was made. You could say I appreciate and analyze food like an accountant counts numbers.

So, on New Years Eve, when my friends, Elianna and underground dining veteran, Jesse, invited Jason and I to join them for a 4-course beer dinner at a little 14-person underground dining club called Mission Gastroclub, I accepted with grace.

And by grace, I mean I drank all of their excellent beer.

I laughed louder than I should have in mixed company.

I talked Jason into sharing some of his market fresh chilaquiles after I had already devoured my own allotment.


And I boldy walked up the Chef (who was busy cooking) to ask him how exactly he made such an impossibly marvelous brioche doughnut (which he then filled with my favorite food of all time--burrata).


But you know what, the Chef (Neil Davidson) wasn't mad at all when I asked questions. I think he might have even been a little amused by my curiosity. He even pointed me to Peter Reinhart's rich man's brioche.

When the clock struck midnight they poured us some Deus (a champagne-style beer) and pulled some string attached to a lighbulb to lower a wad a of foil Times Square Ball. In the wee hours of the night (read: 3 am), I reveled in the madness amongst friends and strangers. And strangers who are now friends.

It was one of the best New Years Eve celebrations I have ever had. Thankfully, it is adequately documented to restore my fuzzy memory of how much fun I drank had.

Love

Most of the time, holidays induce extraordinary joy and an abundance of smiles, family, gifts, laughter, and happiness. But sometimes, for some people, holidays can be gut-wrenchingly tough and the absence of such joyous luxuries is loud and painful. For my family, this is going to be one of those tough holidays, I think.

This is the first Christmas my newly-widowed aunt will spend without her husband of 52 years. Fifty-two. My uncle lovingly called her "Sweets" for fifty-two years. Unfortunately, I couldn't attend the funeral in Hawaii. I have never wanted so badly to fold up a thousand hugs into a envelope and put it in the care of the United States Postal Service. Instead, I sent my Aunt a card expressing my best wishes in celebrating his life.

My second cousin, who was younger than I am, past away suddenly a couple of months ago. And, to tell you the cold hard truth (just as it was told to me) two people among my friends and family have recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness. I am still trying to figure out what to say. Maybe I will have another go at folding hugs into envelopes.

Such devastating loss seems to suck the holiday spirit down into a twisted pipe that funnels it all away to be trapped in a deep dark place. But, I have seen first hand that you can't hold love back. Or down. Or at arms length. It can wiggle through even the smallest of cracks. I've seen it happen with my own eyes. And heart.

In Kyoto, Japan, there is a famous temple called Kiyomizudera and on its grounds is the Jishu shrine, which has been rumored to be the dwelling of the god of love (okay, and matchmaking). Well, there are these two "love stones" placed about 20 to 30 feet apart and, if you can successfully walk between them blindfolded, then you will supposedly attain great love in your life. It's not a difficult test, but there's a lot going on around you. There are pushy tourists trying to take their carefully calculated photos, a whole slew of Japanese chatter, and, believe it or not, some people actually try to lure you away from a direct path. It's just sinister. And, oh dear, the pressure.

I took a deep breath and tried not to picture myself as a loveless loser pining away throughout my spinster days. I closed my eyes and listened to the good guidance of someone who wanted to see me make it to the end as much as I did.

And, can you believe it, I made it.

So, love is what I have to offer my family and friends this year. I’m not going to tell you that it's going to easy. But we will be together and that will be worth it. What I hope really rings true is that we can lean on each other and hold onto what we do have with just a little bit tighter grip. We are still gonna have some egg nog and I might muster up the nerve to make a pear ginger molasses cake that I know will garner a smile or three.

Love is also what I have to offer you, too. Thank you for being such a patient listener and always digging up some courage and support when I need it most.

Merry Christmas.

December New Taste Market

Just the thought of holiday shopping makes me feel exhausted. I am a pretty resilient and fiesty woman, but honestly, I sort of crumble in the face of pushy crowds, forced shopping deadlines and endless mental sales calculations to figure out how much money I am spending. This year, my family has opted for a Christmas Eve dinner with a singular $20 gift exchange (distributed according to my mom’s favorite gift exchange game). My gift, not surprisingly, will be food-related (any suggestions?).

In an effort to avoid chaotic holiday shopping, I'm thinking I might either make gifts or pick up some locally-made gifts to celebrate the talents of others who make some fine products. I started collecting some local goodies and DIY projects to give away as gifts. At the November New Taste Marketplace, I bought some homemade tofu and a DIY tofu-making kit from Emily's Tofu and some small batch organic coffee beans from Tutmak Coffee. I'm not entirely sure which relative I could realistically give a tofu-making kit to, but I'll worry about that later.

If you still need to do some holiday shopping and want some homemade gifts, come check out the December New Taste Market on Saturday, December 18 from 4pm-9pm.Over 30 vendors will be offering everything from garam masala granola and artisan chocolates to homemade fermented miso and maple soda! Besides giving gifts made with love, you are helping St. Gregory's Food Pantry, which gives away tons of fresh food to more than 1,200 households each month. Holiday spirit doesn't come in a better form than helping others in need.

And...due to some begging requests, the pickled grapes are back!Come find me at the market and sample some! They are fanastic additions to salads, cocktails and cheese platters.

Photo courtesy of Jesse FriedmanThe pickled grapes are inspired by Susan Kaplan and Renee Erikson's pickled magic of Seattle's Boat Street Cafe, where they pickle everything from figs and asparagus to prunes!

I bought heaps of local grapes and hand cut each and every little sphere to let the pickling liquid really seep into the flesh. The grapes take a little swim in a white wine vinegar bath flavored with heaps of black pepper, freshly-cracked cinnamon bark, mustard seeds, cloves and just a hint of star-anise, for good measure. They snap open with a burst of sweet juice and just enough tang to make you wonder why you haven't thought of pickled grapes years ago.

I hope to see you at the market on Saturday!

Happy Holidays, dear readers. I hope it is really special.