tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49339065973704670492024-02-18T19:40:47.292-08:00The Domestic Scientist: Sewing and Culinary Adventures With HuxleyWuxleyHere is a place where I would like to share my experiences involving the three activities I spend the most of my waking, non-professional hours immersed in: creating clothes, recreating memorable meals sampled during our travels, and observing Huxley Beagle - my faithful companion and constant, not very critical, sampler of my adventures in cooking.HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-38045499350240697602011-04-04T22:59:00.000-07:002011-04-06T21:35:52.971-07:0050's-style party dress, or knock-off of a knock-offI saw this <a href=" http://sunnygalstudio.blogspot.com/2010/05/tulle-time-part-deux.html">beautiful dress some time ago on this blog</a>. It was a knockoff of this Oscar de la Renta dress:<br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4011/4540052750_bf0814d965.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 480px;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4011/4540052750_bf0814d965.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />
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It was actually the <a href="http://sunnygalstudio.blogspot.com/2010/05/tulle-time-part-deux.html">knockoff</a>, not the original that grabbed my fancy. I just loved the floral print and the tutu-like silhouette.<br />
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The February 2011 issue of Burdastyle magazine featured this dress pattern:<br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.osinka.ru/Zhurnaly/2011/burda/burda_02/01.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 275px; height: 255px;" src="http://www.osinka.ru/Zhurnaly/2011/burda/burda_02/01.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />
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I had a wedding to go to in 2 weeks, so what better excuse to go shopping at <a href="http://www.britexfabrics.com/">Britex Fabrics</a> where I paid a relative fortune for the perfect print in 100% Japanese densely-woven cotton and I made this:<br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudWMWrJHCOKAOdUwKWeIE0ZPdMxGj5F0dTlATXCWk0voZhcqW1lDJ4M6VTbNmiCRXgyQbZoWHfYaD9kmwDmjR51AMWyxdvFQ7zv7oGAYkPXsxFzmejRm55kUhbxtAKw-C_G-nodhwQlWI/s1600/IMG_5075.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudWMWrJHCOKAOdUwKWeIE0ZPdMxGj5F0dTlATXCWk0voZhcqW1lDJ4M6VTbNmiCRXgyQbZoWHfYaD9kmwDmjR51AMWyxdvFQ7zv7oGAYkPXsxFzmejRm55kUhbxtAKw-C_G-nodhwQlWI/s400/IMG_5075.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591979607344430498" /></a><br />
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It had a deep 4-inch hem so it puffed out pleasingly, but I think I will need to make a petticoat with tulle layers to get the appropriate tutu silhouette.<br />
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My mother-in-law just emailed me directions on how to make a petticoat so that's what I'll be attempting this coming weekend. The dress looks fine without the petticoat, so there's no pressure to get one done, but it sure would be fun to have one made in time to wear to the wedding. I'm suddenly into tutu silhouettes because of this new book I got:<br />
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<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516Y78AmcSL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516Y78AmcSL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />
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I am in love with all of the dresses in this book, which all have the 50's-style skirt that requires a petticoat for the shape. <br />
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Stay tuned for an update if I get the petticoat done and it works out!HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-30993546202021689482011-03-31T22:14:00.000-07:002011-04-04T23:36:51.524-07:00A meal that both humans and dog can enjoyAfter the success of <a href="http://huxleywuxley.blogspot.com/2011/03/restaurant-worthy-really-several.html">the last meal</a>, it was time for something similar, yet different. At the time, we were still very much having winter weather in San Francisco, and nice meaty saucy things were what we were after. So, I decided to make the famous potato-scallion cakes again:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2cfVvnlmZxO-UJ5OWrnh5kwlSFSCHtzgKlVResUuZkwHjaupLuMOwHYyHpQkNhHLMQJiS0kNnWgCBzoEnUN2vMGRyXMTsjlhXzotAgtC9XXuc2djhMYLd7ssnynOOm62OSve3e72w7jb/s1600/IMG_5023.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho2cfVvnlmZxO-UJ5OWrnh5kwlSFSCHtzgKlVResUuZkwHjaupLuMOwHYyHpQkNhHLMQJiS0kNnWgCBzoEnUN2vMGRyXMTsjlhXzotAgtC9XXuc2djhMYLd7ssnynOOm62OSve3e72w7jb/s400/IMG_5023.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590484966940343250" /></a><br /><br />and chose a main of braised short ribs to go with it. The short ribs were a basic recipe with the usual French herbs and aromatics braised for a very long time in the oven with red wine, from this cookbook<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKDDnADmvfEnfYc8xnE6WbAZepU1oALKdTt8KyEDyjlhGjeF4tyBa5liGGsmpsStuCWhp-COIevt4n80KfLpw0JQkubDQlOQsovsdUmYfnAglGxGVjolwNbFFhnAmyFKgIbeUywL2CQE/s1600/balthazar.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 336px; height: 450px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHKDDnADmvfEnfYc8xnE6WbAZepU1oALKdTt8KyEDyjlhGjeF4tyBa5liGGsmpsStuCWhp-COIevt4n80KfLpw0JQkubDQlOQsovsdUmYfnAglGxGVjolwNbFFhnAmyFKgIbeUywL2CQE/s1600/balthazar.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />(Hmm, I seem to own a lot of cookbooks from Manhattan restaurants, maybe it's a sign we should visit soon?!!! - still haven't been to Momofuku yet! although we've already eaten at <a href="http://www.alinea-restaurant.com/">Alinea</a>, which is truly amazing)<br /><br />For something green, I made some simple sugar snap peas sauteed with garlic and red pepper flakes. This is what our dinner plates looked like:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjdPY_CEAU65speJwU1e3vTtm0qMm-ETY6mi6QDqle9nj8KbatYdCgqHzXjKC4zOQ81Em99Ooy_xxC5-6-mw1J6bLbri39Fqw_VmxLa4IPub5PHxDIwWdjZrohuvEUPgMA7pvjwP1uoBL/s1600/IMG_5028.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDjdPY_CEAU65speJwU1e3vTtm0qMm-ETY6mi6QDqle9nj8KbatYdCgqHzXjKC4zOQ81Em99Ooy_xxC5-6-mw1J6bLbri39Fqw_VmxLa4IPub5PHxDIwWdjZrohuvEUPgMA7pvjwP1uoBL/s400/IMG_5028.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590482667591035218" /></a><br /><br />The wine was a Bordeaux blend from Gundlach Bundschu in Sonoma.<br /><br />We had a nice pile of beef bones after the main was eviscerated:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidP3DxmAvAhFKGZq4OfWcvc6IVT3jpRHbvHK5dKpAn4A7MVfG2tID-FBiFjZRL6Qu_0N-ACy0togOXAZfhdQTS5tVf5c-lS5S_k8AQ93K56lldSOyW6FwtsFZl77bRhWF8h-6TWQmbnPjF/s1600/IMG_5029.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidP3DxmAvAhFKGZq4OfWcvc6IVT3jpRHbvHK5dKpAn4A7MVfG2tID-FBiFjZRL6Qu_0N-ACy0togOXAZfhdQTS5tVf5c-lS5S_k8AQ93K56lldSOyW6FwtsFZl77bRhWF8h-6TWQmbnPjF/s400/IMG_5029.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590484291761806914" /></a><br /><br />Huxley was very interested in the "leftovers":<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZvdMJ0qie49XTxduCoIWX4Yo6pRAWmAUwhXfNjFAwSmT_aHIBI0zNDCTEgPEY9DNjJDJYVeeaouMS6M7439C85s_E1WDIFOmPhyphenhyphentvcsbuSF_d_gJqygo6REo-__q_pVb0iAhqNkxN6V0p/s1600/IMG_5032.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZvdMJ0qie49XTxduCoIWX4Yo6pRAWmAUwhXfNjFAwSmT_aHIBI0zNDCTEgPEY9DNjJDJYVeeaouMS6M7439C85s_E1WDIFOmPhyphenhyphentvcsbuSF_d_gJqygo6REo-__q_pVb0iAhqNkxN6V0p/s400/IMG_5032.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590484717190804210" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulAu1sJQGJON4YndRBNFm5osuLUVO08hk7QKSJ0WhvJ5Adf7lfk5VFhp5vlTUxa8yDkWn9hIpi13FDE1J8jcm7j4cBpmD-tmqLGnK1MnCTA08lhqJZllq9wjvFPaorwD_Yf6Z_NQxYvcv/s1600/IMG_5031.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulAu1sJQGJON4YndRBNFm5osuLUVO08hk7QKSJ0WhvJ5Adf7lfk5VFhp5vlTUxa8yDkWn9hIpi13FDE1J8jcm7j4cBpmD-tmqLGnK1MnCTA08lhqJZllq9wjvFPaorwD_Yf6Z_NQxYvcv/s400/IMG_5031.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590485355545676562" /></a><br /><br />He was a pretty happy dog! - which is to say, his begging worked.<br /><br />For dessert, it was another one of my trusty pear rustic galette:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bak_-rATB7PoAgpkwKnjVdfRFnBRGNKyRMlr9D4pFpDGtdyrIC6lmdIIp2CUcOM61K5kJM0RipSFiSV3obrGRnGsFY0Fi0dTDLCjqREThl64RBW47WEho4A6igRyacqw2h5yzu-IExRi/s1600/IMG_5034.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5bak_-rATB7PoAgpkwKnjVdfRFnBRGNKyRMlr9D4pFpDGtdyrIC6lmdIIp2CUcOM61K5kJM0RipSFiSV3obrGRnGsFY0Fi0dTDLCjqREThl64RBW47WEho4A6igRyacqw2h5yzu-IExRi/s400/IMG_5034.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590486173916529826" /></a><br /><br />I know, I know, I make it a lot, but it is truly so delicious you could never tire of it. It's about the only dessert I like and will eat. I make desserts just for Dave, how lucky is he?!!!HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-37527632213532516102011-03-31T21:37:00.000-07:002011-03-31T23:14:56.249-07:00A restaurant-worthy (really, several restaurants-worthy!) mealI once made a meal entirely from recipes of famous chefs bearing very different cooking styles, and it surprisingly came together extremely well!<br /><br />The main course was braised duck legs with a red wine reduction from a recipe from a cookbook from <a href="http://www.baywolf.com/">one of our favorite restaurants specializing in duck</a>:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41TRvilMpmL._SS500_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 500px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41TRvilMpmL._SS500_.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />And the sides were 1. a potato-scallion cake from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc restaurant cookbook<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.jbprince.com/images/L1737.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 250px;" src="http://www.jbprince.com/images/L1737.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />and 2. a roasted brussel sprouts/kimchee concoction from David Chang's Momofuku cookbook<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ak.buy.com/PI/0/500/211282306.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 500px;" src="http://ak.buy.com/PI/0/500/211282306.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Actually, I chose David Chang's recipe because I'd had the cookbook forever and not cooked from it and the roasted brussel sprouts recipe was about the only thing that didn't take two days to prepare.<br /><br />Here are the two sides:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSyK-P079CdgIcpQDlMVU6Y3CN5XC2Ipr4Nub62QlK1Pgul6Exi2JYo5G5MeVdMA6K7gYLk2Ctq6DLRxnAwwU3alehXIgZZipn77Vqv0J4fJ5a4s_Cc-hAnRijj5Dl_owrnuAbbJuv-jC/s1600/IMG_5017.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSyK-P079CdgIcpQDlMVU6Y3CN5XC2Ipr4Nub62QlK1Pgul6Exi2JYo5G5MeVdMA6K7gYLk2Ctq6DLRxnAwwU3alehXIgZZipn77Vqv0J4fJ5a4s_Cc-hAnRijj5Dl_owrnuAbbJuv-jC/s400/IMG_5017.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590474026906547234" /></a><br /><br />And, the pièce de résistance - meltingly tender, luscious duck legs with crispy, savory skin, bathed in the most delicious sauce made from pan drippings and a red wine reduction- shown here with the potato-scallion cake side:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1A2QybUsFuoVXW06TLSq2pb6nl-31dqTWmk_rWHeQoA-o3jLLZA9-BmzcS_sWV2FDLHGupVJaQmtVMykrxg-DTxlFB_fM3oY0CW7LIG6ITpthe3X2eYCgmXHWUFm7NX-X-tFHCm-Wboxd/s1600/IMG_5012.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1A2QybUsFuoVXW06TLSq2pb6nl-31dqTWmk_rWHeQoA-o3jLLZA9-BmzcS_sWV2FDLHGupVJaQmtVMykrxg-DTxlFB_fM3oY0CW7LIG6ITpthe3X2eYCgmXHWUFm7NX-X-tFHCm-Wboxd/s400/IMG_5012.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590474636471261106" /></a><br /><br />We paired the main course with a Santa Barbara Pinot Noir (not shown for some inexplicable reason in the photos).<br /><br />For dessert, I had made my trusty pear rustic galette, paired here with a Lustau Moscatel (yes, we actually had our first taste of this excellent dessert wine at the winery in Andalusia!):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaI8sO5H-uRxjFhdJfekA-IyC17UBYGvVx8Bgj31HEUc6EQm1iCYJHIEiRB6rjQVYMMhpi5vKY9Qx-6VMALX-LQZNOYhPGz0HarPOTE8XPuaVGXiFtS6JKSdq4R_5W0ya6iRLy-aBLMe_Q/s1600/IMG_5018.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaI8sO5H-uRxjFhdJfekA-IyC17UBYGvVx8Bgj31HEUc6EQm1iCYJHIEiRB6rjQVYMMhpi5vKY9Qx-6VMALX-LQZNOYhPGz0HarPOTE8XPuaVGXiFtS6JKSdq4R_5W0ya6iRLy-aBLMe_Q/s400/IMG_5018.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590476045645476546" /></a><br /><br />Some notes:<br />Thomas Keller's cookbook was worth it just for the potato-scallion cake recipe.<br />Roasted brussel sprouts are good, but even better with kimchee.<br />The duck legs are amazing and were surprisingly simple to make. While the dish was braising in the oven, I had enough time to make the sides. Those duck legs are going to become a favorite, I can just tell!HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-83310289663593228572011-03-31T20:59:00.000-07:002011-03-31T23:16:33.500-07:00Dave's Pre-Birthday DinnerDave's birthday was on the 18th, during which we went out for a nice dinner at <a href="http://www.commonwealthsf.com/">Commonwealth restaurant in San Francisco</a>, but the day before the actual birthday dinner, I asked him what he wanted me to make for his pre-birthday meal, and he said, "Pork chops with cabbage" and "Chocolate cake", none of which were my favorite things, but I guess that was the point, to request things that I would never make spontaneously but that he wanted to eat.<br /><br />The pork chop recipe was from a Fine Cooking magazine article, still available free on-line <a href="http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/pork_chops_with_beer_cabbage_apples.aspx">here</a>. It is a marvelously simple recipe to throw together and appears more complicated than it actually is to make. We paired it with a very nice Gewurztraminer from a new winery that we discovered on our most recent trip to the Anderson Valley in February:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7J9YBwrY4PZ_sduy1jSiBGPT7Z5gG6E98Nu0SWQWOcMaQNDI-E1M139byNNrV957KiCAywoM9EKh7FUJd6MQzkfSvsbLGYN_qoutIG5zUIvRMEcaUYP9dJ66Tricy9BxJtyjKfR9FabRF/s1600/IMG_5044.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7J9YBwrY4PZ_sduy1jSiBGPT7Z5gG6E98Nu0SWQWOcMaQNDI-E1M139byNNrV957KiCAywoM9EKh7FUJd6MQzkfSvsbLGYN_qoutIG5zUIvRMEcaUYP9dJ66Tricy9BxJtyjKfR9FabRF/s400/IMG_5044.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590462347571976642" /></a><br /><br />The smell of pork chops was too much for Huxley, who can be seen here shamelessly employing all his guiles to extort food from the humans:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibaXQkdb-zme9O92a22vOJWCQ2lnfJ7_v1tn5019HYT7QzE5AHyF-p1C8rhfPTyO2iZuW4eC8D4g5qseMR7-sR4sWUvnSm_hxiBfN0qjzmcRZuVfqXB81rT66agv-Y6_QJM7kFbiNr_51o/s1600/IMG_5047.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 265px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibaXQkdb-zme9O92a22vOJWCQ2lnfJ7_v1tn5019HYT7QzE5AHyF-p1C8rhfPTyO2iZuW4eC8D4g5qseMR7-sR4sWUvnSm_hxiBfN0qjzmcRZuVfqXB81rT66agv-Y6_QJM7kFbiNr_51o/s400/IMG_5047.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590463530522773042" /></a><br /><br />He did get the cork from the wine bottle, which he heartily approved of. Here is what was left after he was done "tasting" the wine:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoT1gTIj3RDEIneyKH0lntsk8Vsls87qzbVBB36SKk3LvMADUcNdeQasY4gNnSxyrq9hSMHGvOD5ccabpomg5plsQV3wVf4uZyh4-q_X_uSTs0GyunptRmu4ZgWF884-HEZd7vFXvsCUtV/s1600/IMG_5045.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoT1gTIj3RDEIneyKH0lntsk8Vsls87qzbVBB36SKk3LvMADUcNdeQasY4gNnSxyrq9hSMHGvOD5ccabpomg5plsQV3wVf4uZyh4-q_X_uSTs0GyunptRmu4ZgWF884-HEZd7vFXvsCUtV/s400/IMG_5045.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590464339578118578" /></a><br /><br />Dessert was the aforementioned chocolate(-and-almond) cake, from this cookbook:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/12580000/12586052.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 517px; height: 600px;" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/12580000/12586052.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />We paired it with some nice Oloroso sherry:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1I-_HQyHxMDjDnLxgRtKLtdPebUrl2s2Fq7SWqmbPCTfvDv-gkCu1w57mruC0PY0gaqeaZ8f96hoiK3BItUq9Pel2_pB7PaHdE1UQ7_ogGMWnmlH87cwI1TF-JfFWp8F3hd0-9dr4EtuF/s1600/IMG_5049.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1I-_HQyHxMDjDnLxgRtKLtdPebUrl2s2Fq7SWqmbPCTfvDv-gkCu1w57mruC0PY0gaqeaZ8f96hoiK3BItUq9Pel2_pB7PaHdE1UQ7_ogGMWnmlH87cwI1TF-JfFWp8F3hd0-9dr4EtuF/s400/IMG_5049.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590465882281922290" /></a><br /><br />Not too shabby a dinner, but I think Dave enjoyed it more than I did. Huxley definitely loved it. He got to chew on the cabbage core and had pork bone snacks for several days afterward. So, what's my kind of dinner (as opposed to Dave's)? The next two posts will reveal!HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-92219685304388610442011-03-31T20:17:00.000-07:002011-03-31T23:15:30.904-07:00Cleaning out the refrigeratorTo-day was unseasonably warm in San Francisco (temperatures in the 80's) and I didn't feel like stopping at the grocery store on the way home, yet wanted a nice meal because 1. it was Thursday and thus almost the weekend and 2. I felt like celebrating what felt like the advent of spring on such a nice, warm day after all the rain we got the last two weeks. Also, because it was so warm, the meal couldn't be too heavy (so the slow-cooked chicken with caramelized onions and cream that Dave wanted is out). And the meal had to come together with the produce that was already in the house. Well, we always have on hand staples such as rice, onions, garlic, bacon, frozen ground beef, frozen green peas, chicken broth, and all the spices imaginable. And I had half a head of cabbage left over from <a href="http://huxleywuxley.blogspot.com/2011/03/daves-pre-birthday-dinner.html">Dave's pre-birthday dinner</a>. So, when I found the recipe for "Cabbage and chopped meat paella" in this book<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61-7dGtT1wL._SS500_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 500px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61-7dGtT1wL._SS500_.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />it couldn't have been more perfect! The only substitution I had to make was to use green peas instead of julienned snow peas.<br /><br />Here's what it looked like before we dug into it:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQ0jZHFtR9SiQQiCuqViYYUGah29ZiSSchSaxkHSS-O0t6Y7aa_YN-L3gKo0rYlct7vtB25Wj03LN_WB_8nPm7SeE-NpIGMxZMWN87vOZUPiezzHo351aZfisBYn6e4UYyfnWF0t-oEHC/s1600/IMG_5055.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQ0jZHFtR9SiQQiCuqViYYUGah29ZiSSchSaxkHSS-O0t6Y7aa_YN-L3gKo0rYlct7vtB25Wj03LN_WB_8nPm7SeE-NpIGMxZMWN87vOZUPiezzHo351aZfisBYn6e4UYyfnWF0t-oEHC/s400/IMG_5055.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5590453964262459666" /></a><br /><br />Yes, that's crisp-fried and crumbled bacon sprinkled on top. Yum! Bacon is like the most perfect food. The flavors were built up from a sofrito base of sauteed chopped onions, chopped serrano pepper, and chopped ham. Then, finely-sliced cabbage was added (Huxley LOVED gnawing on the cabbage core!) and then the rice was stirred in and then chicken broth kept simmering with a pinch of saffron was added, together with previously-browned ground beef and chopped scallions and a generous amount of that nice Spanish smoked paprika that I always have loads of in my pantry and the frozen green peas. 10 minutes on top of the stove and another 10 in the oven and some standing time and dinner was ready!<br /><br />Some chilled Cline Mouvedre Rose wine was just perfect with it and with the warm evening. And, best of all, I got to clean out the refrigerator and use up some of the produce in it. We bought a really big tub of Kimchee from the Korean supermarket in Oakland last weekend and space is getting to be a premium so it was good that I got to make more space for... leftovers??!!HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-62779665277839484412011-02-19T13:00:00.000-08:002011-02-19T14:39:22.574-08:00Less Can Be A Lot More (The best roast chicken!)My very first cookbook was Madhur Jaffrey's "An Invitation to Indian Cooking", which, in retrospect, was a great starting point for learning to cook. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://books.google.com/books?id=bjkKAAAACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&l=220"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 143px; height: 220px;" src="http://books.google.com/books?id=bjkKAAAACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&l=220" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Indian food tastes pretty good even when made at the hands of someone who doesn't really know how to cook. The abundant spices easily cover up any mis-steps and less-than-pristine ingredients. We were poor starving graduate students at the time and couldn't afford fancy groceries, and, more to the point, were car-less and trapped in a place and in a time that in sum was not particularly known for the variety, availability and quality of produce. In those days, I would choose a recipe to make based on the list of the ingredients. I figured that the longer the list, especially in the form of spices, the better it would come out. I was correct on that point! We had many marvelous meals from that cookbook, which I still own and is tattered and splattered with food residues now. One of my favorite dishes was the lamb korma. Take at look at how long the list of ingredients is!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KEsnroTldOmMjl_4QhxEo3i6hYsJ4r4E3yERrh1YLmpMtEM1_7guwgahJdSyUWZYNxUWKymB0H1KYM3hxZNEncLt02hRkLMESMjCBasxcOUlGtqWm3SvXsHIN5haLb0DPgbRJB21pPFE/s1600/IMG_5011.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7KEsnroTldOmMjl_4QhxEo3i6hYsJ4r4E3yERrh1YLmpMtEM1_7guwgahJdSyUWZYNxUWKymB0H1KYM3hxZNEncLt02hRkLMESMjCBasxcOUlGtqWm3SvXsHIN5haLb0DPgbRJB21pPFE/s400/IMG_5011.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575512673390476386" /></a><br /><br />It was pretty crazy, but because I learnt to cook exclusively from cookbooks, I thought nothing of working 12 hours in the lab, coming home and then making a meal from scratch from one of these recipes. I thought that was how people cooked every day! I suppose, in consequence, we have always eaten very well and deliciously. There was no fast, throw-everything-together sort of cooking at my place. I was making slow food long before it became fashionable!<br /><br />However, as I have expanded my horizons to other cuisines, moved to Northern California - the birthplace of cooking by doing as little as possible to pristine produce- and, finally, gotten tired of cooking elaborate meals every night, I have come to appreciate the genius of simple recipes that work. The genius in these recipes have their proof in dishes that, because of particular cooking techniques, great ingredients and just the right balance of flavors, taste like something you'd have sworn was a lot more complicated to put together than a brief perusal of the recipe might suggest.<br /><br />Last night, I discovered just such a gem of a recipe that I plan to make many, many times again. It is from the latest cookbook by <a href="http://huxleywuxley.blogspot.com/2010/03/moorish-dinner.html">my favorite experts on Moorish food</a>:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61u-4UUClyL._SS400_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61u-4UUClyL._SS400_.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />This recipe had just 4 ingredients, not counting cooking oil and water, which would have dis-qualified it from consideration 15 years ago. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ZRAv0s9wh9nlA_TxlAyvM4XU6EgWNoI3qUca9wOoyLdOQK9xlef4TfbTM9c3fa3lUHBBVqwSCT5n0j02jqT46HtmtHw7KB3Z_W2O8OslLT6Mr7sd4mJDNlQfa2-AIhBG7Yl-8jMRpFPI/s1600/IMG_5010.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ZRAv0s9wh9nlA_TxlAyvM4XU6EgWNoI3qUca9wOoyLdOQK9xlef4TfbTM9c3fa3lUHBBVqwSCT5n0j02jqT46HtmtHw7KB3Z_W2O8OslLT6Mr7sd4mJDNlQfa2-AIhBG7Yl-8jMRpFPI/s400/IMG_5010.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575519957544178722" /></a><br /><br />But I chose it because I wanted to cook out of this cookbook, which was a recent acquisition that I had not previously made use of, and because I thought it would be a good way to use the sumac that my mother-in-law had brought home all the way from Turkey and was kind enough to share with me. <br /><br />What a treasure I found! It really had all the elements working for it. Great cooking techniques to draw out and build the flavors: chicken was first seared in a pan to crisp the skin and then roasted in the oven; great ingredients: the best, freshest sumac ever straight from a Turkish market and the best pine-nuts ever (Dave called them "grey-market pinenuts" because he'd acquired them from a chef who had personal connections for the most pristine produce); great flavors in the crisp, brown chicken skin and dark meat combined with a great sauce that formed from roasting the chicken drippings with spring onions, sumac and pine nuts. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS18Nky8QlkMJUYJkLMf6twDxWMIr9G518iKC4kTna8nj_y_aZKNmMn7byC3ZpcbjOSRdCzpV-LFM8QAIqThm6092Z42KyVFRk-qLqyEqr4PsiXAODZQbIXj9ugFQ-U_7PiDpllyMpKLvP/s1600/IMG_5000.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS18Nky8QlkMJUYJkLMf6twDxWMIr9G518iKC4kTna8nj_y_aZKNmMn7byC3ZpcbjOSRdCzpV-LFM8QAIqThm6092Z42KyVFRk-qLqyEqr4PsiXAODZQbIXj9ugFQ-U_7PiDpllyMpKLvP/s400/IMG_5000.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575522650466091250" /></a><br /><br />I made a side dish of green beans with garlicky tomato sauce, fenugreek seeds, fresh red chillis and coriander to go with it. It was from the same cookbook and was quite unusual and delicious. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRylzMKeeiTdbxAiVgHcEJQivbwN2Qh3GyqHbqZ5vf1Iwr-OdTVRqo7hz_sxxVzELofxVy9owqAfsbYfO57Ez1OwjF4rhZS_StB9FxVJDi1jW5KFhc6OW8928zngmTDPmVKD0h1utUjEI/s1600/IMG_5001.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYRylzMKeeiTdbxAiVgHcEJQivbwN2Qh3GyqHbqZ5vf1Iwr-OdTVRqo7hz_sxxVzELofxVy9owqAfsbYfO57Ez1OwjF4rhZS_StB9FxVJDi1jW5KFhc6OW8928zngmTDPmVKD0h1utUjEI/s400/IMG_5001.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575522369938779506" /></a><br /><br />The whole dinner took less than an hour to make - 10 minutes to sear the chicken and another 20 minutes to roast it, during which I made the beans. Not really fast food, but it was so good you might have thought that it took me much longer to make.<br /><br />We had a Cline Mourvedre to go with it, which was a little heavy but I thought went well with the sumac in the chicken and the fenugreek in the beans.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdDuRfKSVxIwu4klMqPtH3ePBA6CA7qMK-QSvv04cxNsDWAjMLYbA1BZ79JS6LPDeIBDYR70U82ajRbjXxXkoR-3oh-XBN6LPrP6-MFa6fEoXyPDaIX9KZMwzpyV_OkP4ELGrpFk5LO3C/s1600/IMG_5008.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdDuRfKSVxIwu4klMqPtH3ePBA6CA7qMK-QSvv04cxNsDWAjMLYbA1BZ79JS6LPDeIBDYR70U82ajRbjXxXkoR-3oh-XBN6LPrP6-MFa6fEoXyPDaIX9KZMwzpyV_OkP4ELGrpFk5LO3C/s400/IMG_5008.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575522138032471362" /></a><br /><br />Dessert was some of that <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4-RYeTX4RJ4pPFCLaGSrxMDrDKTZf9uXIysO_FR7mhWYdXCqkcDlaKVM9jXgJjpqVydQR9UxU5tTh2UWjLg6Hyyzr3LbrskBKOF0_FJ-7qK8DMzBCO01JoP51-DJiBsjqI0QVV8VQoTI/s1600/306.jpg">marvelous Madeira from our stash</a> that we smuggled back from Portugal.<br /><br />Here's to discovering more recipe treasures in the future!HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-83691244827777512592011-02-15T21:48:00.000-08:002011-02-15T22:14:32.825-08:00Knit Top/ Burdastyle 09-5-103AI am way overdue for a sewing post. I have been sewing lots but if I don't get a picture immediately and end up wearing the outfit a few times, I lose interest in documenting my creation. <br /><br />I recently re-made this top and managed to get a picture of it upon the first wearing!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.osinka.ru/Zhurnaly/2009/burda/burda_05/01.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 275px; height: 255px;" src="http://www.osinka.ru/Zhurnaly/2009/burda/burda_05/01.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />This is the top that made me realize that I'd been sewing one size too big in Burdastyle knits! I first made this top in a black cotton jersey about a year ago and it was far too large in the chest and had major gap-osis problems. So I remade it one size smaller at the shoulders and bust, this time in a navy blue cotton/lycra knit. Much better!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37MX0cI7bb9r3YWjO6vUlMbufhNZvKnOHHUn233RtmmDrqjfLf6atnHU7y5TnYSemft_jjQfJ9MFkSn2EXRMhdoFZMzQQoHHNlmd4WfBINaWZwSjt5POXJwh8kubJyJIHWdOEVfVCY58V/s1600/shirt.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 394px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj37MX0cI7bb9r3YWjO6vUlMbufhNZvKnOHHUn233RtmmDrqjfLf6atnHU7y5TnYSemft_jjQfJ9MFkSn2EXRMhdoFZMzQQoHHNlmd4WfBINaWZwSjt5POXJwh8kubJyJIHWdOEVfVCY58V/s400/shirt.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574162263130213634" /></a><br /><br />I have to remember that I am a 38 in Burdastyle wovens but a 36 in knits. Somehow this makes me happy, as though I have magically gone down a whole size!HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-83462937629798258722011-02-15T20:39:00.000-08:002011-02-15T23:11:49.548-08:00Malaysian Fresh Spring Rolls (Popiah)Things always cluster in threes, they say, so I feel compelled to complete what appears to be a series about my favorite childhood <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peranakan_cuisine">Nonya foods</a> with the third entry: Fresh Spring Rolls, or "popiah". We frequently had popiah as an appetizer to be followed by either <a href="http://huxleywuxley.blogspot.com/2011/01/borneo-cuisine.html">Sarawak Laksa</a> or <a href="http://huxleywuxley.blogspot.com/2011/02/hainanese-chicken-rice.html">Hainanese Chicken Rice</a>. At a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_tiam">kopi tiam</a> (casual food court), the popiahs would arrive assembled and ready to eat. My third aunt often had popiah parties, where one would assemble one's own popiah out of prepared ingredients; this is how I serve popiah at home. So, without further ado, this is how we eat popiah at Chez Huxley Wuxley.<br /><br />First, you need to get together these ingredients:<br /><br />Wrapper skins, preferably Menlo wrappers (these are made in Menlo Park, CA and are available in most Asian groceries/supermarkets; in Kuching, you would just buy a bunch of freshly-made skins from your favorite popiah lady):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2YPr0slEOHhEOJIJH6gayp5dNfwgPYRvN9DlsdEc9b6cGjgp_RhEGxEQVYv3_weKrFHN5LjRD2bwkb1hsXV-oHTZBHJlN9LVxsDoXck8xUjrQ1KqZhfvE-XgDRd5mMkbh8RWGdbpL43W/s1600/wrapper.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii2YPr0slEOHhEOJIJH6gayp5dNfwgPYRvN9DlsdEc9b6cGjgp_RhEGxEQVYv3_weKrFHN5LjRD2bwkb1hsXV-oHTZBHJlN9LVxsDoXck8xUjrQ1KqZhfvE-XgDRd5mMkbh8RWGdbpL43W/s400/wrapper.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574146519688933506" /></a><br /><br />Condiments, including Hoisin sauce & Sriracha hot sauce, lettuce leaves, and freshly ground roasted peanuts:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdeBkkkxjGTRoS3K7MGvHMQaI7Fq8I9b_N2ILBh2gyUPv01d2kcn2Aodzt7mv3k08d5RHIHkI8buB9Jqd8eDMoOLXLPIr7nOJxAfwK5zGLl7Hv-uatamIjtH7dN82bDZYa4oNpfZIFgIbN/s1600/sauces.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 277px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdeBkkkxjGTRoS3K7MGvHMQaI7Fq8I9b_N2ILBh2gyUPv01d2kcn2Aodzt7mv3k08d5RHIHkI8buB9Jqd8eDMoOLXLPIr7nOJxAfwK5zGLl7Hv-uatamIjtH7dN82bDZYa4oNpfZIFgIbN/s400/sauces.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574147577812259186" /></a><br /><br />Thinly-sliced, steamed chinese sausage:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOfGcCfJLC7EUqSp6SEdHIU7j05QZoki7q7HJM1x4TVcZSviSGH4bhb5rqG3XCV-CnHmm65-yAOnd0xs4WgQroAym6fyY6TJFWyHsSUzVjTd4Y1HQ6dQSoT0cB6NI602hWbb9URNeNYvm/s1600/sausage.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLOfGcCfJLC7EUqSp6SEdHIU7j05QZoki7q7HJM1x4TVcZSviSGH4bhb5rqG3XCV-CnHmm65-yAOnd0xs4WgQroAym6fyY6TJFWyHsSUzVjTd4Y1HQ6dQSoT0cB6NI602hWbb9URNeNYvm/s400/sausage.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574148083864494530" /></a><br /><br />Blanched bean sprouts, thinly-sliced plain omelette, and thinly-sliced fried tofu cubes (the last is optional because I decided I don't really like them):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF6hWuyvLpFzZYAytch3or-9vY5LuBCiCg9fFdK5pqk4EM4fP4v43rWRTDJtUmDxPtK0fXNdufkyhinZNSbe-C2f0Tf2df6Nz5Y602xuG4pgthCpwCvD9SHuzmfuqBmuNqTcTKhQ6NST2x/s1600/sprouts.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF6hWuyvLpFzZYAytch3or-9vY5LuBCiCg9fFdK5pqk4EM4fP4v43rWRTDJtUmDxPtK0fXNdufkyhinZNSbe-C2f0Tf2df6Nz5Y602xuG4pgthCpwCvD9SHuzmfuqBmuNqTcTKhQ6NST2x/s400/sprouts.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574148983049494210" /></a><br /><br />And, most important of all, popiah fillling, consisting primarily of jicama (recipe follows):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsPekFlaEf0LMwFwSS8ITzPzncR2UrhNLZITc4e4zHNLBjt8fzK7O2C6P7BvhEe_p-S35uCgxNqaK86N9E6Yu644Ngkrt6vT7jtWuUoS68855kxa_JVbHahSVs-GPYZPbE_nQsjYwgXsV/s1600/jicama.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsPekFlaEf0LMwFwSS8ITzPzncR2UrhNLZITc4e4zHNLBjt8fzK7O2C6P7BvhEe_p-S35uCgxNqaK86N9E6Yu644Ngkrt6vT7jtWuUoS68855kxa_JVbHahSVs-GPYZPbE_nQsjYwgXsV/s400/jicama.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574149642218394130" /></a><br /><br />To make popiah filling, saute 4 finely chopped peeled garlic cloves and 3 tablespoons finely chopped dried shrimp (previously softened in hot water) in 2 tablespoons oil until fragrant. Mix in 2 medium peeled and julienned jicamas and about 6 finely julienned black dried chinese mushrooms (previously soaked in hot water to soften), turn heat to low and cover and cook gently for about 10 minutes. The jicama will release moisture and steam in its own juices. When it is cooked to your liking, make a sauce with 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Make a well in the vegetables, pour in the sauce and let cook a little before stirring to mix. Cook over low heat and reduce until mixture is somewhat dry. Add about a cup of peeled, coarsely chopped fresh shrimp and mix until shrimp is cooked through. Turn off the heat and mix in some chopped scallions.<br /><br />OK, now you are ready to assemble your popiah. First layer your plate with a Menlo wrapper, place a lettuce leaf on it and drizzle hoisin sauce and sriracha hot sauce over the leaf.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5UVZlaEgYrVaqlRFp_2nSAy8j2vLvMg6UaRAnJCozEBiokzwaj08o6q521fHanMXGsvLxNE3wTQT3DbEPA_Rw4N4TQ4fCjIylOsRi2SLo-xA1s5huvU50-P7J468zd1llr9JNFp__hjGJ/s1600/base.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5UVZlaEgYrVaqlRFp_2nSAy8j2vLvMg6UaRAnJCozEBiokzwaj08o6q521fHanMXGsvLxNE3wTQT3DbEPA_Rw4N4TQ4fCjIylOsRi2SLo-xA1s5huvU50-P7J468zd1llr9JNFp__hjGJ/s400/base.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574154708149365490" /></a><br /><br />Then place a little of the popiah filling, the blanched bean sprouts, the sliced omelette and fried tofu on top of the lettuce leaf. Sprinkle with the sliced cooked chinese sausage and ground roasted peanuts.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQASTGpA2HGSN0iYZvCYn-TiMaVuW9H57Nv0j2892bPl6081tx0x69D2d1O5Qys0bJn4NPzYv47IHwXVOosNmUjueS_5glAC9qZqHxzYKorunKylkEOZQ5HdsxxJASkTgzF6XOrkQ7gDR/s1600/unwrapped.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQASTGpA2HGSN0iYZvCYn-TiMaVuW9H57Nv0j2892bPl6081tx0x69D2d1O5Qys0bJn4NPzYv47IHwXVOosNmUjueS_5glAC9qZqHxzYKorunKylkEOZQ5HdsxxJASkTgzF6XOrkQ7gDR/s400/unwrapped.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574155283261646578" /></a><br /><br />Then roll everything up like a burrito. This is what Dave's looks like:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOoMfXF2X77afbMNr3HkvEoKnG3GinzZO_LgNnD3Vh9yZMO9aPrxL-Y86hvz-qDxr8As7qwRZZg2XyqS3itONrcHbLjt8C-FEhFtCVrtrMsyMyQkzSmv2Q79b0gakYsWDik7OCD6xYExZl/s1600/burrito.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOoMfXF2X77afbMNr3HkvEoKnG3GinzZO_LgNnD3Vh9yZMO9aPrxL-Y86hvz-qDxr8As7qwRZZg2XyqS3itONrcHbLjt8C-FEhFtCVrtrMsyMyQkzSmv2Q79b0gakYsWDik7OCD6xYExZl/s400/burrito.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574155578781567650" /></a><br /><br />You are ready to take a bite!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9EdrB0UazTPTqIBYwlUcZFIJrgEz7dk48VSxWkIPFxq9IljVakoZnOnaaHnpzsaMBrJii17V-TwVEvhbod1CNapFTZJExTO7dxEsn-DVM3MuKTrBgCpu4-jxHXMWl7sxu-7cFdIxN-1tB/s1600/bite.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9EdrB0UazTPTqIBYwlUcZFIJrgEz7dk48VSxWkIPFxq9IljVakoZnOnaaHnpzsaMBrJii17V-TwVEvhbod1CNapFTZJExTO7dxEsn-DVM3MuKTrBgCpu4-jxHXMWl7sxu-7cFdIxN-1tB/s400/bite.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574155880128169842" /></a><br /><br />Yum! There is the crunch of the lettuce leaf, the crisp-cooked jicama and the bean sprouts; the savory-sweet-spicy flavor of the condiments, the chinese sausage and the cooked sauce; the umami-ness of the fresh & dried shrimps and the mushrooms; and the nuttiness of the ground roasted peanuts. Somehow everything comes together magically to make - you've guessed it - the most delicious spring roll ever!HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-10601643497509549382011-02-04T22:13:00.000-08:002011-02-15T22:16:10.719-08:00Very English Meat PieDave brought my attention to this hilarious interview of his favorite chef in San Francisco:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2011/01/offal-chef-chris-cosentino-is-happy-to-make-a-meat-dress-for-lady-gaga.html">Offal Chef Chris Cosentino Is Happy to Make a Meat Dress for Lady Gaga</a><br /><br />The title says it all. The funny thing is, I can totally envision a tripe dress looking like an ethereal white tulle gown. You absolutely have to read the article; it is too funny for words but this guy can totally make fish sperm taste good (I would know: I've had it at his restaurant).<br /><br />Anyway, all the talk about offal reminded me of a meat pie recipe from an <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/magazine/22food-t-000.html?_r=2&ref=magazine">article</a> in the New York Times magazine that I had once made because the recipe was associated with Fergus Henderson, another chef proponent of offal and author of the cookbook "The Whole Beast: Nose to Tail Eating", whom we had actually sat behind once during a memorable dinner at Chris Cosentino's restaurant. <br /><br />I always thought of it as "Fergus Henderson's Meat Pie" but when I dug up the recipe, it was only associated with the guy insofar as the use of the optional "Trotter Gear" in the meat pie. Now, it was a Sunday when I thought to make the pie, and my butcher shop where I might have gotten some pig's trotters was closed, so I opted to use the suggested cheddar cheese substitute instead. So my version of the pie didn't have much to do with offal, but oh well. Maybe next time...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-M1W4okDbqkVnNL-aAYcOd8WdNMV4PRwmg66rMCaBx3vaLqG1QHTjc0Zx8cWdgxiWH84VnVnDSLJRAlZNfY0EiBWDwp__1gKpO1aACTWnhfrqpDEx3oPk8RGSRDGHjt06NgBdlM0gsGFs/s1600/IMG_4976.JPG"><img style="float:center; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-M1W4okDbqkVnNL-aAYcOd8WdNMV4PRwmg66rMCaBx3vaLqG1QHTjc0Zx8cWdgxiWH84VnVnDSLJRAlZNfY0EiBWDwp__1gKpO1aACTWnhfrqpDEx3oPk8RGSRDGHjt06NgBdlM0gsGFs/s400/IMG_4976.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570319888753720866" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj585R-kAjN_t_75g9f3EZKbYMnax5JQq55fnGYOzEZQSC7qfJvGZhcJupeq5UYPVH0Odu6cZmHfNCVbNox9uyoPmXH9dKtDirZjN6CVJ_Mj-fx3Z4luMH1fXGGXWvQ9k0GDno5o-1BrtTJ/s1600/IMG_4984.JPG"><img style="float:center; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj585R-kAjN_t_75g9f3EZKbYMnax5JQq55fnGYOzEZQSC7qfJvGZhcJupeq5UYPVH0Odu6cZmHfNCVbNox9uyoPmXH9dKtDirZjN6CVJ_Mj-fx3Z4luMH1fXGGXWvQ9k0GDno5o-1BrtTJ/s400/IMG_4984.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570320098062057842" /></a><br /><br />We had it with peas on the side, not mushy peas like they would have had in London, but nice barely-cooked peas. And a pint each of Anchor Christmas Ale! There was enough left over for several lunches and dinners. That stuff is really filling. Maybe I'll make it again in a few years, perhaps with the Trotter Gear this time.HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-33649324688405452452011-02-02T19:00:00.000-08:002011-02-15T22:16:38.044-08:00Hainanese chicken riceIn <a href="http://huxleywuxley.blogspot.com/2011/01/borneo-cuisine.html">my last post</a>, I said that Sarawak laksa is the best dish ever, but another dish that comes a close second when it comes to childhood comfort food that I crave, is Hainanese Chicken Rice. Luckily, this dish is easy to put together with widely available ingredients and requires no covert smuggling of secret spice mixes from halfway around the world. In fact, I made it once for a dinner party many years ago at my friend <a href="http://amandastea.wordpress.com/">Amanda</a>'s and it was the hit of the party. Amanda kept asking me for the recipe but I never got it to her, in large part because my version of Hainanese Chicken Rice is an amalgam of two different recipes, from these two cookbooks:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://books.google.com/books?id=TgGjt-vjTbIC&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&l=220"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 177px; height: 220px;" src="http://books.google.com/books?id=TgGjt-vjTbIC&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&l=220" border="0" alt="" /></a> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://books.google.com/books?id=hHW6PQAACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&l=220"><img style="float:center; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 151px; height: 220px;" src="http://books.google.com/books?id=hHW6PQAACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&l=220" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />so it wasn't an easy matter of just sending her photocopies of the recipes; I'd have to stipulate which parts I used from which recipe and when. In a way this post is for Amanda: after more than 5 years (!), here is the Hainanese Chicken Rice recipe you asked for. Sorry for the delay, but better late than never, right?<br /><br />First, what is Hainanese Chicken Rice? Again, it is one of those wonderful Sarawak <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peranakan_cuisine">Nonya</a> dishes that is somehow more than the sum of its parts. There is rice cooked with shallots and garlic and rendered chicken fat in a good chicken broth, served with poached chicken marinated with a dark sauce and a dipping sauce of fresh red chillies, ginger, garlic, chicken broth and lime to pull it all together. But what a dish! I cannot really describe the unctuous mouth-feel of the rice, the delicious tang, heat and gingeriness of the dipping sauce, and the silkiest, tenderest chicken you have ever tasted. <br /><br />Here is a picture of my most recent attempt:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG9eUm3I02iOOzy-_Unqsmx7MC247kaH8pCJH_JHQpCXcxrtGrPYNcMNUWChTJ6JyRwv5jG_uX0-GWob0BaFDP-j4XEtXV9HrITsYY7LppldbvWDDoBgzpFI80J_sAPGQK0Yz7X60f_R8F/s1600/IMG_4911.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG9eUm3I02iOOzy-_Unqsmx7MC247kaH8pCJH_JHQpCXcxrtGrPYNcMNUWChTJ6JyRwv5jG_uX0-GWob0BaFDP-j4XEtXV9HrITsYY7LppldbvWDDoBgzpFI80J_sAPGQK0Yz7X60f_R8F/s400/IMG_4911.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569651883043323746" /></a><br /><br />The cucumber salad on the side is not authentic, but I think it goes beautifully with the traditional chicken, rice and dipping sauce. The <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/01/dining/01boatrex1.html">recipe for the cucumber salad</a> is from the New York Times, originally intended to accompany bluefish and rice. I have also served it with Vietnamese grilled meat patties; in fact, it pairs wonderfully with any South East Asian rice-and-meat dish, and especially Hainanese Chicken Rice, which is traditionally served with cucumber slices.<br /><br />Alright, this is how I make Hainanese Chicken Rice:<br /><br />Take a small chicken (about 3 pounds), trim it of excess fat and rub all over with salt. Reserve the trimmed fat - you will use it for the rice later on. In a large pot big enough to hold the chicken, boil 8 cups water with 8 cloves garlic (in their skins, smashed) and 5 slices fresh ginger (smashed). Lower the chicken into the pot, immersing it in the boiling water, weighing it down if necessary. Cover and boil for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the chicken sit in the hot water without removing the lid, for 2 hours. At the end of the 2 hours, remove the chicken and plunge into ice-cold water for 10 minutes.<br /><br />In the meantime, prepare the rice. Render the chicken fat (there should be about 1/3 cup), throw out the unrendered brown bits and then sautee 3 chopped shallots and 3 chopped garlic cloves until light brown. Add two cups jasmine rice (or a long-grained rice) and sautee briefly to coat the grains. Add 4 cups chicken broth (it can be from the water used to boil the chicken, which is now a stock) and salt to taste, bring to a boil, give everything a good stir and then lower the heat to low and cover tightly. The rice is done when the liquid has been absorbed and there are steam holes on the surface of the rice, about 20 minutes.<br /><br />When the chicken is done, tear the meat from the carcass. Make a marinade by mixing 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup chicken broth, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Mix the chicken meat in this marinade. <br /><br />Make the dipping sauce. Now, this is the most important part of the dish. It is absolutely essential and brings everything together. Do not even think of attempting this dish without the dipping sauce! Mix together: 5 fresh red chilies (stemmed, seeded and chopped) or 1 1/2 tablespoons or more (or less) of sambal oelek if you are too lazy to stem and chop fresh chillies (which is what I do), 4 cloves chopped garlic, 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger, 1 teaspoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the juice from one lime and 1/4 cup chicken broth. I usually taste and may add more ginger, lime juice, salt or sambal oelek. It should be tangy and gingery, with a nice fresh red chilli flavor. The chilli has to be red chilli, no green chilli substitutions!<br /><br />To serve, place a portion of rice with some chicken and dribble dipping sauce over all. (I like to dribble a lot of dipping sauce; in fact, back home we use it like a dressing). Place a portion of the non-authentic cucumber salad on the side. This may not be traditional, but I promise you, it makes the dish even better! Sit back and enjoy!<br /><br />Amanda, I hope you like the post and will let me know how the dish turns out when you get David to make it!HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-36714739464662927822011-01-23T21:09:00.000-08:002011-02-15T22:16:57.108-08:00Borneo cuisine: Sarawak laksaThis morning, during breakfast with the Sunday New York Times, I was thrilled to see that they had written <a href="http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/01/23/travel/23borneo.html?ref=travel">a very nice travel article about Kuching, a town on the island of Borneo</a> that I had grown up in. The writer highlighted various things that immediately brought back fond memories, including a mention of my favorite dish in the whole world: Sarawak laksa, which he describes as a fiery noodle soup. It is hard to describe what laksa tastes like to the uninitiated; somehow the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, so simply to say that it consists of rice noodles bathed in a spicy, shrimpy, coconut broth and garnished with shrimp, shredded chicken, beansprouts and strips of omelette is not really doing it justice. Sarawak laksa is like the best thing you have ever tasted multiplied by ten. Here is a picture of it in the New York Times print article (the on-line article is missing this picture for some reason)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-joHHLk66Es5jO10Vnewl0teLweCjlEXnbQDE3m4chwHY-XtsWwDR7GTN1JmOSj5_CA5tYNklJaoZQwcFYrLoznhcgwbMja7lBYD65QHWHFLrmrHz3x8oZPA8nwkVn4RzuunI9tLuFJY/s1600/IMG_4968.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-joHHLk66Es5jO10Vnewl0teLweCjlEXnbQDE3m4chwHY-XtsWwDR7GTN1JmOSj5_CA5tYNklJaoZQwcFYrLoznhcgwbMja7lBYD65QHWHFLrmrHz3x8oZPA8nwkVn4RzuunI9tLuFJY/s400/IMG_4968.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565620420143521202" /></a><br /><br />So, the way you might enjoy laksa without having to travel halfway around the world to Kuching is to acquire the laksa secret spice paste mix, perhaps from a friend or relative visiting you from Kuching who has smuggled this precious substance in a suitcase that has miraculously escaped detection by the <a href="http://www.fogcityjournal.com/wordpress/39/the-beagle-brigade-stopping-entryof-harmful-pests-plants-and-foodstuffs/">Beagle Brigade</a> at San Francisco airport. The precious bricks of laksa paste are kept in a safe place in your refrigerator and only very rarely broken out for very special meals. As you use up more and more of your stash, you start to hoard what you have left very jealously. Home-made laksa might be had no more than once a year, unless you can locate someone who can smuggle this stuff for you more frequently than once every few years.<br /><br />I decided that the nostalgia induced by the article was a good enough reason to break out the second-to-last brick of laksa paste I still have in my refrigerator. It looks like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4WWvq-Q2wz2wMsOGpSZxzBgbAzGU0hJPU72F0Na_NSNCMiDNqQgt-PwICpprKDekJPSjmQPLauin0_rF49V7wAq41yi-7mIetfO5xTqmFOPinC0oJ_oWydKK8mXfMOiwweOAYDulbQBU5/s1600/IMG_4963.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4WWvq-Q2wz2wMsOGpSZxzBgbAzGU0hJPU72F0Na_NSNCMiDNqQgt-PwICpprKDekJPSjmQPLauin0_rF49V7wAq41yi-7mIetfO5xTqmFOPinC0oJ_oWydKK8mXfMOiwweOAYDulbQBU5/s400/IMG_4963.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565624222976100898" /></a><br /><br />and is actually quite simple to use. First, you make a good stock (preferably from shrimp heads, or chicken or pork bones if you can't locate shrimp heads) and then you add the laksa secret spice mix and boil it in the stock for about an hour. You then strain the result and add coconut milk. Separately, you cook peeled shrimp and chicken in the stock and shred the chicken. You make an omelette and cut it into strips. You boil some rice noodles and drain them. Then you assemble the famous laksa dish. In a bowl, you add a nest of rice noodles, top it with some crunchy bean sprouts, the shredded chicken, the shrimp and the omelette strips. Then you ladle the laksa broth over all, sprinkle with cilantro leaves, a squeeze of lime, and serve. Voila!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDh-VKjqIcksoRxkNOOY9qRML84gsjXeVCysBbnxKhv4cRMziwnGBEiEIx79n6rJvPheM_f8vj_N8zjeqg4VCFruZ-hLL94hQbXEehxnRd3_nlGb5y0NFzCnlXtzgWKHD2k0MnGs9uERJ/s1600/IMG_4966.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDh-VKjqIcksoRxkNOOY9qRML84gsjXeVCysBbnxKhv4cRMziwnGBEiEIx79n6rJvPheM_f8vj_N8zjeqg4VCFruZ-hLL94hQbXEehxnRd3_nlGb5y0NFzCnlXtzgWKHD2k0MnGs9uERJ/s400/IMG_4966.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565626600118263890" /></a><br /><br />The most delicious dish in the world. Ever.<br /><br />In Kuching, laksa is a morning breakfast dish. If you venture out looking for a bowl any later than 11 am, you are bound to be disappointed. We had this for dinner tonight, but I am really looking forward to my breakfast tomorrow morning. <br /><br />Huxley Beagle was very excited about laksa. He sniffed the air very intensely and was more doggedly hanging by the stove waiting for me to drop food than usual. I think he senses that the humans are eating the best thing ever, too! He would like Kuching. All the outdoor hawker centers where people eat and drop food he can scavenge, the giant rafflesia flower that smells like rotting meat - it would be paradise for a beagle!HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-26338136035578978842010-12-29T11:13:00.001-08:002011-02-15T22:20:38.892-08:00Huxley CK452 Superdog<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUhUYJG0J5teuZma3Vsadv2Hfc28OssZb8BukbF2BO8I0AUhL8xUBLXi5r-qOAYt6mxCEkxiO-1Y1YHnclbAtaJXXGsP0_cMcwUdK1R0QmGM4d6pncfccIMIr4vwky9J8LrM0_hVHAcur/s1600/IMG_4948.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdUhUYJG0J5teuZma3Vsadv2Hfc28OssZb8BukbF2BO8I0AUhL8xUBLXi5r-qOAYt6mxCEkxiO-1Y1YHnclbAtaJXXGsP0_cMcwUdK1R0QmGM4d6pncfccIMIr4vwky9J8LrM0_hVHAcur/s400/IMG_4948.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556184833939751954" /></a><br /><br />Dave commissioned this painting for my birthday. I was blown away! He was very mysterious for months, hinting at something big and I never could have guessed what it turned out to be. The artist is <a href="http://www.sirronnorris.com/">Sirron Norris</a> who did some murals in the Mission district that I've long admired.<br /><br />Everything in the painting really happened in real life. Huxley was CVFBAE the research beagle, who tested experimental heart medication CK452 before he retired from research and got adopted by us. He's got a permanent tattoo on his ear that marks him as CVFBAE. He hates cats and water, and his favorite toy is his rainbow ball. He loves visiting <a href="http://www.luccaravioli.com/">Lucca Ravioli</a> with me and plunging his head into my shopping bag and sniffing the cheese and salami in it. He loves to lick the remains of anything I've made in my trusty orange Le Creuset pot. And, we all know he is a <a href="http://huxleywuxley.blogspot.com/2010/05/huxley-beagle-wine-critic.html">wine cork connoisseur</a>! We also like to imagine that the drug he was testing gave him superpowers so that he has a double life as a superhero during the day while we are out working.<br /><br />Time to take Huxley out for a long walk! He's been cooped up all Christmas with relatives visiting and would really enjoy a long walk and a chance to sniff out more chicken bones left by the mysterious Chicken Bone Man all over the Mission!HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-50886313352795118112010-12-06T21:02:00.000-08:002011-02-15T22:18:58.062-08:00Tripas À Moda do PortoThe story goes that when Henry the Navigator was preparing his ships to conquer the port of Ceuta in North Africa in 1415, he asked the people of Porto to donate supplies to stock the Portuguese navy and they did, so generously, that all that was left to eat was tripe. Thus, the people of Porto became known as "tripeiros", or "tripe eaters". "Tripas À Moda do Porto", or Tripe in the style of Porto, is a traditional Porto dish that we knew we absolutely had to try when we were in Porto. This we did, appropriately, at a restaurant called "Tripeiria".<br /><br />It was really quite delicious. Tripe wasn't even the main ingredient, it was almost a garnish next to the white beans and the sausage that made up the main part of the stew. The stew was served over rice.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://schweisguth.org/~dave/photos/portugal/Images/222.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 1024px; height: 768px;" src="http://schweisguth.org/~dave/photos/portugal/Images/222.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />When I got home, I decided that it was time to try my hand at cooking tripe. I live in a neighborhood with a butcher that carries three types of beautiful, snowy-white tripe next to the other cuts of meat that I buy, so it was not a problem to procure some good tripe for my experiment. The recipe came out of my Jean Anderson Portuguese cookbook:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/10250000/10252302.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 356px; height: 400px;" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/10250000/10252302.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I have grown to appreciate this somewhat previously under-used cookbook more and more since our trip to Portugal. The recipe for Tripas À Moda do Porto is quite time-consuming: the tripe is first cooked very slowly in the oven for 3 hours together with aromatics, before the beans, proscuitto & sausages are added and cooked further for another hour and a half. The result is a little different from the tripe we had in Porto, being much more tomato-y than we remembered, but retains the essential character of the authentic dish. The recipe made so much tripe that we were eating leftovers for quite a few days. I forgot to take pictures the first night we had it. The picture below was taken after the 3rd reheating in the oven, after which the stew had lost a lot of liquid. It was originally more soupy, perfect over rice, like the authentic dish we had in Porto.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNKYB1CyGG-AwTR4JNIBwWxxeV1Yf2IQGtmq8rGMvGE35NUCLXH0TvnsxhFn4VD5mitJEQvoVEW2oIe9dGi4u1zuDHOeOqIx0Fg2KPs7Q5ZvJTjCl7edDyy1kMrVAwPj9Zz8Zj1dKSPbk/s1600/IMG_4912.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNKYB1CyGG-AwTR4JNIBwWxxeV1Yf2IQGtmq8rGMvGE35NUCLXH0TvnsxhFn4VD5mitJEQvoVEW2oIe9dGi4u1zuDHOeOqIx0Fg2KPs7Q5ZvJTjCl7edDyy1kMrVAwPj9Zz8Zj1dKSPbk/s320/IMG_4912.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547809867624035234" /></a><br /><br />The wine was, unfortunately, a rather uninspiring red, one of a few bottles of Portuguese red that we had bought to try out. I was glad I got around to cooking with tripe. It isn't as scary as it might seem at first. Although, the recipe was so time-consuming I don't know if I would make it again. Perhaps for a special occasion! A dinner party, perhaps, with adventurous eaters? I told my mother-in-law, who is a pretty adventurous eater, about the dish, and even she said that it would be OK if I didn't make it for her the next time she visits!HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-27616404014399855412010-12-01T05:53:00.000-08:002011-02-15T22:18:04.257-08:00A Portuguese dessert in search of a better nameWhy would you name your dessert "Rancid Cake"? This is precisely what we saw on the dessert list at a popular neighborhood restaurant in Lisbon. After a huge meal of garlic bread soup and salt cod baked with potatoes, we weren't really interested in dessert but took a look at the menu anyway, and this cake, because of its unusual name, caught our eye. Dave made up his mind immediately that he had to have it. The waiter explained that that the name had come about because of the use of "rancid butter" but followed with the promise that it was a very good cake. We decided to focus on the waiter's assessment of its deliciousness rather than on the potential rancidity of one of the ingredients, despite the opposing nature of these two details. And it <span style="font-style:italic;">was</span> very good. I couldn't detect any hint of rancidness in it at all.<br /><br />Anyway, after we came home, I saw an entry for "Putrid Cake" or "Bolo Podre" in another one of my Portuguese cookbooks: <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBp-6JzHufW58rFstkk5Og5BECBXnWNvMkokDcwos0NOY-jHELiBHLSba0zgw3_UWZkLlsfecF8V5yNRVkqYZ85eCSIH5Q9FzaHQzVgQjAuTYmX7_HI7w9bY1Ugn6DVNuE15r5h5V20LXC/s1600/IMG_4935.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBp-6JzHufW58rFstkk5Og5BECBXnWNvMkokDcwos0NOY-jHELiBHLSba0zgw3_UWZkLlsfecF8V5yNRVkqYZ85eCSIH5Q9FzaHQzVgQjAuTYmX7_HI7w9bY1Ugn6DVNuE15r5h5V20LXC/s400/IMG_4935.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545714719968162162" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/10250000/10252302.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 356px; height: 400px;" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/10250000/10252302.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The recipe does not use butter, but olive oil. The author theorizes that perhaps in the old days, the olive oil might have gotten rank or rancid, resulting in the unfortunate name, but prefers the alternative meaning of "podre" ("depraved" or "corrupt") to describe the influence of a rich and decadent cake. <br /><br />Naturally, I had to make it to follow one of our Portuguese dinners. The list of ingredients is very interesting: finely ground anise seeds, 5 eggs in a total of 2 cups flour, olive oil, honey, and almost two cups of booze from a combination of tawny port, white wine and brandy. The top is supposed to crack as seen here:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5ng3o3ztS1L-99R2JxCN1lJ2enkTt4oM2VBqAENovvMLzqLc_sg97Ju8RqjQFR6N42v2WZRWtLdK0tA-EHITmuiAsHkCxUuAHvwEiDl2O7HcgCrbB0Y5XTBfJ_UQLxZ_UUo1kQ9d-zLH/s1600/IMG_4930.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5ng3o3ztS1L-99R2JxCN1lJ2enkTt4oM2VBqAENovvMLzqLc_sg97Ju8RqjQFR6N42v2WZRWtLdK0tA-EHITmuiAsHkCxUuAHvwEiDl2O7HcgCrbB0Y5XTBfJ_UQLxZ_UUo1kQ9d-zLH/s400/IMG_4930.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545718936077071362" /></a><br /><br />We paired it with a semi-sweet madeira that we had brought home from Funchal, Madeira. This wasn't even the best madeira from our total Portuguese vacation haul:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4-RYeTX4RJ4pPFCLaGSrxMDrDKTZf9uXIysO_FR7mhWYdXCqkcDlaKVM9jXgJjpqVydQR9UxU5tTh2UWjLg6Hyyzr3LbrskBKOF0_FJ-7qK8DMzBCO01JoP51-DJiBsjqI0QVV8VQoTI/s1600/306.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia4-RYeTX4RJ4pPFCLaGSrxMDrDKTZf9uXIysO_FR7mhWYdXCqkcDlaKVM9jXgJjpqVydQR9UxU5tTh2UWjLg6Hyyzr3LbrskBKOF0_FJ-7qK8DMzBCO01JoP51-DJiBsjqI0QVV8VQoTI/s400/306.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545724712869134818" /></a><br /><br />but even so it was way better than the average bottle you can buy at your local wine store back at home. I can't wait to get into the other, better stuff!<br /><br />So, what was the rest of the dinner like that I made to go with the Putrid/Corrupt Cake? I started this post backwards with dessert, but the rest of dinner was no less good. We had the <a href="http://huxleywuxley.blogspot.com/2010/11/meatballs-xiv-portuguese-meatballs.html">Portuguese meatballs</a> that I've made before again, this time paired with green beans with garlic, fresh coriander leaves, olive oil and lemon from the same cookbook that gave me the cake recipe. This is one of the best ways to prepare green beans that I have come across!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1oXfP4zWR6njyJqXL0VzxkfwIldM1iobkE2yb1TvxFjM5pFBXaWeElGVyYUvb54x9UwDk4rSP9xBwe9sw5pdKE3ebqxu3ro0Ry1cz6SurES1jzDwvol3mA8l0vd8LHYYxlqULmWlXIo68/s1600/IMG_4918.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1oXfP4zWR6njyJqXL0VzxkfwIldM1iobkE2yb1TvxFjM5pFBXaWeElGVyYUvb54x9UwDk4rSP9xBwe9sw5pdKE3ebqxu3ro0Ry1cz6SurES1jzDwvol3mA8l0vd8LHYYxlqULmWlXIo68/s400/IMG_4918.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5545721881173577362" /></a><br /><br />The Douro wine, made with Port grapes, was from our local gourmet purveyor of all things Iberian, <a href="http://www.spanishtable.com/">The Spanish Table</a> in Berkeley. It was a winner!HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-9199771521676007072010-11-18T18:55:00.000-08:002011-02-15T22:19:22.171-08:00Meatballs XIV - Portuguese meatballsThis is a catch-up post - about a meal I made a few months ago, but it was a meal made in preparation for our Portuguese vacation, so it seems to fit in with the last post. I ordered this cookbook to prepare for our culinary adventures in Portugal:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51e%2Bx8D5b7L._SS500_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 500px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51e%2Bx8D5b7L._SS500_.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />And, of course, since I was still on a mission to make as many types of meatballs as I could, the recipe for Portuguese meatballs caught my eye. They are supposed to be made from ground lamb, but I didn't have any around in my freezer and so I used ground beef, which was flavored with ginger, orange zest, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, black pepper and chopped fresh cilantro. The browned meatballs are then simmered in a wine and broth sauce flavored with the same spices that were in the ground meat mixture, and finished off with more fresh chopped cilantro. As a side, I made spinach with toasted bread crumbs (also from the same cookbook), one of the best spinach sides I've ever tasted!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc29xbajuUwg7aaa16EUwIaILTyy9N8Ild03ub14IhtPcKMuhUJhWL0qem0m9wouG5DY1cSGSCOzYn0Xj4CKBTnN_5J1-jkiGmmA00XBY8y2HLmpXvyqI8wphIues0lY6j1ekvvKXzt_op/s1600/IMG_4900.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc29xbajuUwg7aaa16EUwIaILTyy9N8Ild03ub14IhtPcKMuhUJhWL0qem0m9wouG5DY1cSGSCOzYn0Xj4CKBTnN_5J1-jkiGmmA00XBY8y2HLmpXvyqI8wphIues0lY6j1ekvvKXzt_op/s400/IMG_4900.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5541091758912742338" /></a><br /><br />I have to say, we didn't have any meatballs in Lisbon or Porto and the meatballs we had in Madeira weren't at all like what I made (but then lots of dishes that we did try had different interpretations in Madeira), but it is a delicious dish all the same!HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-44619985694553472672010-11-18T18:19:00.000-08:002011-02-15T22:21:06.261-08:00I'm back again, this time after vacationI knew I said I was back, and then disappeared for another 3 weeks. This is because we'd been spending the first two weeks of November on vacation - in Portugal!<br /><br />Huxley Beagle got boarded for two weeks at a dog daycare/boarding place. Within the first 5 days, he got bitten by a German Shepherd dog that he was attempting to hump. What an ambitious beagle! - or maybe the German Shepherd was just really hot! Anyway, the folks at the daycare took care of him and he got all his stitches out the day we came back. Since then, he's been EXTRA affectionate and clingy. I think he's afraid we will leave him again! Anyway, I think he had fun despite his misadventure. Here are some pictures of him "on vacation":<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs958.snc4/75161_454942994563_95001954563_5192721_1754914_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 540px; height: 720px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs958.snc4/75161_454942994563_95001954563_5192721_1754914_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Dressed up as a bunny on Halloween (what humiliation!)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs941.snc4/73408_457947254563_95001954563_5250489_4260760_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 590px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs941.snc4/73408_457947254563_95001954563_5250489_4260760_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1121.snc4/148326_464443849563_95001954563_5334756_5080406_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 541px; height: 720px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1121.snc4/148326_464443849563_95001954563_5334756_5080406_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1210.snc4/156272_470315934563_95001954563_5410013_3733958_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 720px; height: 540px;" src="http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1210.snc4/156272_470315934563_95001954563_5410013_3733958_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />I made a corduroy pea coat for the mild November weather in Lisbon and Porto, where we spent about 5 days each. (Will post about the pea coat in a bit.) We spent the last 4 days of our Portuguese vacation in Madeira, where it was very warm and pleasant. Why Portugal, and those particular places in Portugal, you ask? Well, we always like to take vacations in places where we can learn about a new cuisine or wines. Last year, we enjoyed visiting sherry bodegas in Andalusia so much and learning about the different kinds of sherries and how they were made that we decided to visit Porto to learn about Port wine and Madeira to learn about Madeira wine. And how can you visit Portugal without visiting Lisbon! Of course, we also had lots of chances everywhere to sample the dizzying array of Portuguese table wines made from all sorts of interesting grape varietals that we had never heard of. And, the best part was all the food we got to eat! One thing we learnt - Portuguese portions are HUGE! You will see this shortly from pictures we took of almost every meal. We are on a sort of exercise regimen now, to try to lose all that weight we gained. Not that it wasn't a strenuous vacation - Portugal (including Madeira) is a very hilly country and we took some steep hikes that were really good workouts.<br /><br />Anyway, I will be posting about Portuguese food and wine shortly, as well as some sewing topics related to our vacation. Stay tuned!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.johnny-travel.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/map-frunchal-madeira-portugal.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 282px; height: 332px;" src="http://www.johnny-travel.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/map-frunchal-madeira-portugal.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The red balloon marks the location of Madeira.HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-49046737891435781792010-10-29T07:51:00.000-07:002010-11-18T18:19:13.412-08:00Metaballs XIII - Turkish meatballs with eggplant pureeThis is a most unusual, and delicious!, recipe from this cookbook<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VC4JVP89L._SS500_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 500px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VC4JVP89L._SS500_.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />It's sort of like meatballs cooked in baba ghanoush!<br /><br />The meatballs are made from a mixture of ground beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, allspice, cumin and black pepper, and are first browned in oil and then cooked in an eggplant sauce, prepared as follows. The eggplants are first roasted/grilled over the stove top gas burner until the skin blisters and blackens and the flesh is soft. The skin is removed and the flesh, which has become pleasingly smokey, is mashed up. Sliced onions from a large onion are sauteed until golden and soft, and then the mashed eggplant and a bit of tomato paste is added. The browned meatballs are simmered in this mixture.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2R0C9eqju4AMTa_npuq1b39g3zQiBLJNK2sTQCFbUCgqFpA_pD7C95zPFvcflyiqFCUH_f-W69rqeEHM3-zhtRm1ATYt7YwrdBIgt4Hzj0D9fB62opJsYhSKP2qHQsumSUdVt1VgFey9Y/s1600/IMG_4894.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2R0C9eqju4AMTa_npuq1b39g3zQiBLJNK2sTQCFbUCgqFpA_pD7C95zPFvcflyiqFCUH_f-W69rqeEHM3-zhtRm1ATYt7YwrdBIgt4Hzj0D9fB62opJsYhSKP2qHQsumSUdVt1VgFey9Y/s400/IMG_4894.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533484840276008546" /></a><br /><br />I made some tabbouleh (from the same cookbook) to go along with it and served everything with some pita bread. This was a good recipe! - I might have to make it again soon!HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-21835914005367423212010-10-28T18:44:00.000-07:002010-11-18T18:18:25.954-08:00Meatballs XII - Indian meatballs/koftasThese meatballs are different from your regular meatballs not just because the ground meat has a lot of spices mixed in, but mostly because they are also stuffed with an aromatic mixture of green chillies, garlic, ginger, scallions, lemon juice and salt and pepper. The stuffed meatballs are then browned with yet more spices (cinnamon, cardamom...) and then cooked in a tomato-based sauce with yet more spices. It was really quite delicious, served over rice boiled with a bit of butter and salt to soak up the sauce. Here is a picture of it<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CXCR25VjYE2qXydBYK5oamLS-YGZop1K8B5ZBPih7QzcZsM9fS7-O5qyAs4zgJ-gE1bWrKruj-5IAOWkCem3tt143B_z-Zg3DuKpPZwnKc-o9R80GEEDpReb8S_wrUXH9d6pqALhkzj5/s1600/IMG_4892.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CXCR25VjYE2qXydBYK5oamLS-YGZop1K8B5ZBPih7QzcZsM9fS7-O5qyAs4zgJ-gE1bWrKruj-5IAOWkCem3tt143B_z-Zg3DuKpPZwnKc-o9R80GEEDpReb8S_wrUXH9d6pqALhkzj5/s400/IMG_4892.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533279649989834066" /></a><br /><br />The recipe is from the oldest cookbook I own. I bought it in 1992 or so, when I moved out of grad school dorm into an actual apartment where I'd have to cook my own meals instead of eating in the dining halls. I still remember that I bought this cookbook because my good friend <a href="www.crickitty.blogspot.com">Melissa</a> owned it and had invited Dave and I over for dinner at her apartment, where she cooked the "Chicken with tomato sauce and butter" recipe. It was so good it made an impression on me! - and I bought the cookbook as soon as I had a kitchen of my own. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://books.google.com/books?id=bjkKAAAACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&l=220"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 143px; height: 220px;" src="http://books.google.com/books?id=bjkKAAAACAAJ&printsec=frontcover&img=1&zoom=1&l=220" border="0" alt="" /></a>HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-25406340004292149632010-10-28T18:20:00.001-07:002010-10-28T18:27:38.623-07:00I'm backWell, it's been a really long time since I posted anything. The job sort of got in the way, and then when I had free time it seemed more fun to spend the precious time actually really cooking and sewing than to blog about these activities. I have been actually sewing a lot, a whole summer's wardrobe really, because it has been unseasonably warm in San Francisco and I didn't have anything appropriate for warm weather! And I have been working my way through the meatballs theme, and taking pictures, so there is a lot of meatballs posts for me to catch up with!<br /><br />So here we go, a meatballs extravaganza...<br /><br />And here is a picture of Huxley, just because. Isn't he just the cutest, little wudgy doggy?!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xf6qV4fUCHKexYTwmu-7ZRYg5-zJdIsFwOmaJSmmgVi44EIBJMN-GCIuY8xHTq3AHZoIjLbeUTj3tI_ykV8vGRu3HKSmD4NzuDmMu1SnZfnW5IGlKLy2fsUSl2ttY193kJj2FTEad3EQ/s1600/5.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xf6qV4fUCHKexYTwmu-7ZRYg5-zJdIsFwOmaJSmmgVi44EIBJMN-GCIuY8xHTq3AHZoIjLbeUTj3tI_ykV8vGRu3HKSmD4NzuDmMu1SnZfnW5IGlKLy2fsUSl2ttY193kJj2FTEad3EQ/s400/5.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533273374272010962" /></a>HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-10098503803008270752010-06-03T08:45:00.000-07:002010-06-03T20:19:05.592-07:00Meatballs XIMeatballs three days in a row!!! We had meatballs again last night. OK, maybe tonight I will make something else. I saw a most unusual meatball recipe using peaches and knew I had to make it. It was from this cookbook<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41SQDVD5DNL._SS500_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 500px; height: 500px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41SQDVD5DNL._SS500_.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The meat mixture was pretty standard, containing breadcrumbs, parsley, onions and garlic, but it was the sauce that absolutely transformed this dish! The browned meatballs were simmered in this sauce made from caramelized sugar, butter, browned pears, sherry vinegar, broth, cinnamon and toasted pine nuts. It was like a really, really amazing rendition of familiar sweet-and-sour flavors. I also made a standard Spanish side of spinach with pine nuts and raisins. The wine was an Albarino from Spain, which turned out to be a little too delicate to stand up to the robust flavors of the meatball sauce. Perhaps a heavier white, like a slightly oakey Viognier would have been a better match. I offered the remains of an apple gallete to Dave, but he said he didn't need dessert because the peaches in the sweet sauce was dessert-y enough!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmUPKyE_v4sHAbAm0ReXrF76Zo898yw0Q_Pff6jO32FK8KcCuTggEF_AtXhBf0cYNXBCgj4nD-KPKTABSO5BCnrGIEwESeZCzPKEFhzf58sXr7EQJaVp68lQ4IC8rjiuvchikGiy0jPTn/s1600/spanish.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijmUPKyE_v4sHAbAm0ReXrF76Zo898yw0Q_Pff6jO32FK8KcCuTggEF_AtXhBf0cYNXBCgj4nD-KPKTABSO5BCnrGIEwESeZCzPKEFhzf58sXr7EQJaVp68lQ4IC8rjiuvchikGiy0jPTn/s400/spanish.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478576764250079474" /></a>HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-30649470080549381852010-06-03T08:35:00.001-07:002010-06-03T20:18:52.263-07:00Meatballs XI finally cooked out of a cookbook I'd owned forever and never used.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51AGRAT5JNL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51AGRAT5JNL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Earlier, I had passed up on the meatball recipe in there before because the meatballs are poached, and I thought, boiled meatballs can't be any good! However, after meatballs IX, which were roasted in an oven, I became more open to new ways of cooking meatballs so I decided to give these ones a try. Besides, the meatballs are poached in broth, which can't be all that bad!<br /><br />The beef mixture was flavored with parsley, cloves and nutmeg, and the meatballs were poached very slowly, the recipe instructing you to keep the broth simmering "at a tremble". Wow! They came out really light, almost like dumplings! They were served with horseradish sauce and some more of the cabbage from our previous meal the day before (meatballs IX - yes, we had meatballs two days in a row). <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7HakHI_58Jvr8Tiwx8tlWkHDQ8RyRNmXTuSH0cnAGDXh7bijjQ1RUMqSy69cq9JPAL5mvujiyz29fLlLGjRMZiIPTdKbNLpeb-UMlQU-dHL0eKa_4XKYJRFWcCeMCfVn0idc-eMrtbikz/s1600/german.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7HakHI_58Jvr8Tiwx8tlWkHDQ8RyRNmXTuSH0cnAGDXh7bijjQ1RUMqSy69cq9JPAL5mvujiyz29fLlLGjRMZiIPTdKbNLpeb-UMlQU-dHL0eKa_4XKYJRFWcCeMCfVn0idc-eMrtbikz/s400/german.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478573361957683810" /></a>HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-82886871483306620272010-06-03T08:16:00.000-07:002010-06-03T20:18:18.358-07:00Meatballs IXI acquired a new cookbook:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/46720000/46728755.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 531px; height: 595px;" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/46720000/46728755.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />and when Dave asked, "Is it time for more meatballs?" I looked in my new cookbook and found a recipe for lamb meatballs. Unlike all the previous recipes where the meatballs are browned in oil in a pan on the stovetop, this recipe instructs you to cook the meatballs spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet in the oven. Mixed in with the ground lamb was sauteed chopped shallots, garlic & zucchini, as well as fresh chopped mint and (this is the ingredient that makes the dish) preserved lemons. I had made a big jar of lemons preserved in lemon juice and salt years ago, and it was one of the best thing I ever did. It keeps in the fridge forever and I use it in stews, salads, and recipes such as this one requiring unusual ingredients. Dave liked the meatballs, he said it had good meat flavor. I also made a garlic-yoghurt mix to go with the meatballs, and side dishes of brussel sprouts and sauteed cabbage. The wine was a Cline Small Berry Mouvedre that we had acquired on a recent trip to Sonoma county. It was delicious, but we decided to let the rest of the bottles age for a few more years to bring out the complexity in the wine.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBffhl5TnNfDvMt46M36YPxoaoxTJinPticujeJkf7XnqgLly2nNaKk3dNa8zwK8UEwTGR1z2SwghLRJa62VNM6LT5HDPSlebsD9fGYClxXpWlZimyrv7B6XSgJ2MfqI8LLbKXvuJ99Cl8/s1600/adnoc.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBffhl5TnNfDvMt46M36YPxoaoxTJinPticujeJkf7XnqgLly2nNaKk3dNa8zwK8UEwTGR1z2SwghLRJa62VNM6LT5HDPSlebsD9fGYClxXpWlZimyrv7B6XSgJ2MfqI8LLbKXvuJ99Cl8/s400/adnoc.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478569533428557810" /></a><br /><br />Dessert was an apple galette, paired with a late harvest Sauvignon Blanc from Dry Creek Vineyard. I had a nice time sipping it while sight-reading Jerome Kern on the piano. I sight read much better with a glass of wine! It was a nice end to a long Memorial Day weekend.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIs4CqJrQBz1Rl2noy_8rQJ-ceR5NOecFTCj7YX-j-a_tndfjpVbvsPa0Sog-sf-JYB9bS9L-J9u9MRnkaSoO5LTvlpBdFBLHdd8VA0K0Rl7PiMGmI0GG0Vqxz-QZq4ePQXsW3oZJX9rU7/s1600/dessert.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIs4CqJrQBz1Rl2noy_8rQJ-ceR5NOecFTCj7YX-j-a_tndfjpVbvsPa0Sog-sf-JYB9bS9L-J9u9MRnkaSoO5LTvlpBdFBLHdd8VA0K0Rl7PiMGmI0GG0Vqxz-QZq4ePQXsW3oZJX9rU7/s400/dessert.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478570358891286738" /></a>HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-50254366927210084022010-06-03T07:56:00.001-07:002010-06-03T20:17:17.496-07:00Meatballs VIIIHere's a recipe that seemed unlikely, but turned out to be one of those things whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It's from one of Marcella Hazan's cookbooks:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/519EWJV49YL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/519EWJV49YL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />The recipe for "Pork balls with beans and tomatoes" instruct you to serve the dish with polenta, which seems a little strange, considering that there was already plenty of starch in the form of cranberry beans (I used navy beans instead) in the meatball stew. But, I do love polenta (perhaps because I love grits from having gone to school in the south) so I did as instructed. The other change I made was to add some beet greens I had been saving (the beetroots had been roasted and eaten a few days earlier) to the stew for the last 15 minutes of cooking. Wow! The combination of the meatball stew, the greens, and the polenta was hearty and satisfying. Dave said that the beet greens were the best part, because they had picked up all the flavors of the meatball stew.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCOnBy0Bq4fBAtYOQ5xwPWxeWA7THWqydTZT203YJ_YfzfpeKlhvfE-JMe9H00By6MlAjJaaPAe4T7wtNmwFYt6VYvaE_H49yPk1KTPxFjXEPh72nt0-kqEdbWc9q7Gwdh1NxFnnrDwcZM/s1600/italian.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCOnBy0Bq4fBAtYOQ5xwPWxeWA7THWqydTZT203YJ_YfzfpeKlhvfE-JMe9H00By6MlAjJaaPAe4T7wtNmwFYt6VYvaE_H49yPk1KTPxFjXEPh72nt0-kqEdbWc9q7Gwdh1NxFnnrDwcZM/s400/italian.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478564860576392002" /></a><br /><br />The wine was made from Lagrein grapes from Jacuzzi in Sonoma. It was very purple and hearty, perfect for the meal.HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-90838284439612791112010-05-21T19:00:00.000-07:002011-02-15T22:20:05.696-08:00Cute topThis cute top (#129) from the February 2009 Burda magazine has been reviewed favorably by many people and I suddenly had a desire to wear it to dinner this last Saturday:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_v3SlNRDNVapgBWUZiFdwAlHfYxr09ZAeq5xfJ8Rwl4ZD7b1ccHo66j1FTHcUBoUCZkBL4DEBVPgChw24kP_IAV5mkP1zXsvfMF6REJ_c8cbSxDfn780ino9KbFEGXL8CIGbn89J4Xqm/s1600/top1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 196px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_v3SlNRDNVapgBWUZiFdwAlHfYxr09ZAeq5xfJ8Rwl4ZD7b1ccHo66j1FTHcUBoUCZkBL4DEBVPgChw24kP_IAV5mkP1zXsvfMF6REJ_c8cbSxDfn780ino9KbFEGXL8CIGbn89J4Xqm/s400/top1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473910421321532978" /></a><br /><br />So at about noon the same Saturday I wanted to wear it, I started tracing the pattern and got the fabric cut out and partly sewn, but of course I did not make it in time for dinner. What was I thinking!<br /> <br />I finally finished it some time this week. I love it in black-and-white print I finally decided on, which had been in my stash for a long time. I don't think the actual fabric, a cotton blend with a slight stretch, was a great choice, being a little stiff. Dave likes the top too, mostly because he likes black-and-white abstract prints on me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LqZBRCeLNMtOj-k3RkoTfbZad1rtJi_F4Mcd5tPzsfHiPlYrAmC4UpRtIYwKfX7zLfAAwCbxNiOfYFtIBoxI3urmodCVQYLDhLzal2JklBTD2FgATPa3y4GsuDXFmHa1iBNRUQ_wxZ2j/s1600/IMG_4870.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 360px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6LqZBRCeLNMtOj-k3RkoTfbZad1rtJi_F4Mcd5tPzsfHiPlYrAmC4UpRtIYwKfX7zLfAAwCbxNiOfYFtIBoxI3urmodCVQYLDhLzal2JklBTD2FgATPa3y4GsuDXFmHa1iBNRUQ_wxZ2j/s400/IMG_4870.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473911585244233522" /></a><br /><br />The pendant on the necklace I am wearing is a likeness of a yeast zygote. See, I'm not just a domestic scientist, I am a real scientist who did yeast genetics many years ago. When yeast mate, they form this distinctive structure called a zygote. Here's a picture of a real yeast zygote, and below it, a close-up of my necklace.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3xEpHZI0ul9knOkbLsdCSGM242OeHEP-ukUhFzm4lALSgg1KZl6c_Qt6ol8MqEwxaj1KcsSY035-xN7e32bckqsQYOMKBBKoCvQZVozZe5ola9UkZPfmKf4OhzlL0kWSO6TeIBlq4LJEu/s1600/zygote2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 177px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3xEpHZI0ul9knOkbLsdCSGM242OeHEP-ukUhFzm4lALSgg1KZl6c_Qt6ol8MqEwxaj1KcsSY035-xN7e32bckqsQYOMKBBKoCvQZVozZe5ola9UkZPfmKf4OhzlL0kWSO6TeIBlq4LJEu/s400/zygote2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473916182025307650" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkAjw8ec3jITJQbJLvXcWpQkPvqDC-t58FdqRWRSYPYpru8_K_Xre14cDmqW5L5GAnFOPx2-Sn1MuSjTQUe5RVomiC1eG8-Jyvg_yUVyXHgTmlU7h0Wxpzd6seYwW1SSEhWnSrZSSenJp/s1600/necklace.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkAjw8ec3jITJQbJLvXcWpQkPvqDC-t58FdqRWRSYPYpru8_K_Xre14cDmqW5L5GAnFOPx2-Sn1MuSjTQUe5RVomiC1eG8-Jyvg_yUVyXHgTmlU7h0Wxpzd6seYwW1SSEhWnSrZSSenJp/s400/necklace.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473914531427667266" /></a><br /><br />I like the top a lot, so much so that I went out and bought some nice silk in a silvery color to make the same top to wear for fancier occasions. I think the pattern would work better in a softer, drapier fabric. The cotton blend I used is a bit stiff, and I also interfaced the bands, which is a bad idea. The stiffness causes the top to sort of poof out under my bust, which is precisely where you don't want your clothes to poof out!HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4933906597370467049.post-37247438134417513342010-05-21T18:48:00.001-07:002010-06-03T20:18:05.830-07:00Meatballs VIIAfter all the exotic meatballs I'd been making, I decided to go back to basics and consulted this cookbook, the most-used of my half-dozen or so Spanish cuisine cookbooks:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/713Z6TSRSWL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/713Z6TSRSWL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />There are no fewer than <span style="font-style:italic;">nine</span> meatball recipes in this book alone. I chose the one that appeared in the "Tapas" section. You can't get more basic than that!<br /><br />Meatballs in Almond, Garlic and Parsley Sauce:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGhjuqInHMhZiMl86TKIkbG4MB07r25vItI23ndvgwcdFQcXSXaqshsjQfYMW7A4D9Nhq7HdqOIgc5g1v6Fa92_hyphenhyphenewAmW70AwpQerFD8uMQYgBVNzDhSlGOM0Hh0iNJ1CxFzj1lqmhoU/s1600/IMG_4869.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGhjuqInHMhZiMl86TKIkbG4MB07r25vItI23ndvgwcdFQcXSXaqshsjQfYMW7A4D9Nhq7HdqOIgc5g1v6Fa92_hyphenhyphenewAmW70AwpQerFD8uMQYgBVNzDhSlGOM0Hh0iNJ1CxFzj1lqmhoU/s400/IMG_4869.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473907361216502338" /></a><br /><br />As you can see, Huxley Beagle thinks that the meatballs smell delicious! He didn't get to have any, though. A friend of mine who is a fan of my cooking once said that it must be torture for Huxley Beagle to have to live with all the cooking smells and not get to eat the food! He did get to lick the sauce off our plates and he did such a good job he must have thought it was delicious!HuxleyWuxleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16693734587053506434noreply@blogger.com0