May 19

Feijoada!

[My vegetarian and observant Jewish and Muslim readers might like to read a less incendiary post, like Lizard on a Stick.]

Feijoada is the national dish of Brazil. It consists of assorted pork products in a black bean base. Most recipes are heavier on the pork than the beans. The full experience, known as feijoada completa, consists of: The black bean-pork combo; white rice; stir-fried collard greens; orange sections; and farofa. The last item is cassava meal sautéed with garlic and (you guessed it) bacon fat. It’s a good dish for parties, provided your friends like pork. The black beans and pork can be made well ahead of time so all you have to do is make the rice and other accoutrements.

Feijoada completa.

Feijoada completa.

Feijoada is easy, although finding the farofa can be challenging. Julian used a recipe from the New York Times for last night’s meal. I’ve also used a recipe from the original New York Times Cookbook. Although I’m sure your average Brazilian would scoff, I made a vegetarian version during my postdoc as a going-away dish for my Brazilian officemate. One of my other officemates was a vegetarian; hence, the need to adapt. Since farofa is gluten-free, the full feijoada experience is fine for those with celiac disease.

As you can imagine, feijoada is pretty filling. The girl from Ipanema would be waddling down to the beach in a muumuu if she ate it on a regular basis. It’s another example of upscale peasant food–utilizing odds and ends to make a healthy meal.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/05/19/feijoada/

May 18

Avoid White Sauces

By now my regular readers know of my aversion to mayonnaise. It’s time to explain my dislike of cream sauces, or bêchamel to the classically trained.

White sauces were big in my mother’s recipe repertoire when I was a kid. Maybe it was because Grandma was a home ec teacher before she got married. Mom used to make the sauces herself before she discovered the joys of condensed cream of mushroom soup. There was also the occasional creamed chipped beef on toast, lovingly known by military personnel as (rhymes with snit) on a shingle.

When I got to seventh grade, there was the mandatory home economics class for girls. We had to memorize the proportions of flour and milk for thin, medium, and thick white sauces. There’s a reason so many of my generation became feminists: Home ec as it was taught back in the day did not hold our interest. Even diagramming sentences was more fun. It put me off cooking for years until I got into college and had to cook for myself and my roommates. Still, white sauces rarely make an appearance in my cuisine.

What do I use for sauces? Salsas, tomato sauces, and non-starch-thickened sauces, mostly. We make a mean chimichurri for steaks. Pesto is a favorite in the summer, especially if made with my crop of basil. We also make a mint sauce for lamb that’s just red wine vinegar, sugar, and fresh mint. They usually have much more flavor and have fewer calories than gravy or white sauce. They also don’t mask what you pour them over. If I’m going to put forth the effort to make a sauce, I’m going to make one I like.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/05/18/avoid-white-sauces/

May 14

Eating at the Mall

Remember when shopping at a mall was a big deal? Times have indeed changed, as have tastes. Nowadays going to the mall ranks with a root canal–it may be necessary, but you don’t pretend to enjoy it. Eating at the mall has also become an unpleasant chore. The food offerings are similar regardless of the location, and usually depressing.

Today Julian wanted to find a new pair of hiking boots. We went to Alderwood Mall. This is one of the new breed of mega-malls that have the usual internal stores plus satellites along outdoor walkways. We had lunch at a “fast casual” Mexican restaurant. I realize that I no longer live in Dallas, but I do have minimum standards for Mexican food regardless of location. Julian ordered pork enchiladas and I ordered beef enchiladas. We couldn’t distinguish between the two fillings. The sauces were distressingly sweet and lacking much in the way of capsaicin. There was way too much cheese in and atop the enchiladas. The preparation line was made to be as foolproof as possible. The enchiladas were put into a foil bowl and run through a large Easy-Bake Oven before beans, rice, lettuce, and pico de gallo were added. For an eco-obsessed area like the Northwest, the use of foil bowls was politically incorrect at best.  Needless to say, we won’t go back there.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/05/14/eating-at-the-mall/

May 14

Riding the (Light) Rails

Seattle has had a light rail system for several years that connects downtown with the airport. Only recently has it expanded to Capitol Hill and the University District. Yesterday I used the train for the first time as part of my bike commute.

The infrastructure for the light rail expansion involved more than just digging a hole, although that was a feat in itself. Access to the station (and the University of Washington’s stadium and basketball court) for bicyclists and pedestrians was completely overhauled so one does not have to risk life and limb to cross what I charitably refer to as “The Montlake Mess.” The landscaping and station do not obstruct views of the mountains or the campus, and the paved walks provide easy links to the Burke-Gilman Trail. Ramps, stairs, escalators, and elevators supply universal access. Whereas the buses up Capitol Hill from the University only run every 15 minutes, the trains leave every 6 minutes during rush hours and are non-stop.

Infrastructure on Capitol Hill was also altered for its light rail station. The biggest innovation was addition of protected bike lanes along Broadway. When I first started bringing the bike to work, riding on Broadway required considerable chutzpah to dodge moving and parked vehicles. The bike lanes and separate traffic lights make the street much safer for commuting.

I opted to take the train back to the University to see what the afternoon commute was like. The train was more crowded at 4:45 pm than it was at 6:30 am, but it still saved a lot of time (and wear on my out-of shape bike knees). This could even make for a feasible walk and transit commute when my office moves closer to the Capitol Hill station later in the year.

Yesterday’s Seattle Times published an article on the expensive grand opening of the light rail stations at the University and on Capitol Hill. According to the article, Sound Transit has already recouped the cost of the party in greater-than-expected fares. I’d say it was money well spent, to convince folks that taking the train is a viable and attractive option.

 

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/05/14/riding-the-light-rails/

May 07

Goslings at Last

Last night we finally saw two gaggles of goslings with their parents in the back yard. One set of five were little peeps; the other set of five still had their fluff, but were acquiring a more adult body type. Perhaps nesting season is late this year.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/05/07/goslings-at-last/

May 04

Where Have All the Ducklings (and Goslings) Gone?

One of the attractions of our home is the Sammamish River that runs behind it. Many species of birds call the river home for at least part of the year. In previous springs the river has been a veritable nursery of young waterfowl. This year I’ve only seen one clutch of four mallard ducklings. The photos below were taken in previous years.

Mergansers on the river. Taken by Julian two years ago.

Mergansers on the river. Taken by Julian two years ago.

Mother goose and goslings. Taken by Julian.

Mother goose and goslings. Taken by Julian.

The reason for the dearth of baby birds this year is unknown. It was a mild winter, so climate change could be partially to blame. I can’t imagine that the neighborhood coyotes and eagles ate them all. A more ominous cause may lie uphill. Several new housing developments have gone up in the watershed that feeds the Sammamish. The chemicals used in the construction or seeding of the developments could have leached into the creek. Alternately, soil runoff from the construction could have choked off the food sources for these birds. Input from bird experts would be most welcome.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/05/04/where-have-all-the-ducklings-and-goslings-gone/

May 01

Cottonwood Season

Not snow, cottonwood fluff.

Not snow, cottonwood fluff.

Around May, those of us who live near bodies of water suddenly find the air full of puffy white things that look more like dandelion seeds on steroids. These contain cottonwood seeds. In some areas the trees are so plentiful that the cottonwood puffs coalesce to form tumbleweed-type balls a couple of inches in diameter. The river behind our home has sheets of the fluff on the surface. At least the ducks seem to enjoy eating it.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/05/01/cottonwood-season/

Apr 30

Something for Everyone

We had our crew of friends over for dinner this weekend. As you may know, some of them have food allergies and intolerances. Julian decided to offer paella and tapas (Spanish appetizers) at this feed.
Paella takes care of the most pressing allergy in our crew, as rice is gluten-free. From there, the challenges begin. We made a small pan without onion and garlic for our friend who has allium intolerance. A second small pan was made without meat, seafood, and nightshades (capsicums, tomatoes, paprika) for another couple. The large pan consisted of chicken and Spanish chorizo sausage with the works.

[An aside: If you want to make paella at home, make sure you use the Spanish chorizo rather than the Mexican. The two sausages are entirely different. The Spanish chorizo is cured, whereas the Mexican is more like Italian sausage links–except fattier. We made the mistake of buying some Mexican chorizo years ago and it devolved into a pan full of lard upon heating. Needless to say, we wound up going out to dinner that night.]
The tapas were manchego cheese with membrilla (quince paste), skewered vegetables and meats (banderillas) with a garlic-parsley sauce, and white anchovy toasts (boquerones). We made sangria to go along with the tapas.We also had two varieties of gluten-free crackers and the infamous “popcorn crack” (popcorn with white chocolate and cayenne pepper). Guests brought salads, desserts, and wine.

Anchovy toasts are in the background. The peppers are Spanish piparras.

Anchovy toasts are in the background. The peppers are Spanish piparras.

These are the banderillas. We adjusted the contents of each skewer to accommodate the assorted dietary restrictions.

These are the banderillas. We adjusted the contents of each skewer to accommodate the assorted dietary restrictions.

Julian cooked the large paella on the mighty Weber gas grill, while I cooked the other two indoors. The vegetarians had to cancel at the last minute due to illness. No worries, we sent the vegetarian paella home with another guest to give to the vegetarians. As usual, nobody left hungry.

The allium-free paella.

The allium-free paella.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/04/30/something-for-everyone/

Apr 24

Discoveries of the Week

On Friday I had a “routine screening procedure.” I won’t go into gory detail (you’re welcome), but the bottom line was I needed real food thereafter. Julian found a relatively new restaurant around the corner from the surgery center called Trove. This is actually four establishments in one: A walk-up ice cream (parfait) truck, a noodle bar, a bar, and a barbecue restaurant where you can grill the meat yourself at the table or let the kitchen do it for you. At the hour we were there, the parfait and noodle bar components were open. We had udon and pad Thai, along with parfaits. Mine was cookie and cream; Julian had a tea lime parfait, with matcha green tea lime ice cream and graham crackers. The other flavor of ice cream was ube (purple yam).

Yesterday we went downtown to spend our rebate at REI and get some caffeine. We had lunch at Lunchbox Laboratory. This started as a food truck, but now has locations in South Lake Union (Seattle), Bellevue, and Gig Harbor. The décor is a cross between vintage elementary school lunch boxes and your worst nightmare from freshman chemistry (flasks, ring stands, and the like). I had an Upstate New Yorker burger, in homage to my birthplace. A good burger, but only one problem: Monterey Jack cheese. Please! The only appropriate cheese for someone from Upstate New York is NY State sharp cheddar. Julian ordered the same burger, but he wanted Swiss cheese on his. (Philistine…)

We also hit the Spanish Table. A friendly gentleman was giving samples of two Portuguese wines. One was a red Dao, which was a bit too young and astringent for my palate. The other was a most unusual vinho verde (below). Most wines of this type are low-alcohol (~7%) and slightly effervescent. It’s our go-to summer wine because it’s so light. This vinho verde had 11% alcohol and had more body without the fizz. We served it with some salmon for dinner last night. The salmon recipe I used was nothing special, but the wine made up for it.

vinho verde

Not your mãe’s vinho verde.

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/04/24/discoveries-of-the-week/

Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2016/04/23/the-skagit-scramble/

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