Gills n' Thrills

Steamed Periwinkles

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:04:41 -0400

As a kid in Rhode Island, I always found hundreds of periwinkles covering big rocks at the beach. We would pull them off and hum into the openings, forcing the snails out of their shells. I never knew you could eat them, however, until I saw them at the fascinating fish markets in Chinatown. Curious, I bought some and immediately consulted James Peterson’s Fish and Shellfish: The Definitive Cook’s Companion when I got home. Using his directions as a guide, I used some homemade vegetable broth I had in my freezer and steamed the periwinkles. They created the most delicious sauce for bread dipping. The meat was so difficult to get out of the shells that we had to use safety pins to do it. Periwinkles would add a great flavor tossed into any seafood soup.

Steamed Periwinkles
1 large shallot, sliced
1/2 tbsp butter
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 tbsp peppercorns, crushed in mortar and pestle
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Place the periwinkles in a collander and rinse thoroughly. Give each one a sniff, and discard any that smell like something other than seawater. Also throw out any that are broken and the meat is exposed. In a large pot with a tight fitting lid, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and sautee until lightly browned. Add the vegetable broth, wine, thyme, peppercorns, and bay lead and turn up the heat to high for 10 minutes so that the flavors meld and the liquid reduces. Turn the heat down to a simmer, add the periwinkles. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chopped parsley and serve with plenty of french bread for dipping. Pull the steamed periwinkles out of their shells using the end of a safety pin.

French Toast with Summer Fruit

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:25:21 -0400

I’ve been making this recipe almost every Saturday morning after a late night out because I always seem to have tons of overripe fruit in the apartment. Sometimes I take home leftover peaches from the farmers market where I work, or I get carried away visiting other markets around the city. The measurements for this recipe aren’t precise; I just use whatever fruit, bread, and spices I have around. Also, you may need to adjust the batter depending on on the thickness and freshness of the bread. The weird fruit haters out there claim to enjoy it just as much without the peaches, but I think they are integral to the dish.

For french toast
4 slices bread
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tsps cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/2 tbsp butter

for fruit
2 peaches (can also uses apricots, nectarines, plum, pluots, or other stone fruit), sliced
1/2 cup blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries
2 tbsps brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup of white wine or water
pinch of salt

Ricotta, cream, or goat cheese

Crack the eggs into a pie plate and break them up with a fork. Pour in the milk and add the vanilla and spices. Heat a large cast iron or non stick skillet over medium heat and add the butter. While the butter is melting, place a slice of bread face down in the egg batter for one minute for fresh bread and up to three for stale bread. Repeat on the other side. When the butter is sizzling, place the slice of bread in the skillet and cook until well browned, about 5 minutes. Repeat on the other side.

Continue the process for the remaining three slices of bread. Spread the cheese on two slices of french toast and put on separate plates. After the french toast has been made, wipe out the skillet with a clean towel and return it to medium high heat. Melt the butter in the skillet. When it is sizzling, place the peach slices face down in the skillet and cook until just browned. Add the berries, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt, stir the fruit around, and cook for a few more minutes, scraping off anything that sticks to the skillet with the bottom of a spatula. Pour in the white wine or water and raise the heat to high. Cook until the liquid reduces to a syrup.

While still hot, pour the fruit and syrup over the slices of french toast with cheese. Place the other slice of french toast on top of the fruit, like a sandwich, or simply leave on the side. Serve with maple syrup.

The Mysteries of Papalo

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:29:00 -0400

Right now some of the community garden plots located in the neighborhood where I work in the Bronx are filled with papalo, a mysterious Mexican herb. Now that I recognize if, I’ve noticed it in several of the Mexican groceries in my neighborhood too. The herb looks appealing with its thick, velvety leaves and gently scalloped edges, but some customers at our farmers market are violently repulsed upon smelling it. I think they’re just being dramatic because I find its odor and flavor pleasant. Its more pungent than cilantro, with undertones of citrus and onion.

So I get to take some papalo home to experiment with on occasion. As soon as I got the chance, I looked it up in Diana Kennedy’s The Art of Mexican Cooking, but I was shocked to discover that she doesn’t mention it anywhere in her book! Internet research and questions asked of one of the gardeners yielded little information besides suggestions to use it in Mexican sandwiches and tacos. So I’ve been using it in place of cilantro, and I think that’s the general idea. I get the feeling that its a substitute for cilantro during the summer when its too hot to grow that particular herb.

Pintxos & Friends

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 17:26:00 -0400

Ever since I returned from Spain in January, I’ve been dying to try making Basque pintxos for myself. Dustin put me to shame by having a rival Pintxos & Friends party and preparing octopus! I planned to make a very tasty tortilla española served on toast with fresh roasted red and green peppers and aioli. Those ingredients were easy enough to find, but I traversed Greater New Orleans at will looking for specialty ingredients for the other dishes. For example, I couldn’t remember ever seeing boquerones, the white anchovies preserved in vinegar that are widely available throughout Spain, sold anywhere in the GNO. I was pleasantly surprised to find some at Martin Wine Cellar’s flagship store in Metairie. I served them on toasted baguette slices accompanied with a salsa-like vinaigrette that is common throughout the Basque Country. This recipe from Anya von Bremzen’s The New Spanish Table is very similar to what I ate several times on pintxos in Spain:

Whisk together ½ cup Spanish olive oil; 1/3 cup white wine vinegar; and 1/3 cup each finely diced green pepper; red pepper; and white onion.

In Bilbao, I ate fried quail eggs placed perfectly on tiny baguette slices with smoked salmon and aioli. I thought to myself “so that’s what you do with quail eggs!” So cute and small, I had picked them up several times at Hong Kong Market and always wanted an excuse to buy them. I planned to make a trip out to the giant Asian grocer ASAP to pick some up.

I rounded everything out with some quick herbed goat cheese-stuffed pepadews and some Spanish olives.

I also went to a variety of wine stores in search of a txakoli. After all that, I learned the only place that sold it was a wine shop right by my house that I pass almost daily on my stroll- the Magazine Street branch of Martin Wine Cellar. I really felt like I was living it up when I forked over the $16 for it (I’m more of an $8 bottle type), but I’ve come to learn in reading The Basque Table by Teresa Barrenchea that “because txokoli are artisanal rather than mass-produced wines, they are rather expensive.” I also learned that they are “nice summer wines, and their low alcohol content make them good with lunch or aperitifs,” so I probably looked pretty lame when I was drinking them in San Sebastian at night in the middle of winter. Oh well.

Thanks to Caitlin for the photography!

Obamas Prepare to Plant White House Vegetable Garden - NYTimes.com

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 23:39:25 -0400

Obamas Prepare to Plant White House Vegetable Garden - NYTimes.com

Red Stick Farmers Market

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:58:00 -0500

Last December I was passing through Baton Rouge en route to the mushroom hunt, and I picked up some outstanding fresh black eyed peas at the Red Stick Farmers Market. I was so impressed with the variety of products available there that I returned last Saturday. Being a bit of a produce fanatic, I really had to hold myself back. We checked out Papa Tom’s stone ground oatmeal, grits, cornmeal, and cayenne pepper (apparently some of the hottest cayenne pepper ever). He encouraged us to sample his delicious broccoli cornbread. Rumor has it that his oatmeal is mind-blowing, so I picked some up.

The market was dominated by plump, red strawberries that looked ready to burst. Winter standards like beets, turnips, greens, and citrus were also widely available. Other highlights included buttery pecans and crisp red Russian kale.

I also picked up some sweet potatoes because as the weather is warming up, I’ve been seeing them less frequently. One shopper, clearly a regular, greeted the sweet potato farmer with, “How y’all doing? I see that you brought your bride today,” referring to his wife. Another woman chimed in, “what do you mean? He ain’t gonna trade her in for no new model.” I thought I should impart these words of wisdom on the blogosphere.

My favorite purchase of the morning was the yellow grape tomatoes. Smooth and bright red and yellow, they were very enticing, but I was afraid that I got carried away, that it was too early in the season for good tomatoes. My fears were put to rest when I sampled one- they were sweet and juicy considering they were grown in February. It made me anticipate summer and inspired me to purchase some vegetable plants of my own at the market. I chose a purple plum and a creole tomato plant, as well as a poblano and a orange bell pepper plant. I look forward to putting them in the ground once we get through this cold snap.

Mardi Gras 2009

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 02:11:50 -0500

In the words of Bobby Jindal, “Good evening, and happy Mardi Gras.” ;-) Sadly, Carnival season, my favorite time of year, came to an end this week. The festivities really got going on Thursday and didn’t stop until Tuesday night. That’s why it has taken me this long to muster the strength to post some pictures. Besides copious amounts of beer, we indulged in local seafood and the obligatory king cake here and there.

Mr. Okra even made an appearance.

I hope your Mardi Gras was fun too!!!

Basque Cuisine: Part II

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 10:33:00 -0500

While in San Sebastian, we day tripped over to French Basque Country. En route to the train station we passed a small farmers market setting up for the day. There were several elderly ladies gathered around a woman selling cow’s milk cheese. We figured that if all of the old people were excited about this cheese then it had to be good. We ordered “un cuarto,” and the vendor cut us a slice from the whole cheese, wrapped it in wax paper, and placed her farm’s sticker on the package. It was written in the Basque language, Euskera, so I have no idea what it says, but it lived up to our expectations.

After we arrived at our destination, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, our first stops was the market hall. One of the bars inside was selling six oysters with glasses of local Jurançon white wine. They weren’t served with ketchup, horseradish, and hot sauce like in New Orleans, or even with mignonette sauce. The hardcore oyster eaters were eating them plain, but I bought a lemon from the produce stand across from the bar. I think it was my first time trying non-Gulf oysters, and they were much larger and brinier but still delicious.

We also tried some delicious French macarons from Maison Adam. The shop has been around since 1660, and they claim that they served these macarons at the wedding of Louis XIV, which took place in St. Jean-de-Luz.

To be honest, I never understood the current obsession with these cookies until I went to this place. Their macarons were buttery, chewy, and full of almond flavor. They’re made with marcona almonds so maybe that’s why they’re so good.

Louisiana Strawberries

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 11:01:00 -0500

Strawberries started showing up at the farmer’s market back in December. I love being able to eat local berries in Louisiana while much of the country is still under snow.

Basque Cuisine: Part I

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 10:30:00 -0500

Last month I returned from a vacation in Spain. I studied there for nine months about five years ago, but this was my first trip back. I visited a region that I hadn’t traveled to before- the Basque Country. The cuisine was pretty much mind-blowing, and the seafood in particular was special. Some of the highlights were octopus, anchovies (both regular and white), txangurro (spider crab), bacalao (salt cod), fried mussels and other assorted weird fish things. Basque cuisine is renowned for its tapas, which the Basques call pintxos. They are often, but not always, artfully presented on a small slice of toasted baguette with a toothpick through the middle holding everything together.

Our first stop in the region was the elegant city of San Sebastian. Its an old beach town situated on the picturesque bay of La Concha. The beach is anchored by two peaks on each end.

The weather was pleasant, but it was way too cold in early January to enjoy the beach. We just concentrated on eating. Actually, many consider San Sebastian to be the best food city in Europe, and it boasts a very high concentration of restaurants with Michelin stars. We didn’t feel a need to dine solemnly in a fancy restaurant though; almost every bar in San Sebastian serves a wide variety of exquisite pintxos at a bargain price in a very festive atmosphere. You’re welcome to help yourself, get a drink and settle the tab with the bartender before you leave. I was almost always biased towards ordering a glass of txakoli, a local, young white wine that the bartenders pour from a high distance into a tumbler glass to aerate it before serving.

Here was the spread at El Quinto Pino, a small bar in San Sebastian that had great food and wasn’t too much of a crazy, crowded scene. My favorite pintxos were their fried peppers filled with cheese or bacalao on a small slice of toasted baguette.

After three days we traveled from San Sebastian to the largest Basque city of Bilbao. I had heard that there were just as many good pintxo bars in Bilbao, but it really didn’t measure up to the variety in San Sebastian. We did, however, have a great meal at Kafe Antzokia, a restaurant in an old theater. Some of the highlights were an entire fried pescadilla, a small hake, finished off with the pastel vasca, the regional dessert of a cream filled tart. The BF and I caused a bit of a scene when I told him to pour his cider into the wine glass; the waitress immediately ran over to our table, horrified, and showed us how to pour it into a tumbler. Spain is filled with all sorts of unwritten rules.

During our nightly pintxo hunts it became obvious that Bar Irrintzi had the best food in town, and we went there 4 times in 3 days. The decor was pretty trendy, but even the little old beret-wearing Basque men were showing up there to eat because the food was that good. The wall had cartoon drawings with “pintxos and friends” written in the middle. By the time we left Bilbao for Madrid, we really felt like the bartenders were our “Friends.”

Oh, and here are some pictures of mushrooms I saw in a park in Barcelona, just to be consistent with the Gills n’ Thrills theme.

Mushroom Hunting!

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 17:04:00 -0500

Last month I fulfilled a dream - hunting for wild mushrooms! Well, sort of… My friend and I were able to tag along on the annual winter mushroom foray with a regional mycological society. Too bad the forest conditions were dry and cold, and everyone left early, feeling dejected and letdown. I found the only amanita of the hunt, which I guess is something to be proud of, but I don’t really know what it means. My interests were purely culinary; these honey mushrooms were the only edible things I found.

Unfortunately, I had a bit of an “omnivore’s dilemma” when confronted with actually eating them because they look similar to a poisonous species. I got scared and stuck with some of the more easily identified edible mushrooms. Some experienced hunters, jaded from years of mushroom hunting, let us take some of their findings to cook up. We collected pluteus, a puff ball mushroom, and two varieties of oyster mushrooms.

We settled on a recipe from my newest favorite cookbook, Deborah Madison’s Local Flavors, spaghetti squash gratin with chanterelles. We didn’t have any chanterelles, but we just used all of the wild mushrooms as a substitute. The gratin was a simple dish to highlight the delicate flavors of the wild mushrooms. Here’s the original recipe:

Spaghetti Squash Gratin with Chanterelles

1 large spaghetti squash, about 3 pounds
1 pound chanterelles
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
sea salt and freshly ground peper
2 garlic gloves, chopped
1 cup half-and-half or cream
freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. Lightly butter a shallow baking dish and preheat the over to 375. Poke a few holes in the squash and bake until it’s browned and soft, about 1.5 hours.
2. While the squash is baking, clean the chanterelles with a brush. (Avoid washing them if possible- they drink up water like a sponge.) Slice or dice them into small pieces. Melt half the butter in a skillet. When foamy, add the chanterelles and cook over medium heat until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add the garlic and half-and-half, and simmer gently until the half-and-half and mushroom juices are reduced by about a third, about 10 minutes.
3. When the squash is done, cut it in two and scoop out the seeds. Now pull away the flesh with a fork, heaping it into spaghettilike strands. toss with the remaining butter and season with salt and pepper. Spread the squash in a baking dish, spoon the chanterelles and half-and-half over it, and cover lightly with cheese. Return to the over until heated through and the top is crisped and browned in places, 15 to 20 minutes.

I was so excited to taste the wild mushrooms that I forgot to take a picture of the finished product. So here are the mushrooms sauteeing in the pan!

New Orleans Style Barbecue Shrimp

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:32:00 -0400

Its shrimp season here in New Orleans. One Saturday we headed to the Westwego Seafood Market to pick up some fresh shrimp.

Apparently, fresh shrimp can be hard to find in most part of the country, but the coolers at this market were overflowing with all different sizes of shrimp. Large shrimp were selling for about $4 per pound.

This was my first attempt at making barbecue shrimp, possibly my favorite New Orleans dish. It consists of shell-on and head-on shrimp cooked in LOTS of butter with cayenne pepper, garlic, thyme, and rosemary. You serve it with plenty of bread for dipping. I’m starting to think that cooking shrimp with the heads and shells intact is the way to go because it adds flavors and also protects them from overcooking. I hate tough, overcooked shrimp.

I used this recipe from Nola Cuisine. It was good first attempt, but next time I’m going to seek out a recipe with a little more cayenne pepper and garlic.

New York City Food Highlights: Revised

Sat, 27 Sep 2008 15:14:00 -0400

At the end of August I flew to New York for what I thought would be a short visit and ended up staying for almost two weeks due to Hurricane Gustav. We were very fortunate that the storm did not cause much flooding here in New Orleans. Evacuating can be an ordeal, so I was very lucky to already be out of town. My extended visit allowed me plenty of time to visit my favorite eating establishments and some new ones. Here is a revised version of my original New York City Food Highlights post, this time with my own photos.

Christina’s Polish Restaurant - My friend and I discovered this spot in Polish-dominated Greenpoint while searching for a place to eat the pierogies, blintzes, potato pancakes, and beer we first experienced in Krakow.

Christina’s far exceeded our expectations, and I would venture to say that their pierogies are better than anything I had in Poland.

I also recommend their extraordinary homemade sauerkraut, beets, dill soup, or mushroom barley soup when it’s available. The Polish platter is also a good way to sample everything.

Wash it down with an Okocim, a Polish beer with a cute logo- a goat on its hind legs drinking from a massive glass of beer. 853 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn, NY 1

Taqueria y Fonda la Mexicana – This Mexican hole-in-the-wall is located on the Upper Upper West Side. The small tables and smoky open grill might deter you from eating in, but you should stay to experience the trio of salsas accompanied by fresh tortilla chips. My favorite is the very spicy green salsa packed with onion, garlic, cilantro, and avocado chunks. The tortas, giant burritos, enchiladas, and especially the chile relleno are all excellent. 968 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY 10025

Shake Shack – This place is pretty trendy, but in a yuppie way. I couldn’t believe it when I bit into the shroom burger, a battered and fried portobello mushroom cap filled with cheese and served like a burger on a bun. Vegetarian options at burger places are often an afterthought, but I think many meat eaters would agree that the shroom burger is the best item on the menu.

The sundaes are phenomenal, and I highly recommend getting one with some artesinal toffee. Madison Square Park near Madison Ave. at 23rd St., New York, NY 10010

Koronet’s Pizza – Koronet’s is no Grimaldi’s, but it’s still better than any of the pizza in New Orleans, and the size of the slices is pretty novel. Koronet’s exists primarily to satisfy the beer munchies of Columbia students, which I learned when I saw a guy there passed out in a pool of his own vomit. I’ve had the pizza after a night of drinking and also while sober, however, so I can vouch for its tastiness. 2848 Broadway, New York, NY 10025

Lenny’s Bagels – Freshly baked bagels are the holy grail of New Orleans, so I always treat myself while in New York. Lenny’s never disappoints- their bagels are fresh, flavorful, and have just the right texture combination of chewy and firm yet soft. I recently ordered an egg, poppy seed, and onion bagel with lox cream cheese, and it was a taste sensation. 2601 Broadway, New York, NY 10025

Roti Roll Bombay Frankie – This Indian roti place isn’t very authentic, but it still tastes great. My favorite is the aloo masala frankie - potatoes and peas wrapped in a roti. It doesn’t sound very exciting, but the spices are delicious and the roll’s texture is spectacular. 994 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY 10025

Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden – This former Czech social club turned beer garden isn’t really about the food, although the potato pancakes and kielbasa are great. It’s about the beer, and Bohemian Hall carries several different interesting types from Central Europe. We like to enjoy several pitchers at a communal wooden table on a warm evening. 29-19 24th Ave., Queens, NY 11102

Red Hook Ball Fields - Latin American food vendors set up every Saturday and Sunday during the summer at the soccer fields in Red Hook. Food enthusiasts can choose among a wide variety of specialties. The tacos here even made this pescetarian break down and eat chicken, and it didn’t disappoint. I’ve also eaten some of the best papusas ever here, and I still dream about the delicious horchata. Clinton St. at Bay St., Brooklyn, NY 11231

Zoma - I read about this Ethiopian restaurant on The Amateur Gourmet and decided that I had to try it. We started with a fantastic appetizer of filo pastries filled with lentils.

We split a vegetarian combination platter that consisted of different dishes of red lentils, split peas, chickpeas, and potatoes. No silverware was given, and we used the flat sponge bread to eat all of the food. 2084 Frederick, New York, NY 10026

Pommes Frites - I guess the allure of this place is that its BYOB, and the store next door has a good selection of Belgian beers. You buy some fries and choose one of the many dipping sauces to go with them. Its that simple. 123 2nd Ave. New York, NY 10003

Gardening Challenges

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 11:03:00 -0400

My favorite cookbook author, Deborah Madison, discusses the challenges of growing food in her latest blog post The Limits of Vegetarianism. Its good to know that someone else has difficulties growing zucchini. I was feeling like every time I read a new gardening or food article, someone was showing off their vegetable harvests, and I was feeling very jealous. It pours rain almost everyday here, and I’ve had major problems with fungus. Also, just when I thought I was having some success with one of my tomato plants, I noticed cracks in all of the fruit from the heavy moisture. I’ve also had problems with bugs. I went outside recently to find many of my tomato flowers destroyed by revolting little hornworms that I picked off and threw across the yard. All of these problems have resulted in this pathetic yield for the month of August.

I’m still pretty new to gardening, so I’m not going to give up. Its already time to start planting beets, and I’ll keep trying to grow vegetables until it stops being fun.

Coconut & Thai Basil Ice Cream

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:30:00 -0400

Last week I came across a great find while at the thrift store- a Cuisinart 1 1/2 Quart Automatic Ice Cream Maker. This type is special because it doesn’t require rock salt. You just freeze the bowl completely and take it out when you’re ready to churn.

One of the first flavors I’ve made is this coconut and Thai basil ice cream. I was inspired by my Thai basil plant that I started from seed back in March. Its been the most successful plant in my garden this summer- thriving in the heat and rain here in New Orleans, but I haven’t even used it until now.

Coconut is the dominant flavor, but the anise-y basil flavor clearly comes through. This ice cream is made more special by using fresh coconut.

Coconut & Thai Basil Ice Cream
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup turbinado sugar
1/3 cup chopped fresh Thai basil
1/2 whole vanilla bean
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup fresh grated coconut

In a large saucepan or pot, combine the coconut milk, heavy cream, milk, thai basil, and sugar. Slice the vanilla bean down the side and scrape the seeds into the milk mixture. Add the pod as well. Use a hand blender to puree the basil (its ok if there a few large pieces left). Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring until the sugar is just dissolved. Remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, whisk the yolks until smooth and frothy. Add about a cup of the hot coconut milk mixture, and whisk into the yolks. Whisk the yolk mixture into the ice cream base, and return it to medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, until thickened slightly. Remove from heat and pour into a container. Refrigerate until cooled completely.

When mixture is thoroughly cold, churn using your method of choice. Add grated coconut to the ice cream when there are about 5 minutes left in the churning process. Transfer to a freezer safer container and freeze for several hours before serving.

Pho Tau Bay

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 14:52:00 -0400

Pho Tau Bay might be my favorite restaurant in New Orleans, and its definitely the one I frequent most. This might seem strange because New Orleans isn’t particularly known for Vietnamese food, but there are actually two large communities located in New Orleans East and on the West Bank of the river. Pho Tau Bay is a family-run establishment in Gretna, about 10 minutes from my house in the Garden District of New Orleans. The staff is very friendly and nice. Also, its CHEAP- I feel like I’ve really indulged if I spend more than $10. Its weirdly located in a dilapidated strip mall.

Don’t use Pho Tau Bay’s outward appearance to judge the quality of its food. I usually get the vegetarian banh mi- a “Vietnamese po-boy” as they describe it in New Orleans, filled with fried tofu, cilantro, mayonnaise, pickled daikon and carrots. Sometimes I branch out and get a vermicelli salad bowl or soup instead. I can also vouch for the quality of their spring rolls. I never make a trip to Pho Tau Bay without ordering a delicious and refreshing jasmine iced tea.

Pho Tau Bay is located at 113 Westbank Expressway Ste C, Gretna, LA 70053, open everyday except Thursday and Sunday, and the kitchen promptly closes at 8:30 PM.

Pescetarian Grilling Adventures: Part 1

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:02:00 -0400

Pescetarian grilling can get boring. While delicious, I can only eat so many portabella mushroom burgers. So I’ve been turning to James Peterson’s Fish & Shellfish: the Definitive Cook’s Companion for seafood grilling inspiration. I have to say, this book’s pretentiousness is a little over-the-top, i.e. he goes on and on about startling his dinner guests with his bizarre seafood creations, and his “carving skills (gleaned from watching waiters in European restaurants.)” But Peterson definitely knows what he’s talking about, and his recipes have yet to fail- except for one time when I didn’t get a whole fish gutted because he didn’t explicitly say to. We cooked it up on the grill, and cutting into it was a gross experience- but I think that was my fault.

During my daily trip to the grocery store, I spotted some whole rainbow trout that looked good, and according to FishPhone, also low in toxins (BTW, I can’t rave enough about FishPhone. Just text 30644 with the message FISH followed by your potential seafood choice, and they’ll text you back with a toxins assessment and better alternatives to fish with significant environmental concerns.) Peterson recommended grilling the trout whole without any flavorings or marinade, but I find his palate is more sophisticated than mine. He’s a huge fan of Japanese and French cuisine, so he enjoys more subtle flavors. My friend and I threw caution to the wind and filled the trout cavities with garlic, thyme springs, and lemon slices.

It was all relatively easy. We liberally oiled the grate and the fish and cooked them for about five minutes on each side. We ran into a problem when the skin tore on one of them, ruining our meal presentation. Everything still tasted delicious, but Peterson would have been disappointed in us. The fish was served alongside grilled Vidalia onions, red peppers, and sweet potato slices accompanied with a tangy North Carolina type of barbecue sauce.

Asian Supermarket Finds

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:39:00 -0400

I made my monthly trip out to Hong Kong Market this weekend. The most unusual thing I purchased were some tiny green thai eggplants, and I have no idea what to do with them. The strangest item I saw, however, were these giant durians.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to photograph the largest fruit of the bunch. Someone had eagerly snatched it up, paying $54 for the huge durian. I have to admit, after smelling a durian filled pastry, I really don’t get the appeal. Anthony Bourdain has described the durian as “complex,” but I think it smells more like the smelly disgusting feet of a rotting corpse. I guess that would smell and taste pretty complex though.

New England Seafood Treats

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:45:00 -0400

I never liked seafood until I moved to New Orleans seven years ago. Now whenever I go back to Rhode Island to visit my family, I’m sure to get my hands on some lobster, clams, chowder and other delicious things that I can’t find down South.

My favorite place to get chowder is at the Black Pearl on Bannister’s Wharf in downtown Newport. During the summer you can get it from a takeout window and enjoy it on the pier. I like their chowder because it’s full of herbs, has a distinct clam flavor, and its not too thick and not too bland.

We also went to Davy’s Locker in New Bedford, MA. One of my earliest memories is eating here with my family- including many of my older relatives like my grandmother and her sisters. It’s pretty popular with the geriatric crowd. Overlooking Buzzard’s Bay, it’s a casual restaurant with a huge seafood menu. They also have a small tiki bar sandwiched between the parking lot and the rocky New England beach. It seemed a little out of place, but to each their own I guess. I had some excellent littlenecks on the half shell and clam cakes. The highlight was a traditional lobster roll served on a buttered and a toasted split-top hot dog bun filled with very fresh lobster meat.

The next day we went to Anthony’s Seafood to buy some clams to steam on the grill after a day at the beach. We left with two dozen littlenecks and another round of clam cakes. I also heard that the spicy stuffies were good, but being a pescetarian, I can’t personally vouch for them.

Did you know this about mushrooms?

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 01:07:33 -0400

This month’s issue of Gourmet reveals that you can, in fact, wash mushrooms. They soaked both white and cremini mushrooms in water for five minutes, and each one only absorbed the same amount of water that is absorbed by asparagus. They say you don’t need to wipe mushrooms with a paper towel anymore- just wash them like you would any other vegetable. I’m very excited about this news because I’m usually too lazy to wipe down all of the mushrooms, and I just ate them without washing. Now I can just run them under the faucet and stop being gross.