Cooking – Page 10

In a pickle: Easy Pickled Onions starter recipe

July 9, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

It's a getting a bit too warm in the hallway for fermentation. Yet we've kinda caught the bug. So why not play around with pickling? I love pickled onions and I'm thinking about using those Ghost Peppers, or maybe Red Habaneros to make some spicy pickled onions.

So I thought I'd go with a starter recipe for pickled onions, like we used to make "back home". The recipe has been scaled down for a single jar and can be doubled, quadrupled, etc as desired. You can add more salt, less salt, soy sauce, etc….. My original recipe had sugar…..equal to the amount of salt. No bueno here since the Missus is on Her "diet". I added a couple of cloves of garlic and three serranos.

Anyway, here's a decent base recipe. It's a nice start; you can make adjustments as you desire….

This is good with any rich meat…or fried chicken…or fried whateva'.

Easy "Local Kine" Pickled Onions:

3/4 cup bottled water

3/4 cup white vinegar

1 1/2 medium onions quartered – but not cut all the way through

1 1/2 Tb Kosher Salt

1/4 red bell pepper cut into strips

1/2 tsp black peppercorns

A couple of chilies, garlic, etc…..

– Wash a sterilize Ball jar – Combine water, vinegar, and salt. Stir until salt dissolves – Pack Ball jar with onions, bell pepper, etc…. – Add peppercorns – Pour in pickling liquid – Cover and seal. Leave in a dark place for 1-2 days shaking occasionally – Then refrigerate for at least 5 days before eating

Prague: A little self catering and Wenceslas Square

July 5, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Cooking, Czech Republic, Markets & Grocers, Prague, Travel

We had intended on getting the the Charles Bridge from the Old Town Square but had ended up at the the Manesuv Bridge. As we headed down toward the Charles Bridge storm clouds could be seen above the Castle Quarter. Indeed, by the time we reached the very gothic Bridge Tower we could tell that it was going to start pouring. Umbrellas started opening and in a matter of a minute or two it started coming down….our little travel umbrella came in quite handy. As I started to walk toward the bridge, the Missus told me to wait, "let's go back to the apartment and save the bridge for early tomorrow morning…." So we turned around and crossed the street in front of the "Klementinum", the National Library.

We made our way down the side streets and suddenly ended up right in front of what became our major landmark and daily stop for us, the giant Tesco Department store.

After our heavy lunch, we decided to grab some head cheese, cheese, and makings for salad for dinner….and a couple of beers as well of course! The lower level of the department store houses a large supermarket with just about everything you would need.

Our apartment had a huge living and bedroom, plus a serviceable kitchen area. Our flat was on the third floor with a view of tiny Odburu Street below. We found the amount of "security" a bit over-the-top, the deadbolt on the door to the street was super heavy duty….it nearly broke your fingers to turn the key. Then, once in the building there was a security gate, which was heavy-duty, making me feel like we were headed into a super-max. The door had a knob lock, deadbolt, and alarm system. One can never be too secure I guess.

Nevertheless, the place was large, comfortable, and dealing with the folks at PVH Odburu was a joy. It was nice to be able to come back after a long day and hang out here. The location was great, not in tourist hell, but just a 15-20 minute walk from everywhere.

We've come to enjoy apartments when traveling, this one had a washer/dryer as well. Of course, we tried to take full advantage of the kitchen.

This was a nice, light, and satisfying dinner. Of course the Missus had to have Her cabbage. Later, on our return trip to Prague we found a decent specialty shop down the street with a better selection of charcuterie and cheese.

Having just been in Brussels, the beer in Prague had been a bit too "light" for our tastes. Though I bought this as sort of a novelty…..

I saw this and knowing the history just had to check it out. No, it's not who you think it is. You may think that Budweiser is an "All-American" beer, but there's been a fight over then name for 108 years. Anyway, České Budějovice (aka Budweis) is actually a city in the Czech Republic. You can imagine what an ugly trademark war has been taking place. I'm not sure you even know that Anheuser-Busch is actually owned by a Belgian Company, InBev. Well, whatever, this "Premier Select" was actually pretty good….it was in fact, the best beer we had in Prague our first time around. Light, but not "lightweight", mildly hoppy, with a sweet finish.

Dinner done, but with a good stretch of daylight still in front of us the Missus decided that She wanted to walk around a bit. The skies had cleared up a bit, so we headed out.

The Missus wanted to go back to Wenceslas Square, which is more like a boulevard that stretches from the National Museum to Na Prikope which basically borders the New Town and the Old Town.

It's a lively place, full of tourists and locals alike.

We loved the varying architecture, each building was unique, like snowflakes. Like the Art Nouveau Hotel Europa.

With all this historic architecture, it's easy to forget that "Czechoslovakia" was a Communist, single party government until 1989. From November to December of 1989, the event called the Velvet Revolution took place, with demonstrations and strikes leading to a transition from single party rule to a parliamentary republic. According to what I read, crowds of hundreds of thousands gathered here when it seemed that a new age was at hand.

It was on the balcony of Number 36 that Václav Havel and Alexander Dubček made their appearance signaling an end to single party rule.

We soon realized there's so much history here, that if/when we're back in the future, we'd look into getting a private guide and do this right.

There's a statue of Saint Wenceslas….yes it's Wenceslas I, aka "Good King Wenceslas". Which stands across the street from the National Museum, which was closed for renovation during our stay.

05312014 D60 073

Darkness started to fall as we headed back down the square. We paused to listen to the really talented guy playing what I believe is a Cimbalom. This dude was really good; he was jamming to the standard "Autumn Leaves" and doing some pretty good improvisation. The Missus thought it funny that I could recognize the music being played by street musicians and small bands.

There was one more place the Missus wanted to check out before heading back….yep, Old Town Square.

Though the crowds had thinned, there were still a good number of people milling about.

We then headed back and settled in for a nice night.

The place had great wifi, so I went ahead and did a post, and opened up the two beers I had gotten earlier at Tesco.

I really didn't care for either. Did you notice the "degree" values on the beer? No, it doesn't mean percentage of alcohol, rather, it's a percentage on the Balling Scale measuring the sugars in the wort before fermentation. There is an indirect correlation to alcohol content; a 12 degree beer will be stronger than a 10 degree beer, but the alcohol content of a 10 degree is about 3.5%.

We'd had a pretty busy day which led to a wonderful night of sleep. Which was good since the Missus had a busy day aplnned for us!

Thanks for reading!

Why duck fat rules…..

June 26, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

Way back in November when I posted on our Thanksgiving Duck two people emailed me asking about rendering duck fat. So……the Missus has been craving duck and asked me to make duck confit this past weekend. We didn't have much duck fat leftover from Thanksgiving….duck fat lasts forever….even with what I had from our previous confit. So it was a perfect time to order a duck….I get a duck from Bristol Farm. I order it from the poultry guy since I don't want one of the frozen ones. He places his orders to Mary's on Fridays and Wednesdays…..I do the Wednesday order thing, it arrives on Friday, I pick up early Saturday morning, along with two extra legs. Why? Well, unless you see any four legged ducks out there…..

The process is simple…..you take Ducky….pat the poor fellow dry.

The Missus was amazed that I could break this baby down in less than 10 minutes. Actually, you know that's a lie….She would never be impressed because "it's just a duck, it's already dead, there are no feathers……..2 minutes max!"

I then trim the fat from the carcass, I follow-up by trimming the portioned legs and breast. I then cleaned up the skin and fat by taking off excess bits of meat and other "stuffs".

We are then ready to go. I slice the fat into thin strips and put into a heavy bottomed pan. I turn the heat to medium and add a half-cup of bottled or filtered water.

You may ask "water???" But yes, water. It helps to keep the skin and fat from burning during the rendering process…really!

When things start getting kind of exciting….lot's of bubbling, I turn the heat down a smidge…..

After about 35 minutes to 45 minutes you start getting something that looks like this going on.

A few minutes later you're ready to strain the whole thing. And you end up with this.

Yep, duck cracklins. I dropped a small packet off for our good friend "YY" and the rest we used as salad toppings. And heck, I just read that duck fat might be a healthy alternative to butter. Anyway, a little goes a long way…..folks have used duck fat to preserve food…as in duck confit. I used what I had in the fridge and about 2/3 of a cup of the recently rendered fat, leaving me with a cup for other stuffs.

I mean really, this duck and parts ain't cheap, like over $40…however, 2 meals from breasts, bones for soup, 4 legs confit…duck fat and cracklins…..priceless.

Trying to figure out how to do the duck breasts within the limits of the Whole 30 was interesting……

We settled on slowly searing the breasts, crisping the skin while rendering the fat, draining periodically. While the duck finished in the oven. I used some of the rendered fat to saute vegetables, some of which, like the padron peppers came from our garden, flavoring with a natural Date Vinegar with no added sugar we bought in Ghent. I then took the rest of the rendered fat from the breasts and made a sauce of sorts with the vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Oh, and you can't forget that these had been seasoned with five-spice from QingDao….after all, according to the Missus, duck is not duck without that flavor profile.

Trying to take the “die” out of diet – Cilantro Sauce

June 25, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

As we were heading on to the tail end of our trip, the Missus told me She was going to do something called the Whole 30 Program. I didn't think much of it until I read about the foods She would need to avoid for 30 days….you might recall, I do almost all the cooking in our household and would have to adhere to these rules when cooking. Basically, no sugars of any kind – real or artificial (that would include honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, coconut sugar), no alcohol even for cooking (forget about the Shaoxing in the stir fry or mirin for that matter), no legumes or beans (No soy sauce – why don't you just stab me in the heart and get it over with, no peanuts, peanut butter, all forms of soy – you need to check for lecithin), no grains of any kind (including quinoa, no starches for thickening, nothing battered, no breads, no bogus gluten free stuff), no dairy (forget the cheese, except for clarified butter and ghee), no MSG or sulfites (gotta read those labels), basically, NO FUN.

I promised the Missus I'd do a "Whole 7" in support….I'd already lost 17 pounds on my trip. I always lose weight on vacation, I even joked with Kirbie during our dinner that Villa Manila, calling our upcoming trip my annual visit to the fat farm….I can eat anything, drink anything, and I will lose weight. So if you've wondered why my posts were kind of sparse for a while that's it….along with the fact that even though I waited a whole 7 days before popping open that beer, we're still doing the Whole 30 when we eat at home….in case you've been wondering why the Missus has been absent in my restaurant posts….first thing I had…noodles….oodles of noodles.

Basically, food looks like this everyday. You know, the thought of having steak every night might sound like fun…..but I need variety….

I've been grilling a couple of nights a week….I've gotten pretty good at Weeknight grilling over the years, but man, not being able to use soy sauce, any sweeteners, and the like makes things tough and I'm having to rely on doing basic rubs. Salads are basically vinaigrettes, I guess vinegar (so long it has no sugar – you end up reading labels like crazy, and oh, malt vinegar has gluten so no bueno) is ok. This itself can get pretty old, think about sauces…..you can't really use anything you don't make yourself.

So here's one the Missus really enjoys – very simple……oh, and one of Her latest things is Avocado Oil. Sauces like this makes this diet survivable.

I've made this a couple of times and She enjoys it. Though it doesn't totally take the "die" out of diet. I'll post some other stuff I've been making at home later on.

Cilantro Sauce:

2 bunches cilantro – stems removed

1/2 cup Avocado Oil – plus more in necessary

5 cloves garlic

1/4 small onion choppped or 2-3 shallots chopped

2-3 Serrano Peppers chopped

3 Tb pepetas – toasted and crushed

juice from 2 limes

Chipotle Powder, Salt, and Pepper to taste

Water as needed

– Tear up cilantro and place in food processor, along with the garlic, serranos, onion/shallots

– Add 1/4 cup of the avocado oil and lime juice

– Turn on food processor and slowly add the rest of the avocado oil.

– If too thick you can add more oil and water as necessary

– Taste and add the pepitas, Chipotle Powder, Salt, and Pepper – pulse several times and taste again

This tastes great with grilled chicken (skin on please – since fat seems to be a virtue), burgers, and even some fish.

Porto: A visit to Vila Nova De Gaia and Croft Port Win Lodge

June 14, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Porto, Portugal, Travel

It would not have been right to spend time in Porto and not cross the Douro River and visit at least one Port Wine lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia. Port wine grapes are grown upstream in the Douro valley and come to Vila Nova de Gaia to age in the various lodges in the area. You'll see very familiar names, Sandeman, Taylor, and Kopke as you cross on over.

To get there, we walked back up to the Sé do Porto – the Cathedral and crossed over on the top level of the Dom Luis Bridge. You could just as easily walk over on the lower level, but crossing over on the "Metro level", you'll get the benefit of a very nice view.

I also enjoyed watching the metro zoom by…….

Crossing over, we got kind of turned around and a bit lost in the winding streets of Vila Nove de Gaia. When we finally made it to Taylor, they were closed for a private event. The Missus was starting to get a bit frustrated when we finally found Croft.

The rustic interior and large barrels really gave this place the "right" atmosphere.

We were going to take the tour and even bought tickets when this large noisy group of young people came in and basically took over the place. The Missus and I decided to pass on the tour, which I heard is pretty good and just had our tastings…..

I supplemented with a tasting of the 10 year old Tawny Port, which was more to my taste, not overly sweet, slightly smokey, caramelized fruitiness……

We then headed back down to the waterfromt, which was much more relaxed than Porto, though I've got say, Porto is fairly relaxed as a whole.

On a bright sunny day like this one; you got some postcard worthy views…..

We decided to head back to the apartment. We took the lower level of the bridge…..

And within minutes were back at the apartment. It had been a pretty long day; starting with checking out Avenida dos Aliados, Imperial McDonald's and breakfast. Moving on to Mercaod do Bolhao, Clérigos Church and Tower and lunch at Antunes. Ending with our visit to Vila Nova de Gaia. We decided on staying in for dinner…..

I'd really taken to the dense, dark, bread called Broa de Avintes and we had found some at a local bakery.

Meal complete, we took our usual after dinner stroll……

Walking along the Ribeira (riverfront), I saw a place selling a variety of Francesinha…..there's just something wrong about having a veggie or tofu version of this calorie bomb of a sandwich, don't you think?

I was mentally trying to determine if I had enough room in my belly for one of these, when the Missus read my mind and said, "there's no way I'm going to let you have another one of those sandwiches". Which was probably a correct decision…….still, I was sorely tempted.

White (Ivory) King Salmon

June 12, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes, Seafood

It's been good getting back into the old routine here after our trip. That of course, would mean my weekly trip to Catalina Offshore…..and of course, running into Tommy Gomes. This time around, Tommy asked me if I'd ever cooked White King Salmon…..heck, wasn't that really expensive stuff; like what Alain Ducasse and Daniel Boulud are serving at pretty hefty prices? And I have a chance at it? A nice center cut piece to be exact…. Tommy, did you miss me??? I'd never cooked this product before and I asked Tommy what the difference was between this and regular wild king salmon. His response, "it's different, kind of hard to put a finger on it, the mouthfeel is definitely different, give it a try…." Which is precisely what I did.

I'm sure you're wondering what this looked like, right?

Ever see salmon that looked like this?

Yes, this is King Salmon, the same species as your run of the mill Onchorhynchus tshawytscha, also known as Chinook Salmon. What causes the lack of pigmentation? Apparently a genetic mutation that causes an inability to metabolize astaxanthin. According to the Alsakan Department of Fish and Game, "research has shown the white kings and the red-fleshed kings are identical in composition of lipids, moisture, protein and omega -3 fatty acids". Different sources state that this mutation occurs in anywhere from 1% to 5% of the population. White King Salmon used to be destined for canning or the smokehouse; but perhaps, like Patagonian Toothfish, aka Chilean Sea Bass a name change from White King Salmon to Ivory King Salmon brought about a larger demand?

Bottom line, does the taste and texture any different from regular wild King Salmon? Some say yes, but the described differences are all over the board and contradicting. Some say no.

So here's the drill; I first went with a simple pan saute, with a quick dill infused olive oil to finish and some stir-fried vegetables.

Wow, this was good, to us it was quite different from the usual King Salmon we get. It's not quite oilier, but somehow richer, reminding us of King Clip in the way it flaked. The flavor was quite a bit milder and the typical salmon flavor was a bit more faint, it also seemed to have a slightly sweeter finish. This was outstanding fish…….

So, the Missus decided that I should figure out a way to crust this, adding pepitos to the whole thing. Easy to say from where She sits when I gotta make this stuff! Anyway, toasted and coarsely ground the pumpkin seeds. Panned seared the simply seasoned salmon; added a smear of dill mustard as "glue" to hold the pepito crust, finish in a hot oven………holy smokes……

This was my favorite preparation; it had it all, great texture (man that skin had gotten a texture like chicharron), the combination of nuttiness, dill, and mustard did really well, not interfering with the flavor of the salmon. In fact, it just seemed to add the correct instruments to the band.

Of course I had to come up with a different version for our next meal. The Missus wanted something really tender and steamed. I had to grill off some other items for Her, so I went with a version of en Papillote on the grill. My usual M.O. for this would be to add some wine for moisture and flavor….unfortunately, the current diet the Missus is on allows no alcohol of any kind, to drink or cook. So I went with a few slices of lemon on top, a healthy squeeze of lemon juice and a couple of tablespoons of Grieben Schmalz.

After 20 minutes, the Missus had Her favorite preparation. This was nice, everybody brought something to the party; the schmalz laced with caramelized onions added some nice sweetness along with the thin sliced zucchini, the tomatoes and lemon juice a nice contrasting acid, the onions a mild sweet pungency….the schmalz and juices from the fish had rendered over the vegetables.

Simpler is often better, as is the case when using salmon belly. I saved that cut to have with a nice salad, salt, pepper, and the Big Kahuna raging.

Melt in your mouth salmon belly…..a nice final dish.

So, if you skipped to the end here and want to know what we think; I'd say buy it if it's fresh…..if I don't get to it first!

Midweek Meanderings: Don Diego’s becoming Balboa Taphouse, how does our garden grow, and other “hot” stuff

June 4, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking

It's great to be home, though I'm still kinda "fuzzy"…..when I was younger there was no such thing as jet lag…but now…..

Anyway, here's a couple of things for hump day.

Don Diego's becoming Balboa Taphouse:

The day after returning from our trip, I headed off to Sprout's to restock some veggies and other stuff. The Missus has got me on this "diet" thing….more on that later. Anyway, I noticed the sign on what used to be Don Diego's was gone, so I walked up and took a look. Seems like this pseudo, gringo taco shop is going to be something called Balboa Taphouse. It probably a better fit for the folks who have the lease on this spot; they also own Jimbo's Liquor next door.

4421 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

So how does our garden grow?:

The Missus deemed last year's garden a success, so we went kind of full bore this year, planting earlier, and in greater quantity and variety. Da' Boyz favorite uncle took good care of them and the plants when we were gone….

It seems that I might not have a black thumb after all. Of course, it's all about peppers for me. This year, in addition to Ghost Peppers , shishitos, and serranos, I've got a ton of Padrons, some red habanero, and…..a couple of Moruga Scorpion plants as well.

In addition to the usual cucumber, squash, zucchini, kale, and chard, the Missus wanted okra and corn….corn!

Never would I ever have thought we'd be growing corn in the back yard…….

Our current favorite seasoning – The Spice Lab Ghost Pepper Infused Salt:

Speaking of Ghost Peppers…….my good buddy Candice gave me this as a gift a couple of weeks ago.

So how do we like it? If you check out the bottle, you'll notice that it's almost gone…… It's a wonderful seasoning for grilled meats. It's mildly spicy, no big deal really, and goes really well with any seasoning containing cumin, chili, garlic, or smokey flavors……

The beef flap here is seasoned with the ghost pepper salt, sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, cumin, Mexican Oregano, granulated garlic, ground coriander, and ground chipotle. The grilled wings; ghost pepper salt, Himalyan pink salt, fresh ground black pepper, paprika, cumin, Mexican oregano, granulated garlic, ground ancho chili, and ground chipotle.

I gotta restock on this stuff soon……

Thanks Candice!

I hope you're having a great week!

City Chicken (not a place; a food item)

May 11, 2014 Cathy Cooking, Recipes, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food. On this day, Kirk is hustling, Ed(from Yuma) is engrossed and Cathy is busy writing a short post.

Do you ever watch the TV show/series Survivor? The premise is that people are left on an island without much and need to keep themselves alive for about 39 days, participating in various skill contests and situations while being filmed. Sometimes part of the situation results with a "Tribe" awarded three chickens, to help them eat and survive.

After a day or two with a few eggs, somebody always seems to convince the others to kill a chicken (or three) and just eat them, rather than continuing on with daily eggs…

During the Great Depression, people kept their chickens alive as long as possible, using the eggs as a protein source and not killing or consuming the chickens until those birds were not producing any eggs and were therefore only useful as other meal sources (not only eating the chicken meat, but saving the bones to make soup).

People wanted to also enjoy some sort of meat during those desperate/egg times. Along came City Chicken, at the time, a much less expensive alternative to actual chicken. Years ago, when shopping at Seisel's, I saw signage.

This is the most current price, making City Chicken not the bargain it used to be, but it is still a craving we occasionally have.

Here's an old photo I found of a purchase.

City Chicken, basically mock chicken drumsticks, consists of cubes of pork and veal placed onto thick short wooden skewers,

which are then dipped in egg wash and cracker crumbs then quick fried in some butter melted in oil,

then placed on top of some onions and baked until done.

A simple food, now a memory trigger for me. I used to help Mom make it for dinner.

Happy Mothers Day.

The Missus latest protein obsession – Beef Flap

April 19, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Sandwiches

Are you the kind of person that can eat the same thing for days on end? I'm not, but the Missus is. Once She finds something She really enjoys we can have it for days on end. Case in point; the Missus has found She really enjoys beef flap….grilled. To the point where we had this for 4 out of six days recently.

She had salads; I ended up with sandwiches which basically looked about the same.

Basically, weeknight grilling, which is an exercise in prep….. start the charcoal; prep, get it going, eat, then clean, I've had a bit of practice with this now, so with a thin, lean, but ultra-flavorful cut like the flap, it's pretty easy.

Seasoned with Ghost pepper-salt, cumin, granulated garlic, Spanish Paprika, sea salt, pepper, and Mexican oregano. A couple of squeezes of lime while grilling over a very hot grill….this is an easy one.

On the fifth day I got a break…..on the sixth, She said "it's time for a change of pace….."

So we had tacos…..sigh…..

Since this was a weekend, I did a quick brine with some air-chilled chicken thighs and used almost the same seasoning, except this one had ground Chipotle. I soaked some of the random, small wood chips, then threw on the coals after the beef was done. I covered the grill and did a quick hot smoke of the chicken….it turned out very moist and full of flavor……

So what have you been eating lately?

Midweek Meanderings: Is your Itamae (and your bartender) going to start wearing gloves? Chocolate Clams and other “stuffs”….

April 16, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking

*** An update:

I guess Take-san from Tadokoro reads the blog! Yikes…..anyway, here's part of an email he sent me:

"This is Takeaki Tadokoro.

Right now we are correcting sign which is to discontinue bear hand law.

Start 1/1 we have to use glove to make sushi now. But I don't want to use it.

So July 1 we have to pay for ticket if we are not using it.

But I don't think my customer want to eat my sushi with glove.

If I have to use glove I'm going to close my restaurant.

This law will kill the traditional sushi in California.

Please help us. Please sign Mr Andy Matsuda's petition"

You can find that here.

Yes, really…… Thanks to Toshiko for bringing this to my attention. According to section 113961 of the California Retail Food Code, starting on January 1st, all persons need to wear gloves when in contact with ready to eat foods….this includes your neighborhood Itamae and bartender. I usually don't get involved with stuff like this….hey, I'll just cross state lines to get my foie gras fix. But for some reason, I think this is overkill….. I've seen those folks working for those national "chains" wearing gloves….I've also seen them cross contaminate like crazy, not changing gloves when going from meat to veg, to your table! I mean, really, I think it can give folks a false sense of security….. What happened to good handwashing? Can you regulate carelessness? And man, all those used gloves have got to go somewhere, right?

I actually use these type of gloves at home, mainly for chicken, but it does not replace washing my hands and keeping a clean work area.

I'm kind of interested in what FOY "Liver" thinks about this. This 2007 study states outright "hand washing was less likely to occur with activities in which gloves were worn." I thought this Washington Post article was interesting as well.

For now, it seems that things are in a holding pattern as the the Assembly Health Committee voted unanimously to reverse and "revisit" the rule, so who knows.

Though it would be interesting to see Urasawa using gloves to make nigiri….or would it?

Chocolate Clams:

Last weekend at Catalina, Tommy told me to get some Chocolate Clams. Chocolate Clams? Never heard of them. These clams hail from the Pacific side of Baja. According to this press release, Catalina Offshore is one of the few distributors that can bring them in to the US. I chatted a bit with Tommy and found that these babies were spitting up water like crazy…..they had also been purged and were immaculate. I asked Tommy what the heck was I supposed to do with these…..his response, "figure something out."

And no, these don't taste like chocolate….

They are named because of the chocolate like color of the shells.

Once I opened them, I knew this was going to be easy……

They are quite large, about 5 inches across, and remind me of surf clams….though the flavor is quite amazing. I cleaned one and we tried it. It was quite briney with a good amount of sweetness….a bit too strong solo, but with a touch of soy-wasabi-rice vinegar, combined with some good onion, radish sprouts, and cucumber these were very good.

The Missus wanted to add a nice creamy touch, so we sliced some avocado.

So maybe you should try these out on your next trip down to Catalina Offshore Products.

What next, don't feed the animals?:

Actually, the first thought that went thru my head when I read the "Please Do Not Throw Fruits & Vegetables" was FOOD FIGHT!!! What the heck happened that led to a huge sign like this? I realize that some of the folks here are pretty aggressive, I've gotten dirty looks when I've touched "coveted fruit", but come on, really? Have we sunk so low?

Best line of the week; a little boy asked his mother; "Mommy, did Batman just get off the trolley?"