Fables have their upside

Sachiko and I joined two new friends, Ikuko and Miyako in San Francisco's Finanical District for a dreams-do-come-true dinner at Unicorn. The restaurant has the perfect moniker since it is hard to find the essence of legends very often at eating establishments. Unicorn is 'Pan Asian Cuisine', yet it has definite fingerprints of Vietnamese flavors.

Tuna Cheviche with Green Mango, Lotus Rootlets and Basil-Nuoc Nam Salsa

The Tuna Cheviche was a wonderful blend of fruit, fresh raw tuna and exotic lotus rootlets, topped with jalapeno peppers. We all enjoyed a taste of it.

New Zealand Green Lip Mussels in Coconut Wasabi Bisque

We all ooohed and ahhhed over the green lip mussels and the smooth bisque it sat in. I would definitely order this one again.

Albino Rolls (Dungeness crab meat and scallop) - Ponzu Sauce

The Albino Rolls were a taste treat with Dungeness crab meat and scallop tucked inside rice wrappers and deep fried.

Cubed Filet Mignon with Blue Lake Green Beans (Niman Ranch)

I did the heavy partaking of the Blue Lake Green Beans which accompanied tender cubes of Filet Mignon.

Butter Fish in Banana Leaf with Light Soy Brine

We all enjoyed the subtle flavors of the Butter Fish in Banana Leaf, which was infused with coconut milk and other herbs. It was very tender, flaky and delicious.

Spicy Mango Tofu and Chinese Eggplant

This tofu dish was an unusual blend of Chinese eggplant, mango and fried tofu cubes. It went quite well with the jasmine rice that was served.

Edamame

We women were having such a good time, and sipping our wine slowly, so ordered some more food to keep the good times going. This edamame appetizer was warm and salted appropriately.

Rice Paper Wraps with Hot Water

Our vermicelli dish first came with rice paper and hot water.

Steamed Vermicelli with Rice Paper Wrap (Chicken)

Then followed by the stuffing of fresh vegetables and chicken over the steamed vermicelli. The vermicelli was thoughtfully pre-cut so that it was easy to portion in the wraps we dipped in the hot water to soften. This was a fun dish to share with friends, and tasted fresh!

Ciao Bella Golden Plum Ice Cream and Ginger Pear poached in Port with Cinnamon-Passion Fruit Sorbet

The finale was a scoop of Ciao Bella Golden Plum Ice Cream and a Ginger Pear poached in Port with some Cinnamon-Passion Fruit sorbet surrounding it. We took a leisurely three hours and three bottles of lovely wine to travel through the meal laughing together. The venue was beautifully decorated with glass art and the service was impeccable. Unicorn is highly recommendable from many aspects!

Something new is coming...

I was on 4th Street in San Rafael yesterday afternoon, and noticed workers busy building out the inside of what looks like a new restaurant! The website is conveniently listed on the awning of Whipper Snapper. Unfortunately the site doesn't note an opening date, however, an article in the Marin IJ does say by the end of October.

Here's what I did with the Etude Cheese

I made a salad with organic romaine lettuce, organic pear and the local Andante's Etude goat cheese I picked up at the San Rafael Farmer's market. This made a nice starter to a dinner with grilled Wild Pacific Salmon and California medium grained rice. Isn't the weather in Marin just perfect these days?

Use it up!

The potatoes are local, the ones I bought at the Farmer's Market a week ago Sunday last. This dish was inspired by a friend's Mom's Broccoli Cheese Potato Bake. It was made with sliced potatoes and sliced onions, layered with an undiluted can of Campbell's Broccoli Cheese Soup on top and baked. It's been a LONG time since I've seen that Broccoli Cheese Soup anywhere. Since I had a few steamed broccoli spears and asparagus spears left over, I thought I'd improvise. So I peeled and sliced the local potatoes, mixed it up with the leftover vegetables which I chopped into chunks, and sprinkled on a plastic box of diced onion and celery I had in the refrigerator. I had a can of Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soup. This mixture I cooked about an hour in a 350F oven until the potatoes were tender.

I've been reading a lot of stories about the Great Depression lately (funny how a downturn will turn these up everywhere) and having been a late baby of a couple who lived through that era, I internalized a few things. Such as not wasting things. So although I missed on being completely local, this dish did nicely use up things that needed to be used. I think part of the lesson of the challenge is seeing that eating choices need to be integrated in the pattern of your life. If I had been eating consistently local previous to this special challenge, it would not be such a challenge to have a much higher percentage of the food be truly local. Actually, weaving going to the Farmer's Markets and finding local sources of more exotic ingredients is something that can be a kind of meditation and appreciation experienced with all the four senses. A very positive side benefit!

I think that the frugalities learned through the Depression were in many ways a forerunner of being green -- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle has a lot of similarity to a little ditty my mother used to repeat:

Use it Up
Wear it Out
Make it Do
Or do Without

And the improvised bake tasted quite good!

Leave with that glowing look

I didn't intend to stop for dinner at Table Cafe in Larkspur, but if it's that time, you are in the neighborhood and emphasizing eating local, who would pass it up? Table Cafe exclusively uses only organic, local and sustainable produce. And you can taste it.

They've added a nice touch of a fresh pappadum treat for the table.

Dad and I tried their limeade with mint. Although it was hard to pass up the ginger spritzer, or carrot and ginger juice. But we like trying new offerings. I loved how this was refreshing and smooth without being cloyingly sweet.

Seeing Mission figs with fresh ricotta, lavender and honey on the blackboard fresh list, loving figs the way I do, these were not to be resisted. And it was a good call. Dad and I enjoyed these fresh and refreshing bites with the surprise scent of lavender inside.

My entree was the smoked wild salmon with grilled frisee and onions, and aioli. I had a side of apple-ginger-onion salsa with it. It was a wise pairing which was both interesting and satisfying. Unfortunately since this stop was so unscheduled, I had no camera other than my cell phone camera which can sometimes be quite unpredictable for quality. I took six blurry photos of Dad's marinated and grilled chicken breast with wilted spinach and got cheese with his condiment of avocado-orange salsa. It looked good and he liked it. These were both fusion style dosai. If one is inclined to meat, especially lamb, their lamb meatballs with parsley, pickled onions, cabbage and tahini is not to be missed. And one day I'm going to get here for brunch and try the scrambled farm eggs with curry spiced potatoes and spinach, dosai style.

Dad spied the sweets on the counter coming in and really wanted to sample. So we split a fresh creamy strawberry scone and luscious chocolate chip cookie. These were pure yum. All this while eating local, in more ways than one! I'm not sure if the glow when you leave is from all the health-giving foods, or the happiness of being treated to such pure and amazing taste combinations.

Previously reviewed:
March 21, 2008
February 9, 2007
September 10, 2005
June 24, 2005

Environmental Improvement

The kids love it. I'm happy with it's lower environmental impact. The Soda Club allows you to avoid shipping lots of heavy water around, avoid the California CRV tax, and have soda sweetened to your own taste, in my case not nearly as sweet. Oh, and the bottles last three years and hold the bubbles better, and the bubbles are customizable too! And it's inexpensive, a liter of seltzer is $0.20. And did I mention, the kids have a blast making it.

Eat Local Challenge

San Anselmo Organic Farmstand

E njoy and Indulge in
A ll foods grown close to you~
T rees which thrive nearby...know your name.
L ife energy still runs through that which is freshly harvested and
O ur ancestors planted the beginning seeds which still thrive.
C uz if we don't eat locally- farmers will go out of biz and all foods will all be irradiated and vacuumed out of the earth ..thrown into an ice cold truck by a robot somewhere in Alaska, stamped for approval for human consumption and bugs would not even want to eat it.
Personally, I do not trust any food a bug would not eat!
A pples are happy as they land in the old bin used so many times before
L ove and support that which is all around us
C ook gently the bounty which is our gift
H eartily prepare your Fall and Winter soups
A dmire and smell the scent of the fresh Meyers lemon
L inger a bit longer at the vegetable stand and Farmer's Market
L ook deeper at the local store for the box of Heirloom tomatoes
E njoy and acknowledge each piece as you prepare it
N othing could be fresher than what was grown nearby
G rowers can stay in business and keep producing
E verafter........Happily, everafter.........................

-Jill Casad
Sebastopol, CA

Nice atmosphere, good food

I circled back around to a neighborhood favorite, Thep Lela Thai in Mill Valley. The interior is still sparkly and has lovely Thai pieces gracing the walls. The service was prompt and quite friendly.

I ordered a Thai Iced Tea and the small crisp salad that goes with the lunches came with it nearly immediately.

I was happy to see what was previously a dinner special had moved onto the regular lunch menu, crab noodles. This light rice noodle dish was seasoned with tamarind sauce and green onions as well as lumps of crab. It was nicely portioned for lunch and a nice change of pace from more usual tastes.

Previously reviewed:
November 11, 2007

Readers know their cukes!

Thank you, Anna's readers for guessing what I am!

I was all dressed up for Halloween on one of those sunny days
when I was plucked by a gardener in Point Reyes
she was very amazed and gave me to Glen, her friend..........
Little did I know on Anna's blog is where I would end.

I thought I could fool folks by the way I looked
Thought they would not know what I am- and be rooked!
am I a tomato or a pumpkin small?
am I an orange or a lemon tall?

Did you ever know
I can be eaten like a tomato?
and I would be sooooooooo glad-
if added to your healthy salad?

I know how to make salsa sing
bring it to life-make it King!
.....or simply to be enjoyed as a snack-
When hiking, I fit nicely in your backpack.

So.........try as I might to be in my Halloween disguise...
You readers are just way, way too wise........
You are so cool and now have my number-
I am a cucumis sativus.....Lemon cucumber!

My seeds left to grow in the glorious earth
waiting for next season to re-birth
Lets see how I change and what I do
I will dress differently next Halloween! Boo!!!!!

-Jill Casad
Sebastopol, CA

Mystery on the table

What is this? A family friend left this on the table when visiting Dad yesterday. When I saw it, I thought it was vaguely familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. Do you know? Our friend cleared up the mystery for me later, and it was an 'oh yea!' moment. My friend Linda grows these in her garden, and has given me these in years past, but it didn't click until I actually heard the name.

P.S. This is very local, from a Point Reyes garden.

The Crockpot

The Crockpot

The crockpot sat patiently on the shiny clean counter..........
tick tock.
tick tock.
The clock on the friendly counter was her constant companion.

Her senses were finely attuned as she ever so patiently waited and thought.........would I be replaced by a modern steel, new aged designer crockpot that shone as brightly as the refrigerator?

The back doors opened and the scent of fresh Golden delicious apples filled the kitchen- the entire house- the great outdoors.....the county!
Beautiful Golden laughing apples grown by the tree's dear friend,Linda.
The 30 year old tree outside, planted in love and deep respect and strong soil had gifted us one more year.

The crockpot felt each hand carved apple which Anna peeled, fall into her belly..............
the apple cider vinegar drunkened her for the eve
and the ginger and other spices revived her in the morn.
Oh what a night!
Could it be? Oh.....could it be that apple butter is scenting the room? Dancing and mingling is the valley of the moon? YES...........and I, the ceramic old crockpot, was the composer

-Jill Casad
Sebastopol, CA

And another poem from Jill, who wrote it after hearing that I helped Linda make some apple butter in her crockpot. And after that, from the Mutsu apples I purchased at the Farmer's Market, I made yet another batch of apple butter! I was happy to pass some on to a long time friend I met for lunch at Babbo's on Monday as well, fresh out of the crockpot.

To Market, to market

I didn't buy any fat pigs, but I did come home with some wonderful local foods. Zoomie got me going when I read her comment about getting to the Marin Civic Center to the Farmer's Market on Sunday morning. And I read how Cookiecrumb decided to quit the Eat Local Challenge, then didn't. And although my commitment is to be more conscious, not necessarily participate fully, I find myself making more efforts on the local eating front.

My first stop was at my favorite soy place, Hodo Soy Beanery. The person attending the booth remembered me immediately and inquired about my long absence. Since when has that ever happened at a supermarket? It was nice to be remembered, and exciting to pick up some delicious soy puffs! Then I searched for apples. It is fall after all, and the first batch of apple butter is nearly gone! I settled on these Mutsu apples, a marriage of Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples, tart and sweet! And I was enthused about the large size, less peeling for more apple meat! I bought 10 pounds, and that garnered a discount to $1 a pound for these beauties grown on the border between Ripon and Stockton. The air I am breathing as I write this is heavily apple-scented as the mixture cooks down.

I noted as I passed a few booths, that there are green onions still in season locally, but since there are only so many my Dad and I can eat in a week, I didn't buy any. My next purchase stop was under the blue fabric of the "Asparagus & Potatoes" stand. I didn't see any asparagus, but plenty of beautiful potatoes grown on Zuckerman's Farm in Stockton. I picked up two pounds of pretty Yukon Golds.

I definitely felt a pull at "Just Like Grandma's" noticing types of jams that my mother used to make. I had to pick up the Tomato Jam and Orange-Carrot Marmalade made in nearby Petaluma. And there was a very modest and small stand that had a gentleman from Andante Dairy giving goat cheese samples to interested passers by. Andante is located a couple miles out of Petaluma and makes a variety of cheeses. I fell for "Etude" which is a hard cheese that will pair well with fruit and crackers I'm sure. It was a great day at the market, and I have more local foods to eat this week!

Scandahoovian Salad

Growing up in a family with a very vocal branch of Norwegianess, I observed my Aunt and Great-Aunts cooking at family events. I soon figured out that if you take some sour cream, mix in a generous amount of dill weed, and put chopped up seafood of any kind in it you have made a Scandanavian dish. It then can become the basis of a salad if you add some more ingredients, or an appetizer if you add others (or not) and top crackers with it (rye preferably!). Yesterday I took a notion of putting some things I already had in the pantry and refrigerator together for the salad variety. I call it "Scandahoovian" as it is is a little mischievous, and a favorite High School English teacher (Mr. Dale) used to tease us by mixing up Scandinavian and hooligans to come up with this word. Our school was rather an interesting mix, mostly a mix of those of Northern European ethnicity attending with the children from a local Indian reservation, Tulalip.

And this dish is a dismal failure for eating locally. A look at the ingredients:

-Sour Cream: left over 'light' Kraft brand, Illinois
-Dill Weed: Whole Foods brand, no origin listed. Company location - Texas
-Crabtastic: Tsurimi product, 'wild caught' and 'Product of Thailand'.
- Lo Mein Noodles: Bought fresh, leftover in the fridge, so origin unknown
-Green Onions: Yes, those I bought the other day - 'Product of Mexico'
-Water chestnuts: Canned, "Product of China"
-Baby Lettuces: "Product of the USA and Mexico", Processed in USA (uh oh)
-Sweet Millions Tomatoes: Produced on my sunny deck :-)

Maybe I should have called this "International Salad, Scandinavian Mood".

Eating oil

On the eating local theme...

I thought it was 105 miles, but...

when I got the package home, I noticed that as well as saying "San Juan Bautista", it also noted "Product of Mexico". I have not been able to visit the Farmer's Markets these days, so I'm dependent on local supermarkets. I can see that our distribution system needs a shift if we ever want to have eating local be a reality for most people. It takes real planning and dedication to be able to do it for most of your food, especially on a consistent basis given how the system is set up now.

A couple days ago I had lunch out, and it wasn't at a place that made a point of local ingredients. It is a place that I enjoy that has good food, and it was convenient. I thought at least I could ask about the crab in the dish. The response to my query about whether the crab was local garnered the response, "Oh, I think it's canned.", followed by a sheepish look like he might get in trouble somehow and then a "I really don't know". As for me, well I didn't even look up whether crab was in season at the moment. I have to say the crab didn't taste canned and the dish was quite tasty. I was quite surprised to find that the 83% of the seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported (2006 data). Growing up in a place known for its seafood (Seattle), this really shocks me. Aside from importing, it makes me wonder how fish are considered in this eat local challenge. Even if not imported, a lot of fishing is done rather far from the shore... probably outside the 100 mile zone?

You can too!

Apples

The stardust falls upon the apples tonight
as they cling and finally loosen from their roots~ and eventually fall back unto the soil.........

some gently.. and some making a thump as they give up what they have always known
some land where they fell and others roll, refusing to be told what to do
some are darkened and soured by their experience as an apple
some glow in health and ask to be found by a gentle hand as they lay waiting.....
some don't care- they just be in the moonlight and accept what is next.

They come in different colors and no two are the same
different sizes and tastes.........each one unique
They are art and each artist painting one would see different shades,personalities,character
sizes and contrast as the moonlight falls upon them laying in the orchards.

Their sweet smell and taste- the colors they chose to wear as they offer themselves to the deer and bring sweetness to our breath and nourish our bodies. They ask nothing- they just are. they just are apples and the stardust falls upon them tonight.
Like us.......

-Jill Casad
Sebastapol, CA

Ever have a friend through a friend that you feel like you know well because of the connection? My good friend Linda has been friends with Jill, the author of the lovely poem, for many years. When she heard that I made apple butter from apples grown on Linda's thirty year old apple tree, it inspired her to write it, and she gave me permission to post it with my post on making apple butter. And this is a recipe of my mother's, updated for cooking method. Using a crockpot instead of the oven makes it unbelievably simple!

Linda had given me a whole grocery bag filled with beautiful home grown apples. This recipe is very forgiving, and you don't have to be exact. Just peel and dice up all the apples you have. If you have enough, you can fill the crockpot to overflowing as these will cook down. I had enough to fill the crockpot about 80%. Once you have your apples diced, add somewhere between 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar. I used 1/4 cup as the apples weren't overflowing. Then you put the lid on, and leave it to cook about 7-10 hours on high, you just need to check from about 7 hours to see when it's cooked down almost all the way. Lift the lid to let the steam out every once in awhile, as you want the saucy apples to reduce. When the apples are pretty soft, use a potato masher to make them into a smooth sauce and continue cooking.

Eventually, your apples will cook down and turn a beautiful red brown. When it's pretty thick, you can add the seasonings. You'll want to taste the apples at this point to adjust the amount of sweetener, sweet sorghum in this case, to your taste. I used 2 tablespoons of sweet sorghum followed by 1 tablespoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon powdered ground ginger. For a big crockpot, you want something like 2 tablespoons cinnamon and 1 teaspoon ginger. You can adjust the spices to taste too. After adding the sweetener and spices turn the heat down to low and cook another hour or two until it's the thickness you would like to spread. My pot of apples yielded 3 1/8 cup apple butter.

I made this to submit toWeekend Herb Blogging a couple weeks ago, and waited until I've felt better to write a good post. (I hope you are enjoying this!) Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen started this all off a couple years ago, and she generously shares hosting duties with others. This week, Valentina from Trembom - English Version is hosting. The event is all about using unusual herb or plant ingredients, or using one in an unusual way. The unusual ingredient in this apple butter is the sweet sorghum, also called sorghum molasses.

photo credit: iStockphoto

Regular molasses is a by-product of the sugar making process. Sorghum molasses is made to be just as it is, an amber liquid sweetener full of minerals made from a grass. It doesn't surprise me that my mother used this in her apple butter recipe as it is predominantly grown in the south, and she was from Kentucky.

I'm happy to report that this easy recipe turned out just like Mom's -- it was my first attempt at making apple butter so I am doubly pleased. Dad was very excited to remember his sweetheart's creative southern cooking when he tasted it on his toast!

Still generously portioned and good

Last week, Dad & I ventured out to breakfast at Le Croissant in San Rafael. It was a weekday, and yet was VERY busy at an after 9 a.m. time. The place is well loved, thus a little worn, but that is immediately forgotten when breakfast arrives!

Dad got a huge pot of hot chocolate, the standard size! My nice pot of Earl Gray tea was similarly large.

Dad enjoyed a heaping plate of Canadian Bacon with Scrambled Eggs and Hashbrown potatoes. The Canadian Bacon was thickly cut and lean like Dad prefers. They also offered a pot of delicious strawberry jam, that tasted like there was some rhubarb and cinnamon mixed in.

I ordered a Spinach, Mushroom and Jack Omelet with Home Potatoes. I asked the secret to the delicious, fluffy omelet. I was told that the vegetables/meats are sauteed separately while the eggs are beaten up very fluffy. Once the vegetables/meats are done, the fluffy raw egg is poured over the mix and cheese added. The result is awesome. The home fries were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside as well. This is a highly recommendable breakfast spot!

Previously reviewed:
November 29, 2006

North by Northwest

This evening we had a pantry dinner. My Dad loves the Spirals and White Cheddar (Organic), and I always jazz it up a bit with some protein and vegetables. Tonight's picks were Chicken of the Sea Wild Alaskan Salmon, and Cascadian Farms organic frozen mixed vegetables.

Not particularly 'local', but what I had on hand. I checked the labels to see just how 'bad' I am being. The problem is, the labels don't really tell you where the ingredients come from. "Distributed by" is not an indicator, and USDA Certified organic, certainly isn't as farms from around the world carry this designation. All I could determine was that the Spirals and White Cheddar were distributed from Madison, Wisconsin, the frozen vegetables from Sedro Wooley, Washington, and the 'Alaskan' salmon said it was a 'Product of Thailand'!

"Premium Wild-Caught Alaskan" pink salmon a product of Thailand? Was it processed on a boat in Alaskan waters bearing a Thai flag? Or held frozen and shipped to Thailand for processing? If so, how could I get it for 10 for $10? I checked on Chicken of the Sea's website, and it has a nice description of processing, but is silent as to where... Or is it because Chicken of the Sea is a subsidiary of a Thai company, though distributed via San Diego, CA? From what I can read about Cascadian Farms, if the product is grown outside the US they stamp the package with the country. Mine was unstamped, so I assume it is from the Pacific Northwest. The Back to Nature site keeps talking about Pasadena, CA, but the spirals are clearly marked distributed by a Madison, Wisconsin address. And of course there is no mention of product origins. So it looks like we had a North by Northwest dinner (if it really was Alaskan salmon), although certainly out of the 100 mile range.