It's not Easter until Aurelia Climbs the Tree

We have a tradition going. Three years running we've had an Easter picnic at Bootjack on Mt. Tamalpias, and Aurelia has climbed the tree in our favorite spot on the picnic grounds each time. One of my offerings was the chirashi with langostino tails (pictured), along with Italian themed antipasto plates of grilled artichokes, grilled eggplant and lots of black olives. Others brought the most delicious wild salmon for salmon burgers, awesome potato salad and an assortment of snackie things.

Aurelia, Jonathon & Toran got the fire going to grill the salmon.

And Aurelia started climbing the tree as we speculated how many years longer she would be interested in doing so.

She sat in her perch, observing all until she tired of it and came down to blow some bubbles with her brother. What a fun Easter we all had yesterday!

Happy Easter, Happy Spring!

When I'm with friends in an ethnic store where they are deeply familiar with a culture, and they ooh and ahh over something and snatch it up, I do too. This was the case when I visited Jasmine Market a couple weeks ago with friends, and out I came bearing a box of "Fard's Persian Pistachio Nougat". I didn't try any until yesterday, when Dad and I had a couple for a spring-time treat after lunch. Wow, these seemed to be a cross between divinity and salt water taffy with a hint of rose flavor and crunchy pistachios. These were perfect with tea.  I have it on good authority, actually from my good friend Mike at Welcome to a World Where Chefs Run Free, that this confection is called "Gaz" in Persian.

If you would like to try some Persian Pistachio Nougat, look for the box above, or you can try this recipe. I'm also posting about Pistachios in support of the many growers who have been caught up in the recent pistachio issue. It's a known fact in the industry that every plant handling raw pistacios has samonella. It's never been an issue because pistachios are roasted, which is the kill step rendering the nuts safe to eat. The issue is that some raw nuts got mixed in with the roasted, which contaminated it all. So if you are eating something that has been cooked (like this nougat), or you re-roast your nuts, that should take care of the issue. These are very healthy nuts, so it is a shame to see ones that are perfectly fine go to waste.

Audacious name

I wasn't planning to go to Best Burger in San Rafael the other day, but as the rain poured down Thursday evening, and parking was not cooperative I found a spot not far from its doors.

I must have looked strange peering through the window, trying to read the board from afar to see if there was anything non-beef and non-chicken on the menu. I thought I saw a fish head on the middle menu board, so ventured in for dinner. The place had a cheerful vibe, and was sparkly clean. It also appeared to be family-run.

I ordered a Crispy Fish Sandwich and Onion Rings with an unsweetened Iced Tea. I thought the fish was a bit thin and with more breading than fish when I first started eating it, however as I progressed through the long sandwich bun, I found it getting thicker in the middle to the perfect balance, then tapering off to a point. There was a WHOLE fillet of a small to medium white fish inside! The lettuce was crisp and the tomato slices were actually tasty too. I enjoyed the change of pace with the onion rings with onion inside that you could taste. There were also salads on the menu as well as a garden burger and salmon burger so there is plenty of choice for non-beef/non-chicken eaters like myself. There were mostly families with children inside, and before I left a cute gaggle of cheerleaders all showed up in uniform together. I'll have to try one of their salads next time.

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 0
Noncritical: 0
Last inspected: 3/4/2009

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Cafe Trio coming to San Rafael

I was in the Montecito Plaza in San Rafael yesterday evening and noticed a sign in the window of the old World Coffee Cafe, for a new Cafe Trio to be coming soon. In other news, it's been reported that in Larkspur, The Lark Creek Inn will be closing to renovate and reopen as The Tavern at Lark Creek with a value menu. Meanwhile in Tiburon, the Three Degrees is transforming into the Tiburon Grill. The "Tidbits" Section in the Marin IJ has more scoop. The Pacific Sun's "What's New" has some good news for Locavores as well.

Reasonable and delicious

I visited Bamboo Garden for a quick lunch, the new place that has replaced the Three Dragons in San Rafael. The new management has spiffed up the place and it is quite cheerful and refreshed.

I was promptly greeted and seated by the wait staff and given a lunch menu. Hot and sour soup was what came with the lunch specials, and it was quite well done as far as hot and sour soups go, with plenty of ingredients.

I ordered the Prawns and Tofu for the main dish, and it was very good. The prawns were fresh and tender, as were the tofu cubes, and the crisp cooked snow peas with mushrooms made it a very well rounded dish. I would definitely order this combination again. So far, this one is reasonable, good and a winner!

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 0
Noncritical: 1
Last inspected: 12/10/2008

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Bright and light

Daniel and I met in San Rafael for lunch at the fairly recently opened Tekila's Taqueria. It was bright and cheerful on the inside, and I was saddened to see that some graffiti had been put on the outside, and on the window. Such a shame.

The menu is posted on large boards above the kitchen area and counter with an extensive set of choices. The menu included such things as beef tongue. There was no one there at the time that could speak/understand English so we had a fun time of sign language and slow repeats, with Daniel jumping up and trying to point things out on the sign. The staff was most pleasant, it was just difficult to communicate. I did manage to get a wonderful half & half freshly squeezed orange and carrot juice.

Each of us were handed a container of chips and pointed to the extensive salsa bar where I chose a tomatilla based salsa. The chips and salsa were both good.

Daniel ordered a Super Shrimp Burrito, and I a Super Fish Burrito. We decided to do half and half and on the left is the shrimp half, the right the fish half. Hard to distinguish on the photo, but these each had a distinct flavor and pieces of their respective seafoods. I liked these burritos, enjoyed the staff and will visit again.

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 0
Noncritical: 2
Last inspected: 3/25/2009

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Marin Hobo Stew

Well it's not really, but I call it that because the making of it reminded me of making "Hobo Stew" as a child. There was a wave of popularity when I was a child to have a party with Hobo Stew as the center of the party food. The host would have a big pot of stock, and each of the kids were to bring a can of anything to add. And we weren't supposed to coordinate, just see what happened. We kids had a lot of fun with that, and listening to the background of how the dish came to be in the Great Depression. I heard that there were cardboard cities that sprang up along popular train routes called "Hoovervilles", and a big pot was kept boiling to which everyone added whatever they had gleaned from the fields or otherwise came across to add to the pot, and all shared in the creation. In the end, the kids all loved the Hobo Stew, probably because each was a part of its creation.

As I resisted the pull of another meal out, I checked my cupboards and refrigerator to see what I could 'throw in the pot' so to speak. I had some leftover elbow noodles, some baby clams, and some white clam sauce, all of which I recalled had been plenty cheap. The elbow noodles were part of a bargain buy at Safeway where if you bought a certain number of items, the price per box fell to .75. I had gotten the baby clams at $1 a bag, and the white clam sauce in a great sale from Amazon at about $1.13 a can. And the fresh green onions were gleaned from the pot on my deck. Those I planted last summer from left over onions bottoms purchased from the store, and they have been producing green tops ever since. Given the amounts used of the ingredients, and the leftovers, I estimate each serving (as pictured) cost less than $.75. Hobo priced, and tasty!

Broccoli Flower Pizza - don't try this at home

Being happy on a sunny Sunday, and puttering about the house, I had an idea for making some lunch at home using ingredients on hand. Now how else to use those broccoli flowers, I mused. I had used them in a salad previously. I spied a nice bag of whole wheat pizza dough from Trader Joe's in the refrigerator, and an idea was born.

Soon I was popping the broccoli flower pizza in the oven.

And about 10 minutes later, I was taking it out. Well, I rather suspected that the flowers would melt into the cheese.

But what I didn't expect was that the stems would be so WOODY. A pizza that provides it's own toothpicks! Ah, well so goes being creative sometimes. Luckily, I included some tempeh 'bacon' so taking the toothpicks off yielded a tasty pizza anyway.

Dragons fled

I thought I had previously reported that the Three Dragons in San Rafael closed. When checking, it looks like not. Another Chinese Restaurant has taken its place, which I'll be writing about soon.

Village Feast

I always remember India Village in San Rafael as a happy place to visit. It may be that is it family owned, and there is usually a person greeting you with a big smile at the door. I went out with some friends who know my favorite blogging hobby, so it was great fun to document a meal that was larger than usual.

First off we ordered the Spinach Pakoras, which came nestled atop some Papadums. We enjoyed the crispness of spinach coated in chickpea flour before being flash fried.

We were amazed at the greenness of the mint/cilantro sauce that was served with the appetizer. Upon questioning, we understand there is a bit of coloring added to bring it to this florescence.

One friend found the thought of Lentil Soup irresistable. He said it was delicious!

Next up came my favorite Harabara Naan with some plain Naan as well. Despite the eye screaming green, it's one of my favorite things here. It didn't disappoint.

The Prawn Curry was simply delightful, fresh and smooth.

The main dish that was my choice was Malai Kofta. I love this vegetarian dish. The rolls inside the curry sauce consists of made with cheese, potatoes, nuts, raisins and blended with spices.

The youngest member of the group ordered the Navrattan Korma, a dish I'd never tried before. It was good, now its on my list of rotation! The menu describes it as mixed vegetables with farmer's cheese and nuts.

The meat eating contingent of the party loved this steaming Half Tandoori Chicken.

And of course some perfectly steamed basmati rice accompanied the meal.

And to finish off the meal, individuals ordered an assortment of sweets, Gulab Jamoon, Keer, and Kulfi. Listed as counterclockwise from the brown balls in the photo above. Yet another great evening, and meal at India Village.

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 2
Noncritical: 2
Last inspected: 3/25/2009

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Previously reviewed:
May 12, 2007

Ruby Red Potatoes

I'm feeling a bit like an "Iron Chef" with the advent of the weekly fresh, local and organic produce deliveries. The Iron Chef has 60 minutes and a surprise ingredient, while I have about a week and a variety of fresh produce to use all the way up. Last week's box contained a few red beets. Oh my, what do do with these beyond roasting or pickling?

Given that I also had quite a few potatoes, the idea of mixing the two and lightening up the potato dish came to mind. So these Ruby Red Potatoes were born, Father-tested and approved.

Ruby Red Potatoes

3-4 medium potatoes sliced in chunks
1 onion, diced
2 small red beets, peeled and diced into cubes
1 small zucchini sliced
Olive oil

1. Put some olive oil into a heavy frying pan and heat. Add onions and red beets, and sautee until onions are soft, and have turned pure red from the juice of the beets.
2. Add potates, continue sauteeing, and also cover and let steam cook for a few mintues to be sure that the potatoes become tender.
3. Add the sliced zucchini to the pan, and saute uncovered until done.

And this is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by Ivy of Kopiaste this week. Be sure to visit her site on Sunday afternoon or Monday to catch the round up of beautiful dishes.

Beets are the ingredient I'd like to highlight in this recipe as they are SO healthy. Certainly the World's Healthiest Foods thinks so! I quote from their website entry on beets:

"Remember all those legendary Russian centenarians? Beets, frequently consumed either pickled or in borscht, the traditional Russian soup, may be one reason behind their long and healthy lives. These colorful root vegetables contain powerful nutrient compounds that help protect against heart disease, birth defects and certain cancers, especially colon cancer."

Can you grate your own cheese?

I dutifully answered my banker's call from the other day asking if I was interested in some of their products. Yes of course I'd be interested in a better mortgage rate (but thought mine was fine already), however going from the security of a long time corporate job to consulting where the annual income nor hours are clearly defined made me think that it may not be the best time to change the mix. However, I called anyway. What! I can save nearly $500 a month and still have a 30-year fixed?! No points, and closing fees that will be equivalent to less than the savings of three months of the new rate. How do I get on this train? Oh, you just provide your tax returns for the past and estimate current income? Well that's doable. So I found myself locking in rate that seems fantastically good for me, and now having a 60 day period while they go through the steps.

Which means I would like to make my records squeaky clean, so although I pay my credit card balance in full every month, I want it to look as low as possible whenever the loan officer looks at the balance. So beyond now having CSA box items to creatively cook with every week, I am looking to reduce the outflow of money to a trickle to have all look sparkly for the loan officer.

Translate: Fewer restaurant meals, more home cooking! I'm not abandoning my quest to enjoy a meal at every restaurant in Marin (a goal to which I'm actually pretty close), I'm definitely going to be reducing the number of meals out for the next 60 days. And have some fun seeing where I can economize.

Case in point. I bought a block of Organic Mild Cheddar Cheese at the Grocery Outlet for $2.49 a pound. For a long time I've been buying pre-grated cheese at Safeway for the convenience. I checked on the savings for a little elbow grease - ON SALE grated organic mild cheddar cheese (O Organics) is currently running $8 a pound (ungrated it is $7.04/lb.). I win!

Firefly squid

Jo-Ann and I celebrated her birthday at Oyaji yesterday evening. We had a lovely time chatting and enjoying small, flavorful dishes. Hide, the owner, came over with a special treat. He told us "These are not baby squid! These are called firefly squid and are fully adult - try them." We did and they were amazing. A soft and tasty bite they left no fishy aftertaste. The sauce was a miso-mustard with perhaps a dash of mirin. I hadn't planned to blog the meal, but decided to take a photo of the last couple of these most unsual bites. Aparently, these squids glow and can see in color.

Earlier in the week I visited AME with some former colleagues with whom I've keep in contact. I had the best cod dish I think I've ever eaten there, the Broiled Sake Marinated Alaskan Black Cod and Shrimp Dumplings in Shiso Broth. I highly recommend it!

PS - This is not an April Fool's joke!

Not Grandma's Breakfast

Now that I've received my overflowing 'half' of a box of fruits and veggies locally delivered every week, I have to use those wonderful fresh pieces of produce! The other morning I became rather creative and made potatoes with tempeh and wilted swiss chard, topped with an egg. Dad loved it, and I thought it was a nice way to lighten up breakfast and get in a few more of those very healthy leafy greens! My next delivery is due today! So you may be seeing a larger portion of home cooking on this blog in the foreseeable future.

Simple, elegant and raw

Paul dropped into the Bay area last weekend, and we got together for lunch one day in San Francisco at Alive!, a restaurant I've been drooling over every time I pass it on Lombard. It was small, quiet and quite elegant. And the specialty is RAW food, beautifully presented.

I adored my bowl of sunshine, or otherwise known as Pumpkin Shitake soup. This was my favorite dish there. It was full of flavor and warm.

Paul love shitake, so he was immediately drawn to the Shitake Burger on the menu. Paul liked it so much he said he'd come again just for it. The 'bun' was formed quinoa to the best we could tell.

I had a hummus wrap, which was wrapped in what I believe was a slightly vinegared kale leaf. It was a fresh and crisp - smooth taste with hummus surrounding carrots and avocado and other seasonal vegetables.

We had to have dessert when we saw the inventive dessert menu, and of course we felt so 'good' having the light vegan fare that we felt justified. I was astonished to see "Candy Cap Mushrooms" on the menu as an ingredient in a cheesecake, so that's what I ordered. And as a vegan 'cheesecake' it was made with cashew butter. Oh, it was so good, and the taste of the candy caps minced and distributed inside reminded me of the flavor of the ones I picked in the forest one year with a friend. I would recommend this dessert highly.

Paul chose the tangerine cake. It looked like quinoa mixed with cashew cream topped with the ripe perfection of tangerine slices. We shared bites of each, and his was amazing as well. Alive! was welcoming, comfortable and their food was a treat for the eye as well as the taste buds.

Weekend Herb Blogging #176

I'm delighted to be hosting Weekend Herb Blogging for this week at Anna's Cool Finds. Haalo of Cook (almost) Anything at Least Once has been organizing this event started by Kalyn at Kalyn's Kitchen.

Name: Mike Ahmadi
Location: Livermore, CA
Blog Name: Mike Ahmadi's Gastronomic Musings
WHB Entry Post: Nature's Way to Health
Herb: Fresh Medicinal Herbs
Summary: Mike differentiates for us herbs vs. spices and writes a very informative post highlighting the medicinal properties of several herbs easily grown fresh in California, and ends with how to make a healing herbal infusion.

Name: Haalo
Location: Australia
Blog Name: Cook (Almost) Anything at Least Once
WHB Entry Post: Fesenjen - Chicken in Pomegranate and Walnut Sauce
Herb: Bay Leaf
Summary: Haalo accents the Bay Leaf in this luscious Persian recipe for Fesenjen. She puts a twist on it by cooking it in a slow cooker, and highlights the debate over fresh vs. dried bay leaves.

Name: Pam
Location: Soddy Daisy, Tennessee, USA
Blog Name: Sidewalk Shoes
WHB Entry Post: Grilled Lemongrass Beef
Herb: Lemongrass
Summary: When you have LOTS of one thing, and need to find inventive ways to use it, herbs definitely come to the rescue as Pam shows us with this delicious looking dish.

Name: Jeanne
Location: London, UK
Blog Name: CookSister!
WHB Entry Post: Curly Kale Risotto for Winter's Last Gasp
Herb: Kale
Summary: As winter blows back at you, which it seems to be doing in many locations of the northern hemisphere, make some comfort food! And Jeanne finds that kale risotto is just the nutritious pick-me-up for that unexpected spot of cold weather.

Name: Ivy
Location: Athens, Greece
Blog Name: Kopiaste.. to Greek Hospitality
WHB Entry Post: Kremmydia Gemista
Herb: Onions
Summary: There are many more herbs than just onions in this recipe for 'stuffed onions', and lots of step by step photos. Everything you need for success is written here. And they look delicious!

Name: Kalyn
Location: Utah
Blog Name: Kalyn's Kitchen
WHB Entry Post: Sauteed Escarole with Parmesan and Pine Nuts
Herb: Escarole
Summary: The originator of this event, and also an author at Blogher, Kalyn participates in this Weekend Herb Blogging with a post not just highlighting, but cataloging several sources of information on the bitter herb, escarole.

Name: TS and JS
Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Blog Name: [eating club] vancouver
WHB Entry Post: Atsara (Green Papaya Pickle)
Herb: Green Papaya
Summary: TS and JS give us a great pictoral demonstration of how to make these simple, yet exotic pickles. Included are great ideas of what to serve Atsara with.

Name: Jerry
Location: Ontario, Canada
Blog Name: Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants
WHB Entry Post: Roast Lemon and Pepper Brussels Sprouts with Parmesan
Herb: Brussels Sprouts
Summary: Jerry gives us NO EXCUSE not to love Brussels sprouts. Cook them right (and he tells you how) and these will soon be on your short list.

Name: Nate and Annie
Location: San Jose, CA
Blog Name: House of Annie
WHB Entry Post: Easy Sautéed Brussels Sprouts Recipe
Herb: Brussels Sprouts
Summary: Nate describes Annie's cooking technique for Brussels Sprouts and how to avoid that nasty sulfur smell. The description and photos will have you making these very simply and avoiding all the pitfalls of this nutritious vegetable.

Name: Bird's Eye View
Location: India
Blog Name: Food and Laughter
WHB Entry Post: Stuffed Mushrooms
Herb: Mushrooms
Summary: In this post a very creative person with a basket full of mushrooms, creates a dish out of an herb she's never liked! And it becomes her new favorite appetizer!

Name: Anna
Location: Sydney, Australia
Blog Name: Morsels & Musings
WHB Entry Post: Blackberry Breakfast Cake
Herb: Blackberries
Summary: Anna (the other one) gives us a lovely story in introduction of a healthy blackberry treat, and gives us no excuse not to have it for breakfast!

Name: Jude
Location: Chicago, IL
Blog Name: Apple Pie, Patis, and Pâté
WHB Entry Post: Cremini Mushroom Toast
Herb: Cremini Mushrooms
Summary: A simple, yet delicious use of a flavorful mushroom, and use up some stale bread. Just what is needed in these recessionary times.

Name: Katie
Location: Haslett, Michigan USA
Blog Name: Eat This.
WHB Entry Post: Kookoo Sabzi (Perisan Herb Frittata)
Herb: Parsley
Summary: Persian is a popular cusine this week, and I agree with Katie, it may be related to the fact that Persian New Year so recently started. She describes her relationship with parsley, and how it was overcome by this dish.

Name: LK
Location: Singapore
Blog Name: Food For Tots
WHB Entry Post: Steamed Lady Fingers with Chili Shrimp Sauce
Herb: Okra
Summary: Wow, does LK make a case for eating more okra! And she meticulously instructs us on how to make it so even those who don't like this healing herb will venture to eat it, and like it!

Name: Cinzia
Location: Bardolino, Lake of Garda, Italy
Blog Name: Cindystar
WHB Entry Post: Pate Gustoso
Herb: Borlotti beans
Summary: Cinzia uses several herbs to make this a dish where all are guessing about the main ingredient. I know what I'll be making for my next party.

Name: Brii
Location: Valsorda, Lake of Garda, Italy
Blog Name: Brii's Blog in English
WHB Entry Post: Pickled Red Beets
Herb: Red Beets
Summary: These pickled red beets look so easy to make, and delicious with a special spice adding to the flavor. Check this cheerful and informative post out!

Name: Christine
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Blog Name: Kits Chow
WHB Entry Post: Ginger Milk
Herb: Ginger
Summary: There is an ingredient in this lovely pudding which just cannot be substituted. Look to the post for details and ethnicity of this lovely entry.

Name: Anna
Location: Mill Valley, CA
Blog Name: Anna's Cool Finds
WHB Entry Post: Timing is Everything!
Herb: Broccoli Flowers
Summary: And I almost forgot to post mine in the summary! It's about turning a near gardening disaster into something delicious!

Well that's it for this week's Weekend Herb Blogging. Be sure to visit Ivy's site Kopiaste.. to Greek Hospitality for next week's round up! Many thanks to those who participated this week.