AliThinks

I Should Have Blogged About This A Long Time Ago

Last week we picked up our first CSA share of the season. You may have already seen Allan's post about it; go there to see the bounty.

We've still got food. Tonight we're grilling the last of the asparagus, and we still have a pound of ground beef in the freezer. Wednesday we'll pick up our next share.

I don't mean to imply that we've only eaten the CSA food since last Wednesday; we've eaten a couple of meals out, and there was only one meal that was completely composed of CSA food.

What I do want to say is how good the food is. And it was produced less than 20 miles from where we live. Can you say locavore?

While the initial investment might seem hefty, I think it's worth it for the quality of the food. Add in the lower cost of transport, the lower fuel expenditure, the fact that it's organic (and the meat is raised humanely), and it's a win-win-win thing.

And I should have blogged about it two or three months ago, so that you could get in on a CSA share in your area.

While We Wait For My Zit To Subside...

(you know, so I can make the let's-hold-our-breath-ooh-la-la video you've been on the edge of your seats for)

...while we wait for that to happen (hello, zit, come to a head already!), let me direct you to my friend AndreAnna's other blog, Chop. Stir. Mix.

She and the other founder of C.S.M. (ooh, sounds almost like a band, doesn't it?), Cass, have started a contest. They're giving away some sweet kitchen schwag from Crate & Barrel (and more, if you help promote the contest), and all you have to do is leave a comment to this entry. Of course, if you actually read the entry, you'll increase your chances!

I entered the contest by leaving a comment with my worst kitchen disaster, which I documented on my long-defunct blog AliGator. And although I did mention that I don't need any kitchen crap stuff, I'm happy to promote the contest for an extra chance to win - because I will donate the prize if I am the winner. So go leave comments. If I don't win, you might!

Dichotomy

Lunch at Shoney's in Huntington, West Virginia.

Dinner at Seviche in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Foodstuffs

Michael Ruhlman has written a great blog post about real food. Go read it. Here's one of the more significant paragraphs:

The sad fact is that fresh food that is good for you is significantly more expensive than the processed crap that truly is bad for our diet, not to mention our food production system.  And the people who most need food to be healthy are the ones who can least afford it.  The millions of Americans on a restricted food budget will see little choice other than to buy the cheap calories provided by agribusiness corn.

Amen.

Craving

Noodles. I want noodles.

And not just any noodles. I want glass noodles. Cellophane noodles. Korean noodles.

So Allan and I went to the local Korean joint, but instead of ordering chap che, we got the special. And I cannot for the life of me remember its name. It's not on the menu, see. Anyway, what sold me was the description: clear noodles, veg, seafood, beef, and pork. I imagined an embellished chap che.

When I ordered the special, I was told it was big, $23, and we could share. So we did. And the noodles were huge. Wide. Flat. Quivering. They were also hiding underneath a beautiful arrangement of julienned vegetables, beef, egg, squid, shrimp, crab meat. Our server showed us how to pour on the mustard sauce and mix everything together before starting to eat.

It was delicious. But it wasn't cellophane noodles. I might have to go back for some chap che this weekend.

From The Ice-Age To The Dole-Age

There is but one concern
I have just discovered:

Strawberry cream cheese!

Have you tried this thick pink goo?
If you've not, let me ask you

Could you eat it with a steak?
Would you try it on some cake?

Have you had it on some toast?
Would you like it that way most?

Please try just a small wee bit
This sweet cream cheese is the shit!

Apologies to Morrissey and Dr. Seuss.

A Little New Year's Cheer

My friend Anne had a great idea for a New Year's Eve party. However, our recent travels have left me a little tired, so I am late in posting this recipe. I wish I could say that I invented it, or even tested it, but I'm not a good liar so damn honest. The recipe comes from the Food & Wine website, and here it is:

Pancetta-Wrapped Scallops with Lemon

SERVES: 2 DOZEN
Ingredients:

    * 6 large sea scallops (about 1/2 pound), membrane removed, scallops quartered
    * 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    * Four 3-inch-long strips of lemon zest plus 1 teaspoon finely grated zest for garnish
    * 2 fresh rosemary sprigs plus 2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary for garnish
    * Freshly ground pepper
    * 12 thin slices of pancetta (about 4 ounces), halved

Directions:

   1. In a bowl, toss the scallops with the olive oil, lemon zest strips, rosemary sprigs and pepper and let marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours. In another bowl, soak 24 wooden toothpicks in water for 2 hours.
   2. Preheat the broiler. Remove the scallops from the marinade and lightly pat them dry. Drain the toothpicks. Wrap each piece of scallop in a slice of pancetta, secure with a toothpick and transfer to a broiler pan. Broil the scallops for about 1 minute per side, turning once, until the pancetta sizzles and the scallops are firm but not rubbery.
   3. In a small bowl, combine the grated lemon zest and chopped rosemary. Dip one end of each wrapped scallop in the lemon-herb mixture, transfer to a platter and serve.
   4. I'm just leaving this here because it was this way on the web page, and I thought it was cute.

I'm sure that the recipe could be adapted to the type of scallops that are available to you. For example, in France, most fresh scallops you can buy still have the coral attached.

Tomorrow I won't be cooking this; we decided to eat out, last minute. But I will be sure to try this recipe at some point. It seems champagne-worthy. And we have a few celebratory events coming up...

Holy Crap, I Love Cooking

It's easy to forget what a pleasure cooking can be. When you are working, raising children, and busy busy busy, cooking can be a chore. I recently outlined why I never made this a food blog. The main reason is that I never follow recipes, and I never write anything down.

Yesterday I read through the January 2007 issue of Food & Wine, which arrived at our house last week. Besides a whole page dedicated to Clotilde*, number 61 [for Cookbooks From Bloggers] in the "100 Tastes To Try in 2007", there was a pasta recipe that called my name.

Aaaaaliiiiisonnnnn, it said.

Well, not really, but boy, it sounded good. For some reason I wanted to follow the recipe closely. Created by chef Yves Camdeborde for the brasserie/room service at his hotel, Le Relais St. Germain, this pasta recipe is fairly simple, but its flavors defy its ease. Luckily for me, Food & Wine posted the recipe on its website. I do love you readers, but you know how, um, casual I can be about recipes.

The recipe can be found here. (Please click that link) I used a can of Reese artichoke bottoms, drained, rinsed, and drained again. I also used Dreamfields penne rigate. The next time I make this (because the recipe is a keeper), I'll try light cream and/or half-and-half. Oh, and I found some frozen smoked chicken breast strips from the company that starts with Ty and ends with Son. You could probably leave out the chicken, but some tasty lardons would be delish. The original recipe calls for pasta shells, and having prepared it, I can see why. Penne is a good pasta, but shells would capture the sauce so much better.

I didn't take any photos, so you're just going to have to make this yourself. It's pretty quick, easy, and damn, it's tasty, too.

*whom we had the pleasure of meeting at her 2nd blogiversary party in October 2005...which led to my interviewing her for The Parisian.

As Promised

Yesterday I posted a photo of my candied cranberries. It's time to tell you what I did with them.

We didn't decide to celebrate Thanksgiving at my dad and stepmother's house until Sunday. The lot of us will be there: my dad's children, my stepmom's children, and our respective families. If we all make it, there will be 26 of us. That's not counting my two kids, who've never celebrated a real American Thanksgiving.

Since there are so many of us, we all bring something to take the load off my stepmother. I asked what Allan and I could bring. "Red wine* or a fruit pie." I said we'd bring both.

Sweet Jewels

Inspired by my friend NewWaveGurly, I made candied cranberries this afternoon. NWG covered her cranberries in chocolate. I have another plan for mine, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow for the full story.