Now that I had newly roasted chiles in the refrigerator, my next mission was to figure out how to use them. I decided that I would commit them to a rendition of mac-n-cheese featuring chiles, heretofore known as Chile Mac.
While I love chiles in all their various forms, one of my favorite ways to enjoy them is to roast them. Roasting them imparts a lightly smoky flavor and allows me to rid them of their tough, sometimes bitter skins. While I’ve roasted chiles in a variety of ways, this is the method that I find the simplest and most consistent.
I was caught up in a conversation a few weekends ago about food and various methods of preservation and so forth, and we got on the topic of fish and that led to discussion of lox. I was all excited because I had a lox recipe that I was wanting to try out but was a little nervous about serving my own raw fish. My friend looked at me quizzically and explained that lox were smoked, and unless I had a smoker (which I don’t) I wouldn’t be making them at home. Turns out, the recipe I had in mind was for gravlax rather than lox, and that got me thinking.
We first went to Andiamo a few years ago, not long after it opened, and we fell instantly in love. The place is in a strip mall near a Jack in the Box. It just doesn’t look like much. As you walk through the door though, a delicious transformation takes place as you leave the every-mall aesthetic of the parking lot behind and enter the warm, intimate world of Andiamo Ristorante. That first night, we had fantastic food that was reasonably priced and wonderful service from the staff, even Giovanni, the gregarious owner.
Well, to be fair, calling Grape Vine Market a liquor store may be the understatement of the century. Sure, their liquor selection is extensive, but they also have an incredible array of wine and beer, a neat little market area full of gourmet treats and a well-stocked deli counter, and a really delicious and cost-effective lunch menu. This is where a couple friends and I found ourselves for lunch late last week.
Liz over at The Park Bench had a laugh-out-loud funny post yesterday lauding the magical power of her boobs. It totally cracked me up, and it turns out one her magical powers is the power to inspire. This evening, when trying to work out what to do with some leftover miso paste, I was moved to cook chicken boobs … er … breasts.
There were two things that drove me to cook what I cooked for Tuesday night’s dinner. The first was this post about burrata cheese by la stomach, and the second were these beautiful braised leeks Sean and I had once had at a local restaurant many months ago. Those leeks were like onion-y butter - they were unspeakably good. I tried a couple of times to recapture that goodness at home but to no avail. The texture was always … wrong. But the original dish lingered in my memory and I really wanted to re-create it at home.
Last fall we vacationed in northern Italy. It was the first time I had been to Europe, and it was really an incredible experience. Of course, part of my interest in vacationing is sampling the local foods in as much variety as possible, and one of my favorite areas for eating during our trip was along the Ligurian coast. Naturally the seafood dishes were incredible, but one seemingly unassuming dish really stole my heart – Farinata.
I love movies and of course I love food, so isn’t it fantastic when they come together. On paper it may sound kinda nutty to love a movie that largely features the preparation and consumption of a single fantastic meal, but I do. Big Night is like movie comfort food for me. Watching it makes me smile. Naturally, it was my first choice in movies when I decided to embark on my new movie food project.
There are any number of Mexican restaurants around Austin, and Sean and I frequent several of them. One that I’m particularly fond of is Marisco Grill. What I love about this place is that it is primarily a Mexican seafood joint, which makes it sort of unique for the area.