2. Today, there was a helicopter.
Faced with a fridgeful of whole foods in my post-Pollan kitchen, I set out to discover what on earth to do with them.
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Kauai, Day 4: Moonfish and Helicopters
Two things.
1. You can make this recipe with eggplant, and it will be just as decadently amazing as the original.
2. Today, there was a helicopter.
2. Today, there was a helicopter.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Kauai, Day 3: The North Shore and Bar Acuda
Na Pali Coast in the rain |
Anini Beach |
Local avocado type #2 of ?? |
Mango from the Waipio farmer's market |
Hanalei |
Bar Acuda: Local honeycomb, Fuji apple, Humboldt Fog goat cheese |
Arancini with lime, honey, and truffle sauce |
Blackened tiger prawns |
Chocolate pot de creme with toasted macaroon |
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Monday, August 11, 2014
Kaua'i, Day 1: Purple Long Beans with Garlic and Mustard Seeds
The downside of cooking away from home is navigating a foreign kitchen. For instance, I would have thought low heat was lower than medium, but that may just be me and my sheltered mainland ways. And under no other circumstances would you be likely to hit upon the idea of trying to rinse rice with the aid of a coffee filter. (Tip: Don't.)
The upside to cooking away from home? Grabbing the most unusual things in the market to make for dinner.
Found on the way north from the airport: Fresh-caught moonfish at Fish Express, local purple long beans at Papaya's Natural Foods, palm trees, green cliffs, bougainvillea and bromeliads, a vast and shimmering sea.
The long beans I just threw in a wide pan with some olive oil, a smashed clove of garlic, and a scattering of black mustard seeds, then tossed, covered, and cooked till al dente.
In the face of what I can only assume is an island-wide drought of coconut milk (since I can't imagine why else a store would be completely out of it...maybe coconut-obsessed island gnomes who strike in the dead of night?), I bravely abandoned my go to recipe for moonfish in favor of a new one (sprinkle with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, pan fry until almost cooked through, serve over black rice...then melt a pat of butter in the pan, toss in a couple tablespoons julienned ginger and let caramelize, throw in some cilantro and a glug of white wine, simmer briefly, pour over the fish).
The upside to cooking away from home? Grabbing the most unusual things in the market to make for dinner.
Found on the way north from the airport: Fresh-caught moonfish at Fish Express, local purple long beans at Papaya's Natural Foods, palm trees, green cliffs, bougainvillea and bromeliads, a vast and shimmering sea.
The long beans I just threw in a wide pan with some olive oil, a smashed clove of garlic, and a scattering of black mustard seeds, then tossed, covered, and cooked till al dente.
In the face of what I can only assume is an island-wide drought of coconut milk (since I can't imagine why else a store would be completely out of it...maybe coconut-obsessed island gnomes who strike in the dead of night?), I bravely abandoned my go to recipe for moonfish in favor of a new one (sprinkle with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, pan fry until almost cooked through, serve over black rice...then melt a pat of butter in the pan, toss in a couple tablespoons julienned ginger and let caramelize, throw in some cilantro and a glug of white wine, simmer briefly, pour over the fish).
It'll do.
Labels:
garlic,
ginger,
Hawaii,
long beans,
mustard seeds,
opah,
travel
Monday, May 26, 2014
Haricots Verts avec des Ciboules
One of our favorite things in Paris—the caveat being that all things in Paris were favorite things—but one of those favorite things was roving through some of the many open-air and covered markets that populate the city.
From the Bastille to Saint Germain to Le Marché des Enfants Rouges, we wandered happily among the stalls piled high with oranges and apricots, melons from Morocco, bright red globes of cherry tomatoes still on the vine, leafy bundles of oblong French breakfast radishes, escarole and red mustard frisée—pausing to purchase a handful of green beans here, a bundle of spring onions there—and oh, there's bread around the corner and come look at this terrine over here and did you see all those cheeses, and wouldn't tonight be a perfect night for a picnic in the apartment?
So we picnicked. Frequently. With these green beans as a recurring staple.
Ingredients (per person)
A handful of French green beans (thinner and crisper than the typical supermarket variety, but any fresh and crisp green beans will do...if they taste juicy and sweet when raw, they'll work here)
2 spring onions,white and light green parts, sliced
Olive oil
Fleur de sel or kosher salt
Heat a pan over medium-low heat. When hot, drizzle with olive oil and sauté the spring onions until they soften. Toss in the green beans and stir to coat. Cook for about 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cover the pan to let steam for another 3-5 minutes or so until al dente, stirring once or twice—you want the beans just barely cooked, still with a bit of crunch.
Serve hot, sprinkled with fleur de sel.
From the Bastille to Saint Germain to Le Marché des Enfants Rouges, we wandered happily among the stalls piled high with oranges and apricots, melons from Morocco, bright red globes of cherry tomatoes still on the vine, leafy bundles of oblong French breakfast radishes, escarole and red mustard frisée—pausing to purchase a handful of green beans here, a bundle of spring onions there—and oh, there's bread around the corner and come look at this terrine over here and did you see all those cheeses, and wouldn't tonight be a perfect night for a picnic in the apartment?
So we picnicked. Frequently. With these green beans as a recurring staple.
Ingredients (per person)
A handful of French green beans (thinner and crisper than the typical supermarket variety, but any fresh and crisp green beans will do...if they taste juicy and sweet when raw, they'll work here)
2 spring onions,white and light green parts, sliced
Olive oil
Fleur de sel or kosher salt
Heat a pan over medium-low heat. When hot, drizzle with olive oil and sauté the spring onions until they soften. Toss in the green beans and stir to coat. Cook for about 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cover the pan to let steam for another 3-5 minutes or so until al dente, stirring once or twice—you want the beans just barely cooked, still with a bit of crunch.
Serve hot, sprinkled with fleur de sel.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Paris Preview
Don't you fret, blogosphere. It's not that I haven't been cooking up or tracking down new culinary adventures to share. It's just that my mouth has been too full of heaven for my brain to formulate the words.
Rest assured that I will tell you all about it. Soon. Maybe one more bite.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Wordless Wednesday: Maui Edition
Labels:
avocado,
banana bread,
Hawaii,
mango,
Okinawa spinach,
papaya,
pineapple,
poke,
shrimp,
travel
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