8-10 medium-large carrots, or about 3 cups, diced small
2 celery ribs, or about ¾ cup, diced small
½ large onion, or about ¾ cup, diced small
3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
2 tbsp fresh tarragon
3 tbsp olive oil
4 cups chicken stock (can be made with vegetable stock)
1 cup whole milk
1 tsp salt
black pepper, several cranks on a grinder
dash of cayenne pepper, optional
crème fraîche (or sour cream), for garnish
fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
heat oil in a large pot over medium-high. add the carrots, celery, onions and salt and sauté until the celery has softened and the onions are clear, about 5-10 minutes. stir in the garlic, tarragon and black pepper and continue cooking for about 5 more minutes.
pour in the chicken stock, stir and bring to a boil.
reduce the heat to a simmer for about 25-30 minutes until the carrots are very soft. turn off the heat and use a hand blender to purée the mixture. you can use a regular blender, but it is just more of a process.
gradually pour in the milk, mix well, and season with more salt and pepper to taste. add cayenne if you want some kick.
garnish with a dollop of creme fraiche (or sour cream) and sprinkle with parsley. you could easily make this with a vegetable stock, and would be a great option for a meatless monday meal. i just always have homemade chicken stock on hand. also, this is a great chilled soup.
with the food processor running, add the garlic until finely chopped. stop the motor and add the basil, parmesan, nuts, lemon juice and s+p. process until very finely chopped and looks like this:
then while motor running, slowly pour the olive oil in until smooth and completely incorporated.
yield: about 1 1/3 cups.
toss with your favorite pasta, mix with hummus for a dip for pita or chips, or use as an alternative or additional sauce on pizza.
perhaps you have been hearing about meatless mondays lately? well for those who haven’t, it is a movement to try to reduce the amount of meat we are eating by at least 15% in order to improve our health and ultimately the health of this planet. i am by no means becoming a vegetarian, and will remain an ominvore, mostly because i love all kinds of meat, but here are a few things to think about:
“going meatless once a week may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. it can also help reduce your carbon footprint and save precious resources like fresh water and fossil fuel.” – from the meatless monday website
“in limited quantities, meat is just fine, especially sustainably raised meat (and wild game), locally and ethically produced dairy and eggs, the remaining wild or decently cultivated fish.”
lastly, michael pollan states in his book in defense of food: an eater’s manifesto even more simply,
“eat food. not too much. mostly plants.”
now being that all of those diseases mentioned above run in my family, and the fact that i love vegetables, taking meat out of my diet once a week seems completely doable. this will be the first of many (hopefully weekly) meatless monday recipes.
1 tsp cornstarch, mixed with 2 tsp water, set aside
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp corriander
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp cream
heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan over medium heat. fry paneer cubes for a few minutes until light golden brown. remove from the pan and place on some paper towels to remove any excess oil. set aside.
blend the tomatoes and ginger together. heat remaining 2 tbsp of oil in a sauce pan over medium high heat. add in the cumin, cinnamon and bay leaf for a few seconds. then add the tomato ginger purée and remaining spices and stir for a few minutes allowing it to reduce a bit.
add the peas and 1/4 cup of water and let cook covered over medium heat for a few minutes letting the peas soften a bit.
add the cornstarch water mixture and let it thicken up. gently stir in the fried paneer.
turn the heat off. discard the bay leaf, and mix in the cream.
i suggest serving over jasmine rice, or as i did today, quinoa. sopping it up with warm naan would be delicious too.
who knew you could make cheese in just over an hour? well, besides many of the 1.2 billion people in india, several other peoples of middle eastern and southeast asian countries, most cheese makers, savvy chefs and a few other food nerds, not many. other than those scant few, i have just become aware of this recently. i was reading omnivorous, a food blog, by a local private chef spencer h. gray, and came across a beautiful picture of a capresesque salad: deep red tomatoes, bright green basil, and what looked to be some sort of cubed mozzarella. to my surprise it was paneer, a cheese that i had only had in the past at indian restaurants. being that one of my favorite ways to use tomatoes in the summer is a caprese salad, i had to try this out.
you will need:
8 cups (64 oz) whole milk
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, strained of seeds and pulp
1/2 cup warm water
cheesecloth
an accurate thermometer, or a keen sense as to when milk is at the boiling point
a strainer or colander
mix the lemon juice and warm water together, and set aside. bring the milk slowly to a boil over medium heat in a stainless steel, non-reactive pot (not aluminum). when it reaches 212ºF (use a thermometer), pour the lemon juice water mixture in a slow steady stream while stirring continually and carefully.
the curd will then start separating from the whey. this is probably about the time you start reciting the old nursery rhyme ‘little miss muffet.’ turn the heat off.
line a strainer or colander with a few layers of cheesecloth. use a ladle and remove the curd from the whey and strain it through the cheesecloth.
gather the cheesecloth together and squeeze as much of the residual whey out.
rinse the bundle under cold running water, alternating with squeezing the whey and water out, a few times. when you have gotten as much water and whey out as possible, put the bundle back in the strainer, and put a saucer and something heavy (i used my sugar container) on top for about an hour.
the longer and more you are able to press out the water and whey, the firmer the cheese. unwrap the cheese, discard the cloth, and it is ready to eat.
i prefer to refrigerate the cheese in plastic wrap first before cutting into it.
for my paneer caprese salad you will need:
fresh tomato
fresh basil leaves
thin slices of paneer
good olive oil
balsamic vinegar
s+p
slice the tomatoes thin. chiffonade the basil. layer the tomato and paneer as you wish, and sprinkle the basil over. drizzle a little bit of the balsamic and olive oil over the tomatoes and basil. add s+p to taste.
it is delicious! the only thing i might try next time is to get some salt into the paneer, but really, it’s not that important.
it was the fall of 1989, i was a freshman at the university of minnesota, and i needed a part-time job. i had a couple friends who worked at a small diner near campus in dinkytown called al’s breakfast. little did i know how this place would help affect, influence, teach, and form me into who i am today. sometimes i think the experiences i had, knowledge i gained, and friendships i made at al’s taught me more than anything i learned in college, and not the least of which was how to cook.
i worked on and off there for the next 7 years. even when i moved away and came home for holiday visits, i would go in for breakfast and they would need someone to pick up a shift. i’d take it, not for the money, but just to be apart of the al’s experience again. needless to say, every trip i make back to minnesota, i make sure i get into al’s at least once. this past weekend was no different.
al’s has one long counter with 14 stools. that’s it.
customers queue up behind those sitting at the counter and wait until a place opens up, with the first person in line to be sat first. the exception being if a ‘single’ opens up and more seats aren’t opening up soon, you are allowed to sit prior to those in front of you, but always refer to the employees behind the counter for direction. they will have no qualms telling you how things work, especially if they haven’t had their coffee yet.
there is one grill in front, and one 4-burner stove in back, with a cook at each. there is one dishwasher, and depending on the day, one or two people working the counter. there is no oven, microwave, or freezer. to say this place is small is an understatement, and storage is non-existant, so food is prepped as it used. the vegetables are fresh, which means not only are your mushrooms, peppers, onions, etc cut up in small amounts to be stored and used as needed, it also means hash browns are made from boiling potatoes and hand grating them, and the corned beef hash is made from those very same potatoes. the menu has changed very little over the years (even the prices rarely go up), and consists of the usual eggs, pancakes, waffles, hash browns, bacon and sausage. there is toast, but no bagels, muffins, or other pastry items. they keep it to the basics and do it well.
i order my usual 1/2 bacon benny with a side of corned beef hash, and coffee.
to this day, i have not found anywhere that does hollandaise as good as it is done at al’s. they make it in such big batches, so scaling down the recipe would be difficult, but i did find a recipe from tyler florence on foodnetwork.com that comes close (minus the cayenne and add more lemon juice).
if i am not completely full, i will order a short short whole wheat wally blue, which in translation is one whole wheat pancake with walnuts and blueberries. your order is written on a small pad in front of you, in an al’s shorthand of sorts, and is yelled out to the front cook. the shorthand can vary from person to person, but if the cook needs a reminder of the order, they can just take a mere glance at the pad and know what they need to make.
in 2004, al’s was given a james beard award, and it hangs proudly behind the counter, to the left of the cash register, near the plastic dinosaurs, above the condiments, and among the many pictures, foreign currency, and knick knacks accumulated throughout the years.
a few years ago they were on an episode of diners, drive-ins and dives which will give you a better feel for what it’s like inside al’s.
when i went in this past weekend, i was happy to see my old boss, one of the owners, doug grina at the front grill.
he gave me a big, wet, sloppy, salty kiss over the counter and we caught up between him barking out orders to the back room and cooking hash browns, pancakes and of course my delicious 1/2 bacon benny, and side of cbh.
i often still recognize regulars. on this day it was the cranky guy who always ordered the 3 egg israeli, and john (an old friend of the owners) who comes in the back door, pours himself some coffee, chats with customers and employees, helps out a bit delivering plates, and most likely gets a free breakfast in exchange for a nice addition to the communal tip bowl.
doug and his business partner jim have been the owners since before i started working there, well over 20 years ago. both of their sons, who i remember as just wee lads and are young adults now, happened to be working there that day too. doug’s daughter has also done some time behind the counter. as i was just about to leave, doug’s wife susan, who also worked at al’s in the era that i did, showed up with a friend. i did a double take it had been so long, but it was so nice to see her. as my friend and i slipped out the front door, i can only hope they were able to take our seats, because i didn’t notice if there was anyone in line ahead of her, and relatives and friends don’t get special privileges. they would have to wait just like everyone else.
my visits to al’s will always remind me of the many memories and friends i have there, but that day it showed me that al’s not only runs in the family, it is family. a very big family.
EDIT: due to the covid19 virus, al’s has been struggling and trying to stay afloat, and if it isn’t apparent, this place means a lot to me, but also to a lot of other people, and it is a dinkytown and american institution. please donate to the gofundme page set up for them here: https://gf.me/u/ybbvfi
while making a sandwich, Mathieu inadvertently dropped the sliced french roll into the roasting pan filled with juice still hot from the oven. The patron, a policeman, said he would take the sandwich anyway and returned the next day with some friends asking for more dipped sandwiches. And so was born the “French Dipped Sandwich,” so called either because of Mathieu’s French heritage, the French roll the sandwich is made on or because the officer’s name was French. The answer is lost to history.”
whereas cole’s website doesn’t tell a story, but still lays claim. regardless who invented it, i was curious as to who does it better?
i only live a few blocks from cole’s and have had their pastrami french dip a few times, but never the one from philippe’s. before going to moca’s art in the streets exhibit for my second time, a few of us met at philippe’s for a late lunch. i thought this will be the test. i had been once before in my early days of living in los angeles, way before living downtown, and definitely before i knew of the debate, but i seem to remember i just got a turkey sandwich.
you place your order from one of the ‘carvers’ at a counter (similar to katz’s in nyc, but less deli and more diner) and they make your sandwich right in front of you. there is sawdust on the floor, booths or short stools at communal tables to sit at, and often before a dodgers game you will see quite a few fans (including the opposing team) come in to get food.
as it turns out, they don’t have pastrami at philippe’s, so i ordered the beef, with a side of macaroni salad and a pickle.
it was probably twice the size of cole’s, and they pre-dip the roll in the jus, instead of putting it on the side. my first bite told me it was way too salty, and i didn’t like the pre-dipped aspect. frankly, it just makes the bread soggy. i liked the quality of the meat, but it was too thickly cut for my taste, and halfway through, i was wishing they offered half sandwiches, or at least the jus on the side so i could take the rest to go without it being a mushy mess later. the pickles were good, nothing spectacular, but the macaroni salad was delightful, reminding me of something my grandmother once made.
since they didn’t have pastrami at philippe’s, that meant i had to go back to cole’s and try their beef in order to do a direct comparison. so, the next day i got on my trusty steed and biked over for lunch. (side note: sit at the bar. it is the only place i have received decent service. the bartenders are really knowledgeable and very nice. the table servers are either really understaffed or just bad at their jobs.)
i ordered the original (beef) french dip, otherwise known as the little dipper, and a side of spicy garlic fries. one pickle wedge is complimentary, extras are $.91.
the only difference between the little dipper and the big dipper is the amount of meat they put on the bread. the loaf is the same size. they also have a skinny dip, which is half a dip with a side of fries. fyi, the fries come in a basket and are big enough to share. happy hour from 3-7p has the skinny dip for only $5, but i seem to remember the portion of fries is smaller and not in a separate basket.
i have to say even though cole’s beef was good quality and sliced thinner than philippe’s, it was a bit bland. perhaps it was just in contrast to how salty philippe’s was, or maybe that the pickles and fries at cole’s are extremely spicy in comparison, but i wont order it again. i prefer the pastrami, which has the right amount of flavor, thinly sliced meat, and jus on the side. although, i must say i enjoyed the macaroni salad at philippe’s as a side compared to the fries at cole’s.
philippe’s wins a price comparison hands down at $6 for the sandwich, $1.20 for a side of macaroni, and $1.10 for a whole pickle. cole’s little dipper is only $6.38, but in order to come close to how much meat is on philippe’s you’ll have to order the big dipper (and still doesn’t have as much meat as philippe’s) which is $9.11. a side of fries goes for $3.19. personally, a little dip or half a big dipper is enough for me especially with a side, but if quantity is important, you’ll have to pay for it.
so, as far as which beef french dip is better? philippe’s is too much meat, too salty, and soggy, whereas, cole’s is sparing on the meat and bland, but at least the jus is on the side, and i could always add salt. i guess i’d vote for cole’s, but i’ll stick to the pastrami, and swing by philippe’s for a side of macaroni salad.
it’s what i like to call a single girl’s staple. i first tried this recipe almost a year and a half ago when i received my january/february 2010 issue of cooks illustrated. it seemed simple enough, but i had to whittle down the 4-6 servings to a portion that i could whip up on a night when cooking for only myself. i have made a few changes, but it has become a regular go-to pasta dish that never seems to disappoint. the great thing about this recipe is that you can make it with basic things you already have in your kitchen, not to mention, i have gotten it down to a science and it only takes me about 15 minutes to throw together.
also, it is optional, but depending on what veggies i have on hand, i do a little sauté and toss them in as well. my usual is broccoli and mushrooms, but another good combination is red bell peppers, red pepper flakes and garlic. tonight i found baby carrots, mushrooms, and wee little red onions in my possession. make sure to chop up veggies such as carrots and broccoli smaller since you will only be cooking them for a short time. you can prep them while boiling the water, and then sauté them in olive oil while cooking the pasta.
once the water boils add the salt and pasta. stir continuously, otherwise the pasta will stick especially closer to the end.
once it gets closer to being done the water seems to evaporate more quickly and it doesn’t seem to cook as quickly, so you may have to add a splash or two of water to allow it to finish cooking. the idea is to have the pasta al dente, but still have just over 1/4 cup of pasta water left once you have drained it.
drain the pasta, reserving the pasta water.
start with 1/4 cup of the reserved water and whisk it into the finely grated cheese. add the cream (or milk) and whisk. add the oil and whisk. finally add the pepper and whisk. if the sauce is still too thick at this point add a little more pasta water until the desired consistency. the picture below is too thick. it should be thinner.
toss in the pasta, then add any sautéed veggies you want.
toss again. sprinkle with fresh parsley to taste.
enjoy!
fyi, the proportions will change slightly and adjustments will have to be made, but ultimately i did simple math from the original recipe to make this for one. if you want to make it for more, multiply by 4 in order to make it for 1 lb of pasta, serving 4-6. it is a really good option for meatless mondays as well. as for my gluten-free friends, i have not tried this with rice (or other wheat-free) pastas, but part of the science of this recipe has to do with getting starch in to the mix by infusing the semolina into the pasta water, so i don’t see why other starch pastas wouldn’t work, but i haven’t done the research…yet.
after a small group of us went to see art in the streets at the geffen contemporary at moca today, we headed over to wurstküche for lunch. it was a short walk and good for a group. you order at a register, so there is no worry of splitting up the check, and there are huge communal tables with benches that can fit groups of almost any size. i was hoping since it was close to 2p on a friday afternoon that it wouldn’t be too crazy busy, and thankfully as we turned the corner the line had barely creeped out the door. believe me i have been there plenty of times to know if the line is down the street you can be waiting upwards of an hour or more depending how long it is.
the nice thing is that when you eventually get in the door there is usually some nice person to hand out menus and take drink orders, so you can enjoy a cold beverage while perusing the menu. it is fairly simple, basically sausages, belgian fries and beer, but there are many options from which to choose. they have over 20 sausages, 4 toppings, 10 dipping sauces (for the fries), and 40+ beers (mostly belgian and german). not to mention, a few wines and several non-alcoholic beverages as well. you will find it helps to know what you want before you reach the register. not only does it make the line move faster, but it seems to keep those behind you who are regulars from tapping their impatient foots, and huffing a bit. (i kid.)
i usually order the rattlesnake + rabbit with jalapeño, and sauerkraut as a topping, but for some reason i was thinking about changing it up a bit and trying something i hadn’t had in a while like the duck + bacon with jalapeño. well it must have gotten into my subconscious enough, because that is what arrived at the table. i don’t even remember ordering it, but i am so glad i did, because it was a reminder to try new things and not always go with the status quo.
i also ordered a small fries, called a klein, with the chipotle aioli and blue cheese walnut and bacon dipping sauces. one sauce comes with the klein, and 2 come with the groot (large), but i can never decide between them, so i order them both if i get the klein. they have 5 different kinds of mustard, as well as ketchup, at the tables. i prefer the whole grain, but now having tried the duck again, i would probably try a different topping like the onions and sweet peppers and go with the honey mustard. regardless, it was still juicy and delicious.
(as a side note: i have been here in the past and have gotten a sausage so well done that i had to send it back, and they did so happily. twice. not in their defense, because there is no way they should have sent a sausage out that well done, but it was an extremely busy night, and the staff has always been really friendly and accommodating. the owners often walk around, talk with the guests, and bus tables.)
for beer i decided on the blanche de bruxelles, a witbier, which normally pairs really nicely with the buttery mildness of the rabbit sausage that i usually get. although, the duck was pretty rich, so next time i order it i might go for something like a bitburger or spaten pilsner. the staff all seem very knowledgable and would most likely be able to tell you what beer might suit a certain sausage, and if they aren’t too busy (which is almost never), they have been known to give tastes of beer just to make sure it is what you want. this will happen more at the back bar than the front register, being that those pesky regulars are breathing down your back to hurry up and order. (another joke.)
be aware that this is a hip, happening, popular place, so the music can be a little on the loud side, and the line can be ridiculously long, but it rarely disappoints. it is a stylish but casual local neighborhood hang out that isn’t pretentious, but rather it feels very inclusive. i have seen all sorts and types there. perhaps it is the large open room, with warm wood tones, or the shared common tables, but the vibe is social and friendly to everyone. perhaps it is simple as what they have put on their FAQ page:
“Q: Are children and grandparents allowed?
A: Absolutely, the more diverse the crowd the better.”
as were were finishing up, at the next table a college aged kid wearing usc shorts was helping what seemed to be his 90+ year old (great?) grandmother maneuver into her bench cane in hand, and i thought it seems as though they mean it.
the first time i went to the lazy ox canteen was before the los angeles times food critic s. irene virbila gave it a 3 star review well over a year ago. i was really impressed with everything, and have been meaning to go back ever since. it is only 2 blocks from my loft, and i go by it often, but it is almost always busy. today i happened upon it pre-lunch rush and i was craving a burger, so i bellied up to the bar, which i often do when eating alone, and ordered their 8 oz grass-fed beef burger medium.
it was topped with cantal cheese, butter lettuce, onion, pickles and mayo on a grilled poppy seed bun. it came with a side of thick(ish) cut fries, as well as, green peppercorn mustard and a dipping sauce that i couldn’t quite place the flavors, but i’m thinking it was a tomato red pepper aioli. the fries were ok, but i prefer mine with some crisp to them and a bit thinner.
my first bite into the burger indicated that it was too salty, and the cheese was quite strong, both of which i might have looked over, if this wasn’t how my burger looked like in the middle:
ok, that isn’t the best picture, but it was over done, and on the verge of being well done. as you can see, all the juices were on my plate. i wanted them in my burger.
i even showed the manager manny castillo what my ‘medium’ burger looked like, just to alert him that perhaps simply his grill/oven is too hot? i can’t imagine his chef doesn’t know what ‘medium’ should look like. it seemed as though he agreed, and was about to get me another, but i said that it was fine and that i would finish it. honestly i was so hungry i didn’t want to wait, but in the end i didn’t finish it, and regret not asking him to bring me another. live and learn.
this will not keep me from going back to the lazy ox, but it will probably keep me from ordering the burger again.
after going to my first power yoga class in santa monica this morning, i walked outside to a beautiful day. it was barely 70° and the sun was shining bright. i got on the freeway heading home, and for some reason instead of continuing east i exited, and headed back west and up the pch. i was thinking that i rarely get to the westside and i love driving up the coast, plus i was also hungry and figured i would see something along the way that peaked my interest. i turned off at the malibu inn. i had read recently after an ownership change, and a bit of a shut down, that they had re-opened with top chef runner-up angelo sosa as a consulting chef. that was enough of an endorsement for me. i wasn’t a huge fan of mr. sosa on the show, but it was apparent that he had talent, and i was interested to see the menu.
if you are not aware, the malibu inn has a bit of a history in the music business, not the least of which was that neil young was part owner back in the day when it was called the crazy horse saloon. i remember being astonished about some of the groups that had played there over the years, including one of my favorites tom petty, as well as, kid rock, the plimsouls, and eric clapton. as the article in malibu patch states,
“think of ‘miserlou’ the greek folk song rocked up into a surf music classic by dick dale. now imagine a malibu super group playing ‘miserlou’ at the newly renovated malibu inn: eddie van halen on guitar, mike d and/or tommy lee on drums, bob dylan on rhythm guitar and sting on bass—or maybe flea, but he puts the bass down and picks up a trumpet to blow that ripping little horn solo.”
perhaps it is not exactly what i think they are going for, but i believe this is what the new vamped malibu inn wants to be and absolutely should be. below the malibu inn sign it simply states: vintage mood. epic food. i truly hope that is where it is going, because in this day and age it is rare for us 30-40+ year old music and food loving people to find somewhere with both of our tastes in one. don’t get me wrong, i love a lot of music coming out these days, and would really dig hearing the black keys play the malibu inn, but many of us really just want to hear a good bar band, that plays good music and have some good food on a weekend night, or any night for that matter.
today i came in for lunch and sat out at the outdoor bar. i ordered the fish tacos.
the fish was way too salty. the flavor and spice beyond that was good, but i probably wouldn’t order this again unless i were to tell them ‘no salt’. also, i would have liked more citrus, like a squeeze of lime, especially with the fish being grilled. if it were breaded, the creamy and spicy guacamole would have been sufficient. it was served with thick potato chips that were also laced in salt. perhaps a nice light salad of greens or simple slaw?
as an after thought, i ordered their buffalo wings (crispy), because i have a penchant for wings, but i wasn’t impressed. they were not warm (temperature), though they did have good heat (as in spice), ultimately i specifically asked for them crispy and the skin and outer layer were soft. both of the buffalo and the roquefort dipping sauces were delicious and very flavorful, but i personally didn’t like the execution.
having worked in the restaurant industry for many years i understand getting off on the wrong foot. also, my bartender albert, who was awesome and attentive, informed me that they had recently let the executive chef go and this new one was just getting up to speed. i will give them a second chance, for no other reason than to try other things on the menu that sounded interesting like the pulled pork sandwich and smack n cheese. oh, and they have tater tots!
on my way out, i used the restroom which had the most awesome wallpaper:
i stuck my head into the men’s room to see if they had pin-ups as well, but was surprised to see:
a very tasteful use of women made out of flowers (if you look closer).
i don’t remember the interior much from the many years back that i had come into the establishment, but there were definite improvements:
the best thing was that just outside the ladies room, there was a picture of maxwell caufield, the star of grease 2.
by the by, i will be seeing the screening of grease 2 thanks to devil’s night drive-in this saturday night and packing a picnic dinner. (post to follow)
wild, fresh + tasty 