SPICY MAYO
Stuff about food and food-related stuff
Turkey, Mushroom Ragout & Brussels Sprouts
This Christmas I spent the afternoon in the kitchen with my mom. I was interested in bringing something new to our traditional turkey fare and decided on an asparagus soup with oven roasted tomatoes, a mushroom ragout (not sure if it technically qualifies as such but whatever) and Brussels Sprouts with shallots and smoky bacon. The preparation was pretty straightforward and flavours were simple and homey.
Butter Tarts
My mom makes the best butter tarts. The filling is sweet, sticky without being gummy, and the pastry is flaky and altogether wonderful. This recipe was passed down from her mother, Florence and she was happy to share it with us. Proceed with one word of caution: these tarts may induce diabetic coma.
Sugar Cookies
Try fending off your inner Christmas Grinch by whipping up a batch of these classic holiday cookies. I decorated small metal spice containers and shared these with friends, coworkers and the like.
Thursday Night is JapoDogs at Sushiro
In the Avalon/University/Broadway area there is always a dinner option for the budget dining set. Monday is a five dollar burger at the Yard, Tuesday is wings, Wednesday is pizza and pints at the Aroma, and up until now, no Thursday option. Now at Sushiro we got the JapoDog. The clever and inspired street meat from Vancouver now on the corner of Broadway and Tenth. Take one american tube steak, local mennonite sausage, or tofu dog and lavish it with spicy mayo, bonito, nori, cheese, teriaki sauce, or daikon. So far the reception has been hot, selling out on our first night. We’ve been tweaking our special, simplified the menu and replaced the confusing Olympia for the more popular Great Western Light. This coming Thursday, December 17th, will be our last of 2009 (we’re not serving dogs on the 24th or the 31st) returning January 7th. Come and enjoy!
Juletide Scandinavian pantry party!
Facing sub 40 wind chill factors and seasonal depression, I turned to my Scandinavian pantry for inspiration. These hardy folks know how to cope with the arctic climate – boozy house parties and black outs are de rigueur. A bottle of Lingonberry drink concentrate – purchased with the intention of creating the perfect holiday martini for our traditional Scandinavian Christmas – inspired an impromptu get together to refine my drink recipe and create a little imaginary Scandinavian holiday spirit.
A Modern Salad
Our homie, Colin, received a “modern salad” cookbook and it has been an ongoing source of amusement. I’m not sure if this salad qualifies as “modern” but a variation of it is currently available at everyone’s favourite national restaurant chain. Easy to prepare and lovely to look at, this roast beet salad is a certified banger.
King Trumpet Mushrooms
As a young vegetarian I realized that if I wanted to enjoy chewy food textures I would have to get over my aversion to mushrooms. I slowly integrated fungi into my diet and ten years later I guess I qualify as a mushroom fan. That said, I must confess that I’ve only encountered the regular grocery store varieties – buttons and browns, portabella, shitake, oyster and the like. When I stumbled on a package of King Trumpet mushrooms at Chinese grocery store, I took the plunge.