This week's adventurous purchase at the West Side Market was fried sauerkraut balls from Rita's, the Hungarian deli. Foodgoat loves sauerkraut. I find it tolerable at best. But I like the sauerkraut balls. Why? Because anything that's breaded and deep-fried tastes good.
Tuesday, November 30, 2004
sauerkraut, improved
This week's adventurous purchase at the West Side Market was fried sauerkraut balls from Rita's, the Hungarian deli. Foodgoat loves sauerkraut. I find it tolerable at best. But I like the sauerkraut balls. Why? Because anything that's breaded and deep-fried tastes good.
Tryout Tuesday: a recipe edition
On the Tuesdays that we don't go scope out new restaurants, I've resolved to try new recipes. (A creature of habit, I seem to respond well to regularly scheduled programming.) The pile of old cooking magazines tagged with Post-It notes and a burgeoning cookbook collection (though it can't touch my mom's 300+ hoard) are crying out to be stained, splattered, and generally used.
The first dish of the series may or may not exactly count, because I've made the recipe once before. But it was a long time ago and this time I made it rather differently.
Here's the original recipe, swiped from the evah-so-handy epicurious (whose redesign is leaps and bounds better than the old one):
I used whole-wheat flour and didn't measure it once. I'm sure I used much more than the recipe called for. I just kept adding big spoonfuls at a time, and mixed until it looked dumpling-worthy, i.e. when the dough pulls away from the sides (this was the first time that description actually made sense to me ... I must be learning something from all those times I've watched Foodgoat make dumplings). No nutmeg, as Foodgoat dislikes it, but did use pepper, paprika, and parsley, which means I have half of a cutesy girl band. I used olive oil instead of butter, and forgot all about the cheese. Otherwise, the technique was the same.
The pumpkin dumplings actually turned out quite well. The whole-wheat flour gave it a nuttier sort of taste, and the pumpkin and savory spices went well with the fried kielbasa sausage. We had a fine photo but the camera didn't think so, since it corrupted it and refused to give it up.
The first dish of the series may or may not exactly count, because I've made the recipe once before. But it was a long time ago and this time I made it rather differently.
Here's the original recipe, swiped from the evah-so-handy epicurious (whose redesign is leaps and bounds better than the old one):
PUMPKIN DUMPLINGSIt was good this way, but I liked my revised way better. First off, I used fresh pumpkin. Believe it or not, I happened to have some in the fridge: last week, I baked a whole sugar pumpkin, mostly to see what happened, since I couldn't cut through the skin without fearing for my life. It cooked, I scooped, and that's all there was to it.
1/2 cup canned solid pack pumpkin
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon (generous) baking powder
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Whisk pumpkin, egg, salt, nutmeg and baking powder in large bowl to blend. Mix in flour (dough will be soft). Dip a spoon into boiling water to moisten & scoop up dough to drop in water. Boil dumpling until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to colander and drain. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add dumplings. Sauté until beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer dumplings to bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.
I used whole-wheat flour and didn't measure it once. I'm sure I used much more than the recipe called for. I just kept adding big spoonfuls at a time, and mixed until it looked dumpling-worthy, i.e. when the dough pulls away from the sides (this was the first time that description actually made sense to me ... I must be learning something from all those times I've watched Foodgoat make dumplings). No nutmeg, as Foodgoat dislikes it, but did use pepper, paprika, and parsley, which means I have half of a cutesy girl band. I used olive oil instead of butter, and forgot all about the cheese. Otherwise, the technique was the same.
The pumpkin dumplings actually turned out quite well. The whole-wheat flour gave it a nuttier sort of taste, and the pumpkin and savory spices went well with the fried kielbasa sausage. We had a fine photo but the camera didn't think so, since it corrupted it and refused to give it up.
Monday, November 29, 2004
post turkey day
Did everyone have a happy Thanksgiving?
I'm still full.
Of course, maybe that's because yesterday I had a big, splendid brunch at the Last Chance restaurant in Willowick, where the chef is the best beau of Foodgoat's cousin (who, ironically, is the pickiest eater in the family ... go figure). Everyone raved about the pancakes, Foodgoat gave his official thumbs up to the burger, but I ordered a plate of crabcakes and onion rings. There aren't many places you can get that in the morning, and I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity. It may be unorthodox, maybe but it was delish and most satisfying. I even got salad, cream of cabbage potato soup, and vanilla ice cream to boot. See why I'm still full? No wonder I fell asleep later during the shootout.
Another reason I might be full: serving size. I didn't do so well on the new Portion Distortion quiz.
I didn't do a bit of shopping on Black Friday (unless you count a box of donuts), but if I had seen them, I might have been tempted by these oh-so-festive candy cane shot glasses (via not martha).
I'm still full.
Of course, maybe that's because yesterday I had a big, splendid brunch at the Last Chance restaurant in Willowick, where the chef is the best beau of Foodgoat's cousin (who, ironically, is the pickiest eater in the family ... go figure). Everyone raved about the pancakes, Foodgoat gave his official thumbs up to the burger, but I ordered a plate of crabcakes and onion rings. There aren't many places you can get that in the morning, and I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity. It may be unorthodox, maybe but it was delish and most satisfying. I even got salad, cream of cabbage potato soup, and vanilla ice cream to boot. See why I'm still full? No wonder I fell asleep later during the shootout.
Another reason I might be full: serving size. I didn't do so well on the new Portion Distortion quiz.
I didn't do a bit of shopping on Black Friday (unless you count a box of donuts), but if I had seen them, I might have been tempted by these oh-so-festive candy cane shot glasses (via not martha). Tuesday, November 23, 2004
Tryout Tuesday: ZaZa
On the eve of my last day on the diet ... screw it. Time for some real food.
Enter ZaZa. Tucked unobstrusively into a somewhat faded strip mall, ZaZa had a lovely ambiance: dark velvet curtains, violet-hued walls, low lighting, and smooth jazz in the background. The cuisine was Nawlins'-style, my favorite kind. It was all very promising.
I declined dipping into the extensive martini menu, but Foodgoat did take adventage of Tuesday happy hour deals to indulge in a Guinness (on tap, too, Foodgoat's signal for his type of bar) to go along with a plate of calamari. It was a fabulous start: the battered and fried squid rings, piled high on a spicy, lemony pepper sauce was spectacular. The squid was light and crunchy; the sauce smooth and flavorful. It was probably the best calamari I've had; Foodgoat went so far as to say it was the best dish he'd ever had at a restaurant.
Foodgoat went onto a Bourbon Burger with sweet potato fries. The fries were good and crispy (I know because I kept stealing some from his plate). But the burger was a kicker: a massive one pound of meat, topped with mushrooms and red onions in a Dijon, bourbon whiskey sauce, on sourdough. Poor Foodgoat could barely manage to take half of it down. It scared him a little.
As for me, of course I couldn't turn down the Louisiana crabcakes with mashed sweet potatoes. The crabcakes came with a horseradish sauce, a cocktail sauce, and a hot pepper sauce, and a spicy corn salsa. This is a restaurant that doesn't shy away from the spices, for which we're quite grateful. The crabcakes were just delicious (even better the next day as a sandwich for lunch): crunchy on the outside, moist and sweet on the inside.
I think I have a new favorite restaurant in Cleveland.
Enter ZaZa. Tucked unobstrusively into a somewhat faded strip mall, ZaZa had a lovely ambiance: dark velvet curtains, violet-hued walls, low lighting, and smooth jazz in the background. The cuisine was Nawlins'-style, my favorite kind. It was all very promising.
I declined dipping into the extensive martini menu, but Foodgoat did take adventage of Tuesday happy hour deals to indulge in a Guinness (on tap, too, Foodgoat's signal for his type of bar) to go along with a plate of calamari. It was a fabulous start: the battered and fried squid rings, piled high on a spicy, lemony pepper sauce was spectacular. The squid was light and crunchy; the sauce smooth and flavorful. It was probably the best calamari I've had; Foodgoat went so far as to say it was the best dish he'd ever had at a restaurant. Foodgoat went onto a Bourbon Burger with sweet potato fries. The fries were good and crispy (I know because I kept stealing some from his plate). But the burger was a kicker: a massive one pound of meat, topped with mushrooms and red onions in a Dijon, bourbon whiskey sauce, on sourdough. Poor Foodgoat could barely manage to take half of it down. It scared him a little.
As for me, of course I couldn't turn down the Louisiana crabcakes with mashed sweet potatoes. The crabcakes came with a horseradish sauce, a cocktail sauce, and a hot pepper sauce, and a spicy corn salsa. This is a restaurant that doesn't shy away from the spices, for which we're quite grateful. The crabcakes were just delicious (even better the next day as a sandwich for lunch): crunchy on the outside, moist and sweet on the inside.
I think I have a new favorite restaurant in Cleveland.
Monday, November 22, 2004
the wishlisting begins
I'm a glutton for punishment: I've been poring over gorgeous photos of fried chicken and chocolate cakes in old cooking magazines like Food & Wine and Bon Appetit, handed down to me by a woman who was moving and didn't have room for them anymore. Eating Well, new to me, is rising up the list of favorite food mags as a result of its mix of accessible recipes and health news.
On the happy side, 'tis the season of covetousness!
I like this nifty tea set by sarah cihat, not just because of the most unladylike skull and crossbones, but because the china has been rescued from secondhand oblivion. Recycling rules.
On the happy side, 'tis the season of covetousness!
I like this nifty tea set by sarah cihat, not just because of the most unladylike skull and crossbones, but because the china has been rescued from secondhand oblivion. Recycling rules.
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