Thanksgiving Recipes

I have not a single picture of the feast we created to share! However, I would still like to give a few tips and recipes that I found delightful. A food blog that I fancy called Serious Eats posed to its readers whether Thanksgiving was about the turkey or the sides. I love my sides, but this year for me it was the ham.

Starters

Stuffed Mushrooms


Soften: 2 tbsp soy-based "Better Than Cream Cheese"
            1 tbsp butter

Mix in: about 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
             salt and pepper
             1 tbsp parmesan cheese

Sprinkle with parmesan and bake on 350 ºF for 30 minutes.

Deviled Eggs

1. Cover with an inch of water and bring to a gentle boil. Remove from heat immediately, cover and let stand for about 18 minutes.

2. Run cold water into pot of eggs until eggs are cool. (Eggs can be stored in fridge at this point)

3. Once eggs are peeled and washed, cut them in half the long way and place whites on a dish (or a disposable aluminum pan--it is Thanksgiving after all; someone will need it for leftovers!)

4. Mash the yolks in a bowl with a fork, and then mash in the following ingredients (amounts are approximate for a dozen eggs):

• Mayo - 4 tbsp
• Vinegar - 1-2 tbsp, to taste
• 3 tsp sweet relish
• salt and pepper

5. Using a cake bag or a plastic bag with a corner cut off, add the filling into the whites.

6. Sprinkle LIGHTLY with cayenne pepper

Meats

Turkey

We have a meat injection syringe and needle. We made the injection out of chicken broth made from bullion, crushed lavender leaves, and a few other italian spices. We shot that bird up till it was fat and cooked it in an oven bag. Moist and delicious!


Ham

Ham comes fully cooked, so I stole a little slab for our ham, tomato, and cheddar breakfast quiche early in the day. The rest was glazed, and then baked for an hour or so.

Kapes' amazin' glaze

On medium heat, stirring constantly, cook:

          1/3 cup brown sugar
          2 tbsp honey

Once dark and thick, add in horseradish and spicy mustard to taste (I use over 1 tbsp of each). Dump all over ham. Bake.

Sides

Scalloped Potatoes

I use this recipe. I do scald the milk, although I researched it and I'm not sure if it does anything. I wasn't about to find out the hard way on Turkey Day, though...

Stuffing

Giblet stuffing. Mom's recipe. I'm sure she'd give it to you if you asked...

Spicy-Sweet Potatoes

Outstanding! I baked the sweet potatoes in foil in the oven with the turkey--super easy!

Mash the insides with just a sprinkle of BROWN SUGAR, a few tablespoons of BUTTER, a generous amount of CHILE POWDER, a little bit of CAYENNE PEPPER, and a pinch of SALT. Taste frequently while mashing to get them to the desired spiciness. Bake on 350 ºF for 30 min, and then sprinkle lightly with brown sugar.

Green Beans

Steamed in the veggie steamer and seasoned.

East Side Indian

For the longest time, I thought strip malls were good for nothing. But Austin has changed my tune, and I now realize that strip malls are good for one thing: Indian food. Off the top of my head, I can't think of a single Indian joint that isn't part of a strip mall! There are a great deal of good Indian buffets in Austin, and I like each for different reasons.

India Kitchen is the subject of this blog. Nestled away in the strip mall near the intersection of Riverside and Pleasant Valley, this restaurant is excellent and, as a bonus it is close to me! One of the really nice things about this particular buffet is that the naan is not put out (at least at dinner). It's so nice to have hot, fresh naan brought right to the table. Also, their naan is a bit different from what I'm used to. It's a bit thicker and chewier; it really has its own thing going on.

I have been to India Kitchen many times now due to the proximity, price, quality, and instant gratification (of the buffet, of course). One of my favorite dishes is the spicy eggplant. I'm a huge fan of the lamb meat balls, although with the outstanding vegetarian choices, I often opt for a meatless dinner when I am here. Last trip I had a bowl of the lentil soup, which was absolutely outstanding. India Kitchen is a hidden gem on the East side. Highly recommended.

Primafeta Pasta

A vegetarian delight! This pasta dish features crisp vegetables, pine nuts, and feta cheese.

Ingredients:
6–8 oz. medium shells, cooked al dente
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 cloves minced garlic
1 small onion, diced
1–2 carrots, sliced thin
asparagus (1/2 bunch)
fresh spinach
cherry or grape tomatoes
feta cheese
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Saute onion, garlic, carrot, pine nuts, and asparagus in olive on medium–medium high heat. Once the asparagus begins to soften, add in the pasta (I sometimes add a bit more olive oil so that the pasta fries up a bit.) Cook 5 minutes. Add in feta crumbles and spinach and cook until the spinach begins to wilt. Add the tomatoes in for the last 2–3 minutes of cooking.

South Congress Cafe

Right before Halloween, during a trip to Lucy in Disguise, we happened upon the South Congress Cafe for brunch. The place was packed, and full of loud, South Austin atmosphere. The staff was amazingly friendly, and we had a great time.

The Bloody Marys were excellent. MikeDub and I split everything up, and that was fortunate. The food was a little heavy, and a big bowl of andouille sausage-enhanced gumbo and a breakfast bite left us stuffed. The gumbo was delicious; spiced perfectly, and featured a thick, dark base.

The highlight of my brunch was the egg-topped crab cake. Smothered in a delightful sauce and reminiscent of eggs benedict on speed, this prosciutto bacon topped wonder was amazing. The tab wasn't bad, but this spot was definitely an occasional treat.

Cuban Pork Roast

This is a delicious, flavorful, zero effort dish that can cook all day. Cook at a super low temperature for 12 hours to give it a pulled-pork texture, or at just a bit warmer and faster to create a super-tender roast.

3 lb. Pork shoulder or butt, bone in

One Pineapple, cored and sliced into strips

One and a half large red onions, in quarters

One jalepeno pepper, sliced

a few tablespoons of olive oil

juice of 2 limes

Rub

----------

plenty of

Salt

Pepper

Cumin

Oregano

just a little

White Pepper

Cayenne

Rub the roast with plenty of the spice mixture. Add more until the meat is well covered.

Arrange the pineapple and onion in the bottom of your slow cooker.

Lay the roast on the onion/pineapple layer, top with the jalapenos, lime juice and olive oil.

Slow cook on medium low until an internal temperature of 160-165 is reached. It should take about 6 hours. You can finish it off in the oven at 250 if it is taking too long. Check temperature frequently. If you leave the house, turn it all the way down. These things are easy to overcook.

The Autumnal Equinox

At 1 AM this evening, Kapes and I sat down to lament the horrid shape of our liquor cabinet. Like many in disrepair, the only bottles we had left contained the kind of things that sit on the shelf for years at a time. Orange liqueur, vermouth, amaretto, cognac, a tiny splash of shitty vodka and a variety of bitters. Tragic.

Many a joke were passed back and forth as to just how sorry our current lot was, and what a miserable cocktail machine it had become.

I happened to bring home a great bottle of port that Kapes and I were enjoying, when it dawned on me that port probably makes a decent cocktail ingredient. I immediately googled "port cocktails" and the very first recipe that popped up called for port, orange liqueur, and amaretto. Christ. Even more called for port, vermouth and lemon, in some combination. It seems that our desolate bar is prime for port cocktails.

So we whipped together some "Autumnal Equinoxes". This drink looks, smells, and tastes like purple juice box kindergarten fun times. Not exactly what I go looking for, but fun, nonetheless. And it finally gave me a way to use up the stupid liquor that sits undrunken for years at a time.

Autumnal Equinox

2 oz port

1 oz orange liqueur

1/2 oz amaretto

pour over ice in a rocks glass, stir, drink.

Prestige Portfolio Tasting

Woo-hoo! Industry wine events! In absolutely no other circle is it appropriate to drink massive amounts of wine before happy hour, much less before lunch. I tasted almost 100 wines and managed to stain both my teeth and hands in a most unprofessional fashion. Oh well.

Paggi House was the setting today, and it made for a fabulous venue. Proprietors Tom and Tori Tinnon are former managers of Cork and Co, and it's great to see just what they've done with this ancient building. Tres chic. The back area is an outdoor bar built around a well. How cool is that? They quite thoughtfully provided us with some lovely cheeses and small bites to keep us fed as the wine took its effect. Tasty!

Anyhow, Prestige Wines distributes a huge number of different vinters' products, and todays offerings were most definitely top-notch. My Cork and Co. compatriots and I tasted verticals of Chateau Montelena, L'Ecole, and a host of other excellent labels.

As you may know, I am head over heels in love with the wines being produced in Washington state, particularly those made in Walla Walla and Columbia Valley. As you can imagine, I was thrilled to find one of my absolute favorites in attendance, Wines of Substance.

They have a pretty nifty label that approximates the periodic table of elements, but rather than H for Hydrogen we have Ch for Chardonnay and M for Merlot. Neat. Don't let the kitchy label trick you, the juice is stellar.

Their merlot is a huge standout, with great mouthfeel and intese aromatics. If you see any of these anywhere, I must recommend that you pick them up, particularly because they all clock in under $20.

The highlight, though, had to be Seghesio. I love all of the Seghesio wines. They're a family owned vineyard that I've blogged about recently. In particular, I swooned for their 2007 Sonoma Zin, which has since disappeared from shelves due to high demand. Ms. Cathy Seghesio was happy to inform me that while 2007 Sonoma is all gone, their 2007 Old Vine Zinfandel is still around, and boy is it fantastic. Like the Sonoma, but deeper, richer, and overall simply more excellent. Pick it up at Spec's for about $30. Here's a nifty pic of me and Cathy, toasting to our good fortune. They also have an excellent Sangiovese, a new vintage of the Sonoma bottling, and a Petite Syrah that's a little too peppery for my taste. Overall, though, fantastic. And Cathy is a sweetheart.

Then, I realized that it was 3:30, and I had to get to work immediately. Sigh. At least there's wine there, too.

I entered the drawing for a Nebuchadnezzar (quadruple size bottle) of the Seghesio 2008, but have to yet to receive the phone call informing me that I have won. Cathy, if you're reading this, please get in touch ASAP, and I'll save you a glass.

Kismet Cafe (411 W 24th St-Right off the drag)

I've been eating at Kismet for six years now. First of all, it is close to campus and affordable. Working late nights in the lab, I appreciated the fact that I could get a fantastic plate of gyro meat and grilled chicken over rice and have leftovers for a midnight snack.

Kismet Cafe was also the first place that I ate gyro, and I must say I'm glad to be typing that word since I bastardize it every time I attempt to say it. Kismit gyro is very, very good; it seems to be tenderized and perhaps reconstituted. I'm not sure, but it is amazingly tender and delicious. The sauce that it comes with compliments it perfectly.

Inspired by my newfound love of gyro, I went to a couple other Mediterranean restaurants. My search has not at all been exhaustive (yet), but Kismet remains in the lead for me. I can't review this place properly, as I instantly became obsessed with the gyro meat. I've had the hummus (excellent) on the side of the P3 plate, which is my Kismet fail-safe dish.

If you go to Kismet, don't settle for the downstairs seating. There's a lovely little balcony that you might miss if you don't venture to the back of the restaurant and head up the little staircase. The delightful balcony is pictured below.

Chorizo-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin (at Z-Tejas)

Just before going veggie, I finally had the opportunity to try this new(er) addition to Z-Tejas's menu, and let me tell you it was out of this world. MikeDub and I split my all time favorite crab-topped chipotle beef tenderloin and the pork tenderloin.  The tenderloin duet hit it home for me.

The chorizo is not typical. At all. There was none of the greasy red runniness that is standard chorizo. It was darker and firm, with an excellent flavor. The pork was exceedingly tender and the sauces that it was served with complimented it terrificly. Served alongside mashed potatoes and a delightful vegetable medley, this dish is definitely worth a try!

The month of vegetables

On October 2nd I ate red meat again for the first time. I did eat fish about twice during the month of September, but boy did that bleu cheese bacon cheeseburger feel weird! The place was Doc's (SoCo), the burger was very good, but the lethargy that followed was quite annoying. Eating veggies, you never really feel full, but the food coma is far more bearable.

The month of September was excellent, I really enjoyed it. I learned more about cooking tofu and vegetable protein, I came up with many new recipes (which I promise to get around to posting), and I realized how difficult it is to be a healthy vegetarian. A healthy vegetarian has to cook a lot at home to maintain a well-balanced diet. Near the end of the month I started taking some vitamin supplements as it is more difficult to get certain B vitamins and calcium from a vegetarian diet. I did learn clever ways to boost my vitamin intake (cream of wheat mixed with multigrain cheerios is like a vitamin supplement in itself!)

I do not have my gallbladder; when I was 23 I got stones and had to have it removed. The healthy veggie diet completely alleviated the discomfort I often feel from certain foods. That was very eye opening for me.

So, I'm eating meat again. It's mostly because in order to have a successful food blog I must eat all foods. I am, however, limiting my meat intake. The benefits of eating more vegetables and soy protein are too good to give up, so I intend to eat meat only a few times a week.

I've been busy lately, but I have many new recipes to share and restaurant reviews I've saved up. I'm challenging myself and MikeDub to a ten posts in ten days challenge to catch up on all of the great things I've been saving up...

2008 Seghesio Sonoma County Zinfandel

Yeah, yeah, yeah, the bottle in the picture says 2003. Like I could take a picture that nice, anyways. Get over it.

The Seghesio family has been making wine in Sonoma County, California for over 100 years, and their wines definitely show it. Specializing in Zinfandel, they've offered a range of single-vineyard zins ($30-50) and a multi-vineyard blend ($20) for quite some time now, and the quality has been consistent in all the vintages I've tasted.

But last year, something happened. Wine Spectator rated the 2007 blended zin their #10 wine for the year, and for good reason. More than ever before, the wine showed a finesse not normally associated with Zinfandel, much less associated with wines that only cost $20. The blend was even better than the single-vineyard offerings. In a very true sense, the whole was greater than the sum of the parts. And for $20, how could you possibly say no?

Needless to say, the wine disappeared instantly from shelves, and has been incredibly difficult to find over the past 6 months. As of right now, Wine Spectator has yet to rate the just-released 2008 vintage, and I was lucky enough to find the last one in stock at Spec's (though I would imagine, there's still more coming, it was just released, after all).

The 2008 doesn't disappoint, to be sure, and has almost all of the hallmarks of what made the 2007 spectacular. Dense, powerful fruit and spice aromas jump out of the glass, with hints of oak and coffee. The wine tastes excellent, and the acids and tannins are just present enough to give the wine a long finish without giving it a bite (we call that "balanced acidity"). The one aspect in which I think it comes up short compared to last year's is the complexity of the spicy and herbaceaous notes. '07 is gonna be hard to beat.

Good with food, if you're having rich flavors or sweet/savory combinations (chinese food?), but really, I could drink a whole bottle of this stuff by itself.

Get it while it lasts. I would expect to find it anywhere with a halfway decent wine selection, including Spec's, Twin, and maybe even the nice HEB on 41st. St. If you're hankerin' to taste the truly phenomenal 2007 vintage, my wine bar, Cork and Co., happens to be one of the last places in town you can find it. How 'bout that?

Red Wine Reduction Sauce for Grilled Stuff

One of my favorite dishes growing up was steak with a red wine reduction sauce that my dad used to make. I always thought it was divine, until I tried to make it myself. Then I realized that it's not only divine, but exacting. You have to use the right kind of wine, and watch it carefully, so as not to scorch the sauce, rendering it smoky and bitter.

This is fantastic with beef, pork, or grilled portabella mushrooms (which is what I'm having tonight).

You're gonna need:

1/2 a bottle of cheap california cabernet, the fruitier the better, watch out for oaky or smoky cabs, these can ruin the sauce.

1 cup of port wine, the cheaper the better, Aussie ports are pretty good and cheap

3 large sprigs of rosemary

1 large shallot, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a pan, and toss in the shallots, frying them until brown and aromatic, about 4-5 minutes.

Pour in all the wine, and heat until simmering

toss in the rosemary

Reduce over low heat for about 1 hour, or until all of the alcohol and most of the water has been boiled away.

Taste your sauce. If it's too bitter, add more port. Be generous. Reduce further. Eventually, your nearly 1 bottle of wine will result in about 2-3 ounces of sauce. That's why you get the cheap stuff.

Towards the end, make sure to stir continuously and lower the heat to just barely bubbling, as the thick sauce will stick to the pan and scorch.

You can strain out the rosemary and shallot if you like, but it's easier to accomplish before the sauce is thick. The flavors and essences will remain, though.

If, in the end, the sauce still has an excessively bitter taste (the result of oaky or tannic cabernet), a little sugar and salt will help. Don't over sweeten, though. This is supposed to fairly savory.

Spoon a small amount of sauce onto the dish of your choice (a little goes a long way), and revel in your french-chef-awesomeness.

Bon Appetit!

Awesome Veggie "Chicken" Nuggets

I really hate the title of this post. I'm not trying to fool anyone, there was no chicken in the food I made tonight. But if I say "TVP Nuggets," this dish doesn't sound appetizing at all!

Texturized vegetable protein, or TVP, is a meat substitute that I've recently become acquainted with. A student first mentioned how wonderful it is, and then MikeDub brought me lunch one day at work from Veggie Heaven. Not knowing where the lunch had come from, I actually CALLED him concerned I'd received pork by mistake!

TVP is dry, and can be bought in the bulk food section of HEB. The nice thing is, it really takes up the flavor of whatever you cook it with. Well, tonight was my first night cooking with this type of protein and I am really impressed. I based this recipe off of a chicken dish that I make that's really popular with my friends. (It's a pan-cooked chicken recipe from Kapes' momma's kitchen, actually.) I made the mediallions small (don't be fooled by the picture—they're on a mini plate), as I was having trouble with the nugget falling apart when I tried to make them bigger. I was happy with the result, and I ended up picking them up with my fingers and dipping them in Stubb's BBQ sauce.

Veggie Nuggets

Nuggets
3/4 cup water
1 cup TVP
1 egg
Salt and pepper
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion flakes (or powder, I only had flakes in the pantry)
Accent to taste (cause MSG is awesome and tasty! Although MSG has a bad rap, my analysis of the studies makes me believe it is truly OK for humans. Just use more salt if you have a hang up with MSG and don't complain about your blood pressure...)

Breading
2 tbsp. rolled oats
2 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. cornmeal

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a frying pan. Mix all of the dry seasonings with the TVP and then add the water (boiling). Mix well, and then stir in the egg. Shape the TVP mixture into nuggets (I used my hand and a tablespoon). Drop into the breading mixture and coat on both sides. Pick up the nugget with the spoon and transfer it to the pan with olive oil. Cook each side until browned (I had to add a bit extra olive oil when I flipped the nuggets). Serve with BBQ sauce.

This place started it all: Somnio's Cafe (1807 South First St.)

I've been failing at eating out lately. I can be pretty picky, but I've honestly just had a few bad restaurant experiences since going veggie. When I told MikeDub I'd take him to dinner tonight, I hadn't a clue where to go, but I knew I didn't want thai. I asked him about vegetarian restaurants, and he rattled off of few... but when he mentioned Somnio's (not vegetarian, but veggie-friendly featuring local produce and free range animals) I was all in.

Somnio's in the reason I started my food blog. Check out the original meat-inspired post here. Tonight was extra special, as the awesome waitress Jenny asked me if I came here often. I told her yes, and that it was this restaurant that had inspired Eating Up Austin. To my delight, she told the owner, and he came out to meet us. He's a chemical engineer who was tired of the lack of jobs in Austin and always loved to cook, so he opened Somnio's. Very cool.

For me, it was the "crazy crispy medallions" with eggplant. This dish featured breaded eggplant topped with crispy buckwheat noodles that were shaped into crazy little swirls. It looked awesome and tasted even better. Before the vegetable kick, I tried this same dish, but with pork tenderloin. Also amazing. Because entrees at Somnio's come with any salad on the menu, I had the bud, which is filled with yellow beets, garbanzo beans, and pecans. I've not tried another salad yet at Somnio's, as I'm obsessed with this one. You always get a choice of (ever-changing) side with the entree as well. Tonight I had the green pepper stuffed with butternut squash and lightly breaded, and it was exquisite.

Somnio's is great. Amazing food, local grown, neat atmosphere, good people. A testament to the great vibe of this place is what happened just as we were leaving. Our rad waitress that I mentioned earlier, Jenny, came running to the parking lot with our forgotten leftovers (and I must mention that Somnio's uses paper boxes instead of styrofoam).

Two thumbs up, five stars. Seriously, why are you still sitting there—go experience it for yourself already!

New Things I Enjoy

1. Dr. Praegers Spinach Pancakes: Found these in the Oltorf HEB in the little health foods frozen section. If you live Southwest, this HEB's little fancy food section has its own freezer, so don't miss out on the delights back there. I pop these in the toaster oven for about 20 minutes and they come out with a potato pancake consistency and amazing flavor. Absolutely delicious! Dr. Praegers incidentally makes a frozen potato pancake, and some other varieties.

2. Tofutti Cuties: I got the mint chocolate chip variant of these dairy-free "ice cream sandwiches." I wasn't sure what to expect, but when I went to grab my first and saw that MikeDub had already eaten three I knew they'd be pretty good. I think I still prefer Haagen Daas vanilla yogurt swirled with raspberry sorbet, but this was a neat alternative.

3. Failing at making Indian food. Trying to figure out how to do it right...

Quiche!

There is nothing healthy about quiche, except maybe the veggies you put into it. But every now and again I cannot resist pouring eggs, cream, and cheese into a ready made pie crust and indulging! Another dangerous fact about quiche is just how easy they are to throw together.

All a quiche is is eggs, cream, and cheese. For one pie, I use 4 eggs. The cream:cheese ratio is variable; you can use 2 cups of cheese and 1 cup of half and half, OR 1 cup of cheese and 1.5–2 cups half and half. Pick your poision ;) Cheesy, creamy delicious poison...

Always steam the veggies a little bit first. Leave them nice and firm—the whole thing is going to cook for about an hour anyhow.

Here's the recipe that I tried today:

4 eggs
1 cup half and half
2 cups shredded swiss cheese
steamed mushrooms and broccoli (firm)
salt and pepper
frozen pie crust

Beat the eggs and half and half and then pour into the pie crust. Add about 3/4 of the cheese and drop in vegetables. Cover with the remaining cheese and bake on 400 ºF for 1–1.25 hours. Quiche is done when knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Simply Beans

What I love about making pinto beans is how simple it is! I never soak my beans; I prefer to cook them for hours like a soup, simmering them so they soak up all the taste of the vegetables.  So how to we make these simple beans?

Place beans in a large pot with ample water (they will swell as they cook; you may need to add more water the first time you do this, just keep an eye on them). Add the following into the pot:

6 whole garlic gloves
1 whole small onion
1–2 whole jalepenos
salt, pepper, garlic powder

And if you're not eating vegetarian, add in about 3 strips of bacon! This adds great flavor!

Bring to a boil, and then cover and simmer until beans are soft (about 2–3 hours). Remove all of the whole vegetables (the flavor will be cooked into the beans, and no one wants to munch a whole onion). After I remove the veges, I sometimes add in chopped cilantro. Adding it at the end helps keep it green and fresh-looking.

If using bacon, remove the bacon, and remove all of the fat. Cut the meaty parts into bits and put back in the beans.

Serve whole, mashed, refried, on breakfast tacos, mixed with rice...

Midnight Snack: French Fries and Ranch Veges

Last night, MikeDub and I were ravenous. To put it quite frankly, I wanted crap. Fried, greasy, bad for me crap. (I've been quite hungry between meals and just wanted to feel really full.) If I weren't eating vegetarian, it probably would have been really nasty heavy and impeded my sleep last night. However, what we threw together was both satisfying and didn't ruin my evening.

Olive oil-fried pomme frites:

First, I heated up a pan of olive oil (do not exceed medium high, or the oil will get too hot—you'll notice a change in smell), and tossed in some thinly sliced potato strips. Once they brown, use tongs and flip them over to brown the other side.

Blanched veges for dippin':

I then began a very large pot of water boiling to blanch some veges. Get the water to a rolling boil and put the veges in briefly. I added carrots, after one minute added cauliflower, then after one more minute added broccoli. I allowed everything to boil one additional minute, and then ran the vegetables under cold water. This just takes away a little of the hardness without taking away all of the freshness. Served up with a side of ranch, it tasted so good it felt bad for us. But it really wasn't!

5 minute Tofu Lunch

No photos here, just a quick and dirty recipe. This tofu came out super tasty, and quite savory, with just enough spice to keep you coming back for more.

Chinese Sauteed Tofu

1 package tofu

1 tablespoon soybean paste (miso)

1 tablespoon chinese hot mustard

1/2 teaspoon chinese 5 spice blend (usually available widely, has cinnamon, ginger, clove, fennel, white pepper)

1/2 tablespoon veggie oil

Slice the tofu into 1/2 thick slices, they should be wide and flat.

Combine miso, mustard and chinese spice in a bowl, and stir until blended.

Coat the tofu strips in the paste.

Heat the oil in a small saucepan, and fry the tofu on high for 2-3 minutes per side, until the paste begins to carbonize.

Remove from the pan and serve immediately.

Serves 2.

This went great with a light salad. I made a really easy asian salad dressing as follows.

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 tablespoon sweet chili sauce

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon rice wine

Mix 'em up and put it on your salad. Enjoy!

Nutrition 101: Calcium

A mere Google search of 'nutrients vegetarians lack' returned me surprising results. Well, I knew protein was a big one, hence the grocery trip that filled my kitchen with tofu, various beans, and nuts. What I didn't know was that calcium is also a difficult nutrient to obtain from a vegetarian diet. Foods like spinach and swiss chard, although high in calcium, also contain oxalic acid—which actually inhibits the uptake of calcium.

Interestingly, calcium oxalate (the product that forms when the calcium combines with oxalic acid and does not get taken up by your body) is a major component of urinary stones. So when searching for which  foods high in oxalates, you come across a lot of sites dedicated to the prevention of urinary stones. But beware! There's a whole lot of crap out there; one site posted so many foods with oxalates, you'd think you should never eat again for fear of keeling immediately over with osteoporosis.

What I've gathered from my searches is that high oxalate foods should not be consumed as a primary source of calcium. Although some sites encourage the elimination of these foods all together, I'm not sure if I'm sold on that point of view. Although soy also contains a great deal of oxalates, tofu is fortified with extra calcium to help with uptake.

So the solution? Go make my tofu fried rice... Or MikeDub's "Quick and Easy Thai" Soup!

Quick and Easy Thai

Tonight, I decided to whip together something simple and fresh: Stir-fry and Thai Coconut soup. Delicious. The last few days of cooking have cemented for me that a month of going vegetarian is going to be not only easy, but rewarding and delectable.

Anything that looks unfamiliar on the ingredients list should still be available at most decent grocery stores, even most of the HEB's here in Austin. If that fails, a trip to an asian grocery is always fun and enlightening, and is something that I would recommend, particularly because their prices tend to be much lower for many of the "specialty" items that constitute much of asian cuisine.

Asian Veggie Stir-Fry

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 in. piece of ginger, minced

1 large portabella mushroom cap, cut into large chunks

2 carrots, cut into long strips

1 small head of broccoli, cut into large chunks

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon fish sauce (vegetarian fish sauce is available, if fermented fish corpse isn't your thing. In a pinch, substitute more soy sauce)

1 1 /2 tablespoons black bean sauce

2 tablespoons veggie oil

Heat the veggie oil in a large, deep skillet or wok. Add the garlic and ginger and fry until golden brown and aromatic. Add onions, carrots, broccoli, and portabella. Stir fry on high for 3 minutes. Add soy sauce, fish sauce, and black bean sauce. Continue to stir-fry for 3-5 more minutes, or until the vegetables are as tender as you prefer. Serve over steamed jasmine rice.

Thai Coconut Soup

1/2 stalk of lemongrass, chopped finely

1/4 in piece of ginger, sliced finely

1 serrano chili pepper, sliced finely

1 can of coconut milk

1/2 package of tofu, cut into small cubes.

5 tablespoons fish sauce (a vegetable stock or veggie bullion and a little water make a nice sub)

1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar

juice of 3 limes

cilantro to garnish

Heat half the coconut milk in a pot with the ginger, lemongrass and chili. As it begins to boil, add the tofu, fish sauce, remaining coconut milk and sugar. Heat this again just until it begins to boil. Add lime juice, and serve immediately. Garnish with cilantro.

While fish sauce is not vegetarian, it's an essential element in thai cooking, though the substitutes work quite well. However, I can't quite seem to quit the stuff, despite my September vow, and have rationalized myself into believing that I am still doing just fine with this whole vegetarian thing. After all, how could a liquid be meat?

Tofu Fried Rice

Tofu
Vegetable Oil
Cooked rice (leftover rice is perfect for this!)
2 Eggs (optional)
Green onions, chopped fine
Salt (optional, to taste)
Veges - be creative! Personally I like to use scallions and carrots (sliced thin with the peeler), and this time I added in baby corn and mushrooms. Try something new and comment–I'm always looking for ideas

1. Heat about a half tbsp. of vege oil on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the eggs and stir so that they're almost scrambled. Remove the eggs and set aside.

2. Brown the tofu on all sides (you may need to add about 1 tbsp. oil). There are some good pics of this in MikeDub's pad thai post. He's the one that sold me on tofu by cooking it up this way.

3. Remove the tofu and set aside (I put it in the same bowl as the egg).

4. Add about 1 more tbsp. oil to the pan and fry the rice. Put in the vegetables (except the green onion). Stir on medium to medium-high heat, until rice just begins to brown and vegetables are tender.

5. Add the tofu and egg back in to warm, stirring frequently. During the last minute of cooking, add the green onion.

Veggin' out...

My Dear Food Blog Readers,

I just noticed how long it had been since my last post, so you may think that the title of this blog post is referring to my slacking. However, that is far from the truth, and those of you that know me personally realize that a PhD and my cousin's wedding had a great deal to do with the lack of blogging.

But with all things taken care of now, we're back! And we're making a point. For the month of September MikeDub and I will become primarily herbivores. We intend to have "fishy Fridays," so we're not giving up meat entirely, but we'd like to make the effort in order to experience what it is like to be vegetarian, introduce (and dream up) a whole new lot of recipes, and find the tastiest, most vegetarian-friendly restaurants in Austin. We'd also noticed that many vegetarian restaurants here douse their meals in cheese. Hey, I'm not saying that cheese isn't delicious–I could pull the Cracker Barrel extra sharp out of the fridge right now and probably finish off the entire stick before finishing the post. Without crackers.

But I digress, and the point really is that vegetarians are often faced with unhealthy menu choices to "make up" for the meat and to fill you up. We intend to do our research, determine which nutrients are difficult to obtain or absorb when adopting a vegetarian diet (there goes the scientist in me), and dream up tasty, well-balanced recipes that will hopefully not leave us unsatisfied.

A couple meaty posts will probably slip in here; although I've not been blogging, that doesn't mean I don't take pictures of practically everything I eat still! I'll still want to do a mini-review of a newish item at Z-Tejas, and put up the recipe for MikeDub's slow-cooked thai pork tenderloin (which I'm about to go demolish the leftovers of before September hits). And if you're not so into the meatless cooking, don't stop reading as we'll post awesome pescatarian recipes for Fishy Fridays.

Some of the contents of Sunday's two hour shopping trip are pictured above. Of course on the right, we have the obligatory array of vegetables and fruits. I'd like to highlight a couple of items that are available at most HEBs and many health food stores that I thought would be a must for me goin veggie.

Amy's Frozen Dinners – I've been obsessed with these things even as a carnivore. These frozen dinners are all vegetarian and absolutely great (the tofu-containing meals a little pricier, but fill you up well). I've been eating Amy's Indian (in particular, the mattar paneer) for years, and it's honestly better than at a couple of Indian restaurants I've visited. The tofu scramble is just under $6, and with a small snack makes for a very filling lunch. The mexican dinners are also very good. The Santa Fe enchilada bowl is my favorite, and rings in at a mere $2.88.

Central Market Frozen Pizzas – This is the best frozen pizza out there, and they're available for $4.99 at both HEB and Central Market. The vegetables are excellent on these pizzas; the olive pizza has both black and green olives. The sicilian onion pizza has artichoke chunks and capers. My absolute favorite is still the goat cheese and spinach.

Bulk Foods – no better way than to get the nuts and seeds you'll need for protein for a reasonable price. MikeDub and I are addicted to the Sunridge energy power mix, which provides nuts (including soy nuts) that will become critical for our protein intake. I'm also addicted to the dry roasted white pumpkin seeds that can be found at most Central Market stores.

Beans – Great source of protein and CHEAP! This trip to the store, I picked up a bag of pinto beans, and although I'd love to go on and point out more great products, I think I will instead go cook...

This week, we will be enjoying tofu-fried rice, pasta with red sauce, and my amazing pinto beans (vegetarian-style). Watch for recipes.

Happy Cooking,

Dr. Kapes

Lucile's Creole Café (400 South Meldrum St. Fort Collins, CO)

OK OK! I know Fort Collins isn't Austin! But I cannot let such an awesome restaurant as Lucile's go without a review! Plus I've been eating IN quite a bit in Austin lately, due to my fast approaching exam, and I have the urge to talk about a great place to eat out!

Lucile's has great atmosphere; it's kind of a small "house-like" establishment with a large porch for outside dining, and it's decorated like something out of, well, New Orleans. The charm is enhanced by the table-crowded dining areas and antique door handles. The napkins have neat little prints on them and look almost like bandanas (look to the right of my plate in the photo). Very, very cool.

This restaurant appropriately features coffee and beignets, but it is their breakfast choices that are simply out of this world. I had the Eggs New Orleans, "Fried eggplant slices with creole sauce, poached eggs and hollandaise. Served with grits or potatoes and a biscuit." With all of the breakfast tacos I consume, it was amazing to enjoy something new and interesting. The biscuit was absolutely fantastic; I've never had a fluffy biscuit with such a perfect crisp on the top like this before. A good dousing of their strawberry rhubarb jam made that biscuit irresistible. The creole sauce was quite good, though I found it to overpower the egg and hollandaise just a bit. The fried eggplant made my morning; who would have ever thought to top slices of fried eggplant with eggs?! Maybe it's a creole thing... Whatever it is, I'm sold. Brunch at Lucile's was awesome, and if you're ever in Colorado, you should really check this place out. They have four locations, so anywhere you travel in this glorious, mountainous state, you should be able to enjoy a tasty creole brunch.

Encounters with Louis XIII at the Stanley Hotel

You may be wondering how I came to be sipping on a $150 glass of Cognac earlier today. The answer is: funny, funny story.

While visiting my dear friend, Tatyana, in Fort Collins, Colorado this weekend, our love of the outdoors brought us to Estes Park. The Stanley hotel is located here; the Overlook Hotel in the Stephen King novel The Shining is based on this particular inn. Tatyana insisted that we stop in for a look around. There was a tour going on while we were there; however, we elected to give ourselves the "self tour" which ultimately led us to the decadent bar.



The barroom was gorgeous, and we decided there was no way we could avoid stopping in for a refreshing beverage before our hike. We sat down beside two average joe's at the bar, and contemplated what to order. Tatyana said something about beer, but I felt that this tavern was a bit too exquisite to settle for our usual beverage. Given our newfound discovery of our mutual love of Cognac, this would have to be the beverage of our choosing.

We looked at the menu, and Tatyana commented, "how difficult is it to put prices on the menu?" At that point, the two fellas next to us told us we ought to just order the Louis XIII. We asked if it was good, and they told us they'd been drinking it all day. Had a hint of sarcasm been noted in their voices, we may have caught on.

But we simply. didn't. know.

We ordered it up, and the bartender said, "really?" He claimed to have mentioned the price at this point but that assertion is still a cause for speculation. We would have reconsidered had we known that bottle was worth two thousand dollars... We got the drink, and at that point the cost of the carefully measured shot is revealed to us by our sarcastic neighbors. The look of utter shock on my face as I turned to Tatyana was priceless. She began giggling a nervous laugh...

A lot of things run through your mind when a very expensive mistake is suddenly upon you. I was reeling; so much was going through my mind. I was simultaneously thinking about the fact that this drink cost as much as my plane ticket for the visit,the costs of my imminent move from my present apartment, the statement that Tatyana had made to me in the car about life being so short... Life... So short... Meh, you do only live once. If it hadn't happened this way, we would have lived our whole lives without trying it.

The bartender catches wind that we did not "hear" the price, and he came over to us looking very concerned. We had already come to terms with our purchase by then, and were enjoying our drink with loud laughter at the humor of the situation. He told us that he's only seen old people buy this drink for their retirement, to which Tatyana made a comment about how she's glad she got to drink it while she was still young. The barkeep comped us several beers and a cigar (which we smoked at the summit of our hike), and we laughed all day long about the experience.

Well, this is a food blog after all, so...

Remy Martin's Louis XIII has strong maple syrup on the nose. It is not very sweet, and the complexity of the flavors was unexpected based on the aroma. It is light and smoother than anything I have ever drank. A delightful Cognac.

So was it worth $150? I was unsure of this for most of the day. The fact that this Cognac is about a century old and is aged in barrels that are several hundreds of years old might justify the wallet-flattening price. The handblown crystal bottle is glorious, and the pamphlet that comes with the bottle commends you for purchasing the liquor as if you were indeed a king.

Worth the cost? Probably not, but I'm not really concerned. If today taught me one thing, it is that a neat experience that few people get to have in their lifetime is priceless. (Joking about how some wealthy people probably have never tried it is kinda funny as well, "I bet he's never even had a sip of Louis...") Furthermore, a good laugh and great friendship trumps the evil green any day.

2003 Havens Syrah

The most difficult part of loving wine is finding the ever-elusive $15 bottle that kicks serious ass. Anyone can drop $50 on a bottle of wine, and be certain that it will be, at least, acceptable, but my friends and myself tend to be bargain hunters, to say the least.

To compound the problem, I've gotten into the habit of tasting phenomenal wine every day at work. Much more so than a year ago, I find that most of the modestly-priced bottles I pick up are disappointing in at least one way, if not many.

That's why I was seriously impressed by this 2003 Napa Valley Syrah, from Haven's Cellars ($15 at Spec's in Austin). This is rich, complex syrah, with a meatiness that fades as the wine opens up. On the nose, pepper rushes to the forefront, nearly masking the dried berries and toasted oak that lurk beneath. Over the course of about 2 hours, more complex aromas come to light, ranging from herbs, to musty earth and even cacao and coffee beans.

On the palate, Haven's Syrah is vibrant and long-lasting, with balanced acids that are bright, but never forceful enough to rough up the smooth edges of this easy-going California red. Six years in the bottle have been kind, resulting in a wine that is well-integrated and approachable, without the big, jammy fruit that typically dominates our low-end domestic Syrah production.

This stuff is great. Buy a bottle to bring to a dinner party and wow your friends, or just to enjoy at home. It's only $15, after all.

Naughty Syrah - Reynolds Family Vineyards

Every now and then, I like to blog a bit about a kick-ass wine that I get that's really hard to find. Being a professional has its benefits, namely in the form of free, hard to find vino.

So here she is, the 2003 Reynolds Family Vineyards "Naughty" Syrah, Napa Valley.

This is an intensely saturated syrah, with heavy, leathery fruit on the nose. Complex spices are present, but more apparent on the intense, long finish. The backbone of this Syrah is a firm, bright acidity that makes your mouth water.

I'm a sucker for Syrah. This one isn't from my favorite area, Washington, but has all of the characteristics that make Syrahs the great unsung wines of the west coast. Concentrated, complex, not too heavy or tannic on the palate with the ability to pair with tons of different foods. Naughty Syrah rocked with the soy-glazed tuna we made. 

The best part? Reynolds Family Vineyards only produces this for their wine maker buddies, and members of their wine club. 218 cases in '03, only 118 the year before. Luckily for me, one of my new suppliers has a wine club account. This would probably go for about $40-50 on the shelf, if you could find it, and $60-100 at a restaurant.  

Reynolds also makes a more widely distributed Napa wine, "Persistence" that is incredible.  

Don't let me mislead you, there's very little glamorous about being in the service industry, but this particular gig, like every gig, has its benefits. Juicy, delicious, rare benefits.

Don't trust their Glazed Tuna recipe

Seriously. I googled "glazed tuna steaks", hoping to find some help on whether I should grill, broil or bake my soy-glazed tuna.

The first 5 results are links to an oft-plagiarized recipe for glazed tuna. In the microwave. Microwaved tuna is not exactly what I had in mind, so I decided to whip together a simple glazed tuna recipe for either the grill or for broiling ('cause that's what the good sites said to do), so that you may not be led asunder by the evil culinary villains of the interwebs. 

Glazes are easy. Take one part sweet, one part salty/savory and one part acidic. Reduce. Coat. Cook. That's pretty much it, with lots of room for interpretation and add ons. Here's my brand new Citrus/Soy glaze. 

1/4 cup soy sauce (kikkoman is best)

Juice of one, large, juicy orange

4 tablespoons of brown sugar

3 cloves garlic

1 large shallot

one tablespoon siracha hot sauce (rooster sauce)

1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

splash of veggie oil

Mix everything together except the garlic, veggie oil and shallots. Set aside.

Finely chop your garlic and shallot. Heat veggie oil in a small pan, and fry garlic and shallots until aromatic and browning on the edges. 

Pour in your mixture and reduce over medium heat to about one half of the original volume.

Pour into a small dish and set aside in either the fridge or freezer.

Once this is cool, you can use it to glaze any piece of meat, though a nice sashimi-grade tuna steak would absolutely kill. You can marinate the fish in the glaze for a nice little bit if you like to improve the overall flavor. 

 3 minutes on each side grilling, or broiling. If underdone, add less than a minute to each side and reevaluate. It is easy to overcook tuna. There should still be a nice thick stripe or dark, warm pink or red in the center, like a medium rare steak. Baste constantly with extra glaze on both sides while cooking. Serve with fresh basil to garnish and whatever glaze found its way into the pan on top. 

I made mine with a side of jasmine rice and stir-fried snow peas with just a dash of soy sauce. Delicious!

Bagels

First of all, I apologize for the infrequent posts as of late. Along with finishing up a dissertation, an unfortunate camera incident has lost me about four blog worth of images.

Although I cannot tell you in pictures, I believe a good bagel lends itself better to description anyway. A good bagel should be very dense. When you toast it, you should be able to spread butter across the top without it collecting in little pockets in the bagel. The bagel should be so dense that very few of those pockets exist. The bagel should be chewy; even if toasted to crispness, the inside should remain chewy (unless you've had an unfortunate toaster accident). Finally, said bagel should not be over $4, even when dolled up with an egg and some breakfast meat.

Just to clear it up, there are no good bagel places in Austin. I'm sorry to inform the world of this, and in the event that I have missed something, become a follower and post a comment letting me know. Seriously folks, when Einstein's "bread shaped in an O" takes the "best bagel" on the Austin Chronicle Reader's Poll, there is just something wrong! And the runner up, Panera Bread, although a nice place to eat, to me has always lacked something in the bagel category. Now, when the grocery stores are being chosen behind these two places, that tells me that there ain't much is this lovely town for a bagel addict like myself.

Now, I know this is a long shot, but if you're ever in Bristol, Connecticut, and you would like to know what I mean by a good bagel, check out Fancy Bagels on Scott Swamp Road. Family-owned, and made in the traditional way, their bagels are worth the stop. Perhaps not the flight from Austin, but you never know...

And with these dreamy, dense bagels, you won't be famished by lunchtime. And if you are hungry, why not just have another!
Fancy Bagels doesn't have their own site, but they've been: Yelped

Kapes' Kitchen: Chile Relleno (Much tastier fried!)

Lately, I have been watching my figure... well, expand. With all the tastiness in Austin, and MikeDub's newfound talent for frying up his own Chinese food, it is difficult to maintain any sort of waistline. Before the realization that one of my belts needed a new hole, I had picked up a few poblano peppers to cook up some chile relleno. I was saddened as I noticed them starting to wilt, but didn't have the heart to fry up my dinner in oil. That's when a friend suggested baking them... Looking online, I found a recipe for a relleno casserole! The original recipe is here, however I modified the hell out of it.

I have my own thing going on with the chile relleno, and I've developed my own stuffing. And just to notify y'all that this little white girl has some cred in the area of Mexican cooking, the first time I prepared this dish (fried) my Mexican student told me that it tasted like her mom's. SO THERE! Here I present to you the baked casserole I tried tonight (with pictures) and the fried recipe, just because it's soooo yummy! Happy cooking...

THE INGREDIENTS:
3 Poblano Peppers
1/3 lb. Ground Beef
Red Onion
1 Carrot
1 tsp. Chili powder
Cheddar and/or Jack Cheese (I once found a block at HEB where they were premixed. Soft and crumbly and easy to work with--I believe the brand was Kraft)
4 eggs
Flour
Salt
Pepper
1 Tbsp. Butter (for the baked dish)
Oil for frying (for the fried dish)

There are a few steps to making successful relleno. For both recipes, many of them are the same. The "to do list" includes (1) pepper prep (2) stuffing prep (3) batter (4) baking or frying

PEPPER PREP
Roast the peppers. Place them under the broiler until the skins blister and blacken, rotating so that all sides are blistered. Remove from oven and wrap the peppers in foil. Leave them in the foil to "self-steam" until they're cool enough to handle. Once cooled, slit the pepper down the side and remove most of the seeds. If I forget to bring home latex gloves from work, I wrap my hand in a plastic sandwich bag to remove them. Trust me, these little seeds are spicy! Protect your hands!


STUFFING PREP
I like beef in my relleno. This is not the traditional way to do it, but I love it. Combine the beef with diced red onion, thinly sliced carrot (I prep these with the peeler), chili powder, salt, and pepper. Brown the meat on medium heat. Drain. You may choose to mix the cheese with the meat at this point for more even distribution. Stuff the peppers; be certain that they will close if you intend to fry them.


BATTER PREP
Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Beat the whites until they are fluffy and full of air (see picture). I use a wire wisk, but imagine a hand mixer would revolutionize this process for me. Once the whites are light and fluffy, mix the yolks back into the whites in small portions, while continuing to beating vigorously. I only reintroduce about half of the yolks to try to be healthy.


THE FRIED DISH
Preheat the oil on medium-high heat. Dust the peppers with flour on both sides, and dip generously in the egg mixture. Be certain to get the fluffy mixture into the slit; it will help it to seal back up. Using a spoon (so you don't burn yourself), transfer the pepper into the heated oil. I like to begin slit-side down; I think it seals them up better. Fry until the egg just begins to brown. Rotate the pepper and fry the other side. Transfer to a paper towel to drain and cool.

THE BAKED DISH
Grease (I used Pam) a shallow ~8 x 8 baking dish and place the peppers in the dish. Add the butter (melted, but not hot) to your egg mixture and pour it over the relleno. Bake for 18 min on 375 º or until egg mixture sets. I did not do this, and I'm not sure if it would ruin the fluffyness, but I think the egg mixture would taste better with some salt added to it.

Clay Pit (1601 Guadalupe St.)

This may look like an ordinary glass of prosecco, however, I assure you, it is far from ordinary. I actually have no idea what brand of prosecco they served me in this glass at the Clay Pit, however that is completely inconsequential. What makes this prosecco so special is the fact that, just prior to pouring it, they put about a tablespoon of their ginger and chili infused vodka in the glass.

Note for Vodka haters: You will not notice it. I convinced Madam Rawr, who despises vodka, to try this drink with my incessant raving. She ordered her own after one sip.

All of the infused drinks at the Clay Pit are phenomenal. MikeDub once ordered the infused martini. Although delightful to sip, it was just a bit too spicy for me. I would not have been able to drink an entire glass, which is good for him, seeing as his martini did not "disappear" when he took a trip to the restroom.

Ok, back to the food. Now, I've heard some people complain that the Clay Pit is not "authentic enough" Indian food. Never having been to India, I am not qualified to comment on this. The thing that I can say, is that Clay Pit has its own thing going on, and that thing is good.

There is a decent lunch buffet, generally with four entree choices, one of which is always the tandoori chicken. They serve complementary naan with lunch, which is a nice feature. Having eaten at many Indian buffets, I can say I am not overly impressed with the Clay Pit's, however it doesn't stop me from eating the buffet once every couple of months or so.

Since I only blog about restaurants I think are worth trying, I don't wish to sit here and bitch about the buffet being average. I want to tell you what keeps me coming back (aside from infused drinks)! First of all, the curry crab cakes are phenomenal. I try crab cakes everywhere, and these are my favorite in Austin. Although they are bready, and I do prefer lump crabmeat, the spices make this crab cake exquisite. On the evening that is pictured here, I enjoyed the lamb korma. The lamb is always so tender, and no matter which of the signatures sauces you choose to put on it, it is exquisite. I particularly enjoy the fact that you may choose the level of spiciness of your dish: mild, medium, hot, or desi. Madam Rawr had jeera saag paneer, which was good, but not exquisite in my opinion. I relish the Khuroos-E-Tursh, spinach and vegetable stuffed chicken medallions in a in a cashew-almond cream sauce. The Lamb Roganjosh is also one of my all-time favorites at the Clay Pit.


If you're looking for romance, there is a unique basement dining area with tables of two for that special occasion. The basement is the remnants of a tunnel that led from this historic Austin building that was once a general store (built ca. 1880) to the brothel next door. You can read about the historic, and supposedly haunted Bertram building.

And visit the Clay Pit's website here.

Kapes' Kitchen: Ultimate Salmon Tacos

Friday night, MikeDub and I were called in to cook for a couple of friends. One of our nearest and dearest is 9 months pregnant, and needed a break from culinary duties. We relished this opportunity; this couple has an amazing kitchen, and let me tell you, standing on opposite sides of an island sure beats wondering if you're going to lose a limb when your partner walks through the kitchen with a knife.

I called ahead, a good tip for when you're cooking for someone new, or someone who may have special needs. I inquired if my pregnant friend was OK with salmon. Due to the mercury content of fish in our increasingly toxic environment, consumption should be limited. During pregnancy, this is especially important. Well, salmon just happens to be our friend's favorite fish, and it is the one maritime friend that she will make the exception for (fortunately, it is also a "lower mercury" choice).

I've been working to perfect this dish for six months, since the night I dreamed it up based on some random items in the fridge.  I think it is close to perfect, but you should leave suggestions if you come up with something better, or have a favorite twist on it.  The "secret" of this dish is developing the toppings to suit your taste. Nearly all of the prep can be done ahead of time, making this an outstanding choice for a dinner party dish. Just prior to serving, the fish should be prepared, along with as many tortillas as needed. Remember, making tortillas for a few guests does take a bit of time. I recommend starting the tortillas a few minutes prior to cooking the fish. Having two pans for tortillas isn't a bad idea if you have a full house.

All of the crucial ingredients are pictured here, except for the avocado (dad-to-be had to grab those on his trip home):

ULTIMATE SALMON FISH TACOS

Slaw
1/4 of a purple cabbage, shaved thin
2 large carrots, shaved thinly with a peeler
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons of lime juice
pepper to taste
2 scallions (green onions), chopped

Combine everything but the scallions. Using a spoon, stir the mixture until the cabbage is coated with the oil and vinegar. When preparing the slaw ahead of time, stir well just before serving. I like to top with the scallions last minute; it makes it look fancy :)  May be prepared the night before.

Pico De Gallo
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 small white onion, diced
1 jalapeño pepper. diced finely
1 bunch of cilantro, stems removed, chopped finely
juice of 1 lime
salt

Combine all ingredients and stir well.

Roasted Red Pepper Salsa
One jar of your favorite salsa (HEB roasted salsa is the best!
One roasted red pepper (you can buy these in a jar, or make your own)

I just throw everything in a blender and hit pulse a few times.  

Fixin's
one large avocado, sliced and sprinkled with lime juice (mandatory, unless you are allergic to avocado)
sour cream (optional)
hot peppers, or other spicy stuff
whatever else you like to put on tacos...

ALL OF THE ABOVE MAY BE PREPARED AHEAD OF TIME

Fish and Tortillas
1 to 1-1/2 lbs. of super-fresh, wild caught salmon: Just under a pound serves two with leftovers, and just over a pound served five of us (if you include baby-on-the-way)
olive oil for brushing, salt and pepper
raw flour tortillas (HEB shoppers: get Guerrero tortillas [pictured], which can be found in the bread aisle. You should not be using anything else for flour tortillas.)

The salmon can be cooked either on the stove or in the oven.  When cooking for just MikeDub and I, I like to do stove top.  In this TX heat, it's much more convenient not to turn on the oven. 

Stove Top: Place fish skin-side down in a saucepan and add just enough water to steam. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Top the salmon with limes, cilantro, onions, etc. (Personally, I like the flavor cilantro gives the fish–add this during the final couple minutes of cooking so that it doesn't wilt.)  Heat the water to boiling on medium high heat.  Simmer, covered, on medium to medium–low heat for about 10-15 minutes.  When the white lines in the fish just start to run, the fish should be done.  It should be flaky in the center; check with a fork.

Oven: Preheat oven to 400 ºF.  Place salmon skin-side down on the baking sheet (for easier cleaning cover with foil).  Brush the fish lightly with oil, and then top with vegetables or spices (see above).  Check the fish after 10 min of cooking (just over a pound of fish took 15 minutes).  Check for doneness as described above.  

Catfish Beignets! (A review of Z' Tejas)

Apparently, Z' Tejas is not just a Tejas thing... There are locations in California, Utah, Arizona, and Washington as well. This was brought to my attention recently, as my best friend (and fellow Z' aficionado) got me a gift certificate online and it came to me from Phoenix. I recommend the gift certificate highly, as you can send it remotely (my friend sent mine from North Carolina), and it even comes with a personalized message! Very nice.

Z' Tejas is an excellent chain, and I've been addicted to this restaurant since the first time I visited. And it's all because of the catfish beignets.

My first Z' experience was at the Arboretum, and to be quite frank, I didn't like my dinner that night. I had ordered the wild mushroom enchiladas.  Come to find out, this is the only item on the menu that I've tried that I actually dislike.  (Proof that you should never write off a place based on a single tasting.) The complementary cornbread that they serve was quite excellent, however, and I was sold on the beignet appetizer. Cornmeal-crusted bits of flaky catfish served with a chipotle mayo. *Eyes roll into back of head.*

This past Saturday, I got all of my favorites, including a $3.50 brunch special mimosa... You've gotta live it up when lunch is on someone else's dime! As a tribute to my best friend, I ate his favorite dish: the smoked chicken chile relleno. One of my favorite relleno's of all time, this chile is packed with savory chicken, pecans, apricots, and raisins. I was skeptical when I read the description for the first time, but the dried fruits make this dish! MikeDub had the chicken fried rib eye for lunch, which I stole generous portions of while he was in the restroom. I guess the secret's out now...


The thing about Z' is that pretty much everything they make they make well. Whether it's a traditional American or Mexican dish, it has it's own Z' flair, and that flair is what keeps me coming back: some of the dishes here I just can't make better at home.

Lunch included one beer, one mimosa, appetizer, relleno, and steak for $39.60. This number is significant, as the gift certificate was for $40. Talk about making the most of things! 

The two locations I have visited are the West 6th St. location, and the Arboretum (Visit the sites by clicking the hot links.) The downtown location definitely has that "Austin-y" feel to it, while the one up north seems a little more elegant. Both have incredibly nice outdoor seating, and the Arboretum patio has a hill country view. Both spots come highly recommended by me!

I'm providing a list of my top 5 dishes (in order) for your dining pleasure. Enjoy!

Kapes' must try list
1. Grilled Chipotle Beef Tenderloin (I love to add the crab meat, although MikeDub doesn't believe it adds much.)
2. Catfish Beignets
3. Smoked Chicken Chile Relleno
4. Chicken, Artichoke & Mushroom Stack (so incredibly good; better than the description can express)
5. Grilled Miso Salmon