Food For A Better Life

Moosewood Restaurant New Classics (c. 2001) by Clarkson Potter/Publishers contains 350 recipes that run the gambit from breakfast to desserts & contain some fish/seafood recipes (i.e. Scallop Chowder p. 84), even though the restaurant was known as a vegetarian haven @ 215 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca, NY (607-273-9610) email: www.moosewoodrestaurant.com, at one time when Mollie Katzen first introduced us to it in her cookbook. There are a number of people (18) who contributed the recipes that make up this Moosewood collection. The plethora of recipes have mostly everyday ingredients that can easily be found & contain a lot of ethic cuisines, Thai to Italian.  About 500 pages w/ pictures & a variety of tips from food allergies to using left-overs, it is an extensive cookbook.  For the Breakfast & Brunch section, I tried the Cherry Whole Wheat Scones (p. 38), this is an eggy/cinnamony-sweet scone, they were good.  For Soups I tried the Minimalist Miso Soup (p.64).  They didn’t specify what type of miso to use - there is white, red, & dark.  I used white as it is the mildest of the 3.  Making the Dashi takes up most of the time & really should let soak 30 minutes, though it says 10 - 15.  It’s good if you are a miso soup person.  For Salads, it was Shredded Carrot Salads w/ Horseradish Vinaigrette (p. 111).  I am not a horseradish fan, but this was pretty good.  I used julienned carrots instead.  For Side Vegetables, it was Roasted Carmelized Balsamic Onions (p. 125).  At 450 degrees, my onions were scorched, so I reduced the heat, & they were falling apart after 20 minutes, so I didn’t cook them any longer.  The outer layers were burnt, as was the sauce, so not so good.  For Grains, it was Risotto-styled Barley (p. 143).  It was chewy, creamy, & sort of meaty - delicious.  For Wraps, Rolls, Sandwiches, & Burgers, I tried Indian Curried Potato Wrap (p. 160) - good.  For Drinks & Snacks, it was the Southwestern Flavored Popcorn (p.217), it was subtle, but the flavors came out more as the popcorn sat.  Might be more tasty if some butter was added to moisten the popcorn & allow the flavor to stick to it, instead of resting at the bottom of the bowl.  For The Lighter Side, it was the Pad Thai (p. 252) - good.  For Casseroles & Other Baked Dishes, it was the Breaded Polenta Cutlets (p. 282) - ok, could have been more flavorful, the fennel seeds helped.  Rather messy to make & polenta could have cooled longer than was recommended as it fell apart during breading process.  For Sautes, Stews, Skillet Beans & Hashes, it was Black Bean & Sweet Potato Hash (p. 319)- good.  For Showstoppers, it was the Caramelized Onions & Parmesan Cheese (p. 341) - so-so.  The parmesan cheese really doesn’t melt, it just gets crusty.  For Salsas, Sauces & Seasonings, it was Miso Lemon Marinade (p. 378) - good.  For Breads, it was Pumpkin Cornmeal Biscuits (p. 399) - ok.  They were a bit tough on edges, good in middle.  And for Desserts, it was Apple Quesadillas (p. 428) - good.  A rather simple, yet tasty idea.

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Filed by The Culinary Questor at 5:42 am under book review
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Fang & I went to Old Chicago at 3550 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Lakewood, CO; Phone: (303) 988-3414; Fax: 303-988-0277.  We were seated & Fang ordered a gingerale ($2.29) & I a Guinnese ($5.29).  We each had the house salad to start ($2.49).  I had the Mushroom & Spinach Lasagna ($9.99), Fang had the “Chicago Seven” calzone ($9.59).  Service was average, portions were large, food was good.

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Filed by The Culinary Questor at 3:53 pm under restaurant critique
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The Basics by Filip Verheyden (copyright 2007), priced at $29.95, is an interesting little black book of 320 pages w/ gilded edges & colorful pictures by Tony Le Duc. This book is intended from someone wanting to know the basics of french cooking & other basics.  A great gift for some starting or thinking about culinary school or that is interested in french techniques of cooking.  A quick read; very user friendly.  A sweet, little book.  A really good basic book to have around as some of the french techinques provided are liaison, brunoise, chiffonade, roux, dauphinoise potatoes, etc.  Some regular basics are a variety of stocks, breads, soups, sauces, cooking techniques, desserts, etc.  Attractive & useful, now that’s a cookbook for you.

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Filed by The Culinary Questor at 9:57 am under book review
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water
1 c. dried black-eyed peas
1 carrot, chopped
3 - 4 large shallots, chopped
1/2 t. savory
2 T. soy sauce
1/4 t. pepper
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. dry oatmeal
1/2 c. shelled sunflower seeds
oil for cooking patties

Cook black-eyed peas in water w/ carrot & onion till tender; drain.  Add remaining ingredients, form into patties & fry in oiled skillet.  Options: place all ingredients in a blender to form a smoother consitency; place into loaf pan & bake 1/2 hr @ 375 degrees.

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Filed by The Culinary Questor at 8:41 am under recipe
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Fang & I went to the Outback Steakhouse @ 8601 W. Cross Dr., Littleton, CO, 80122; phone 303-932-0315.  We were given a pager & waited a short while to be seated.  When our server came, I ordered a glass of Boomey Merlot ($5.25), Fang a Coke cola ($2.19).  I got the House salad w/ honey mustard dressing ($4.29) & Fang the French Onion Soup ($4.29), plus the small loaf of bread W/ butter.  For the main course, I got a glass of Opal Shiraz ($5.95), the steamed veggies ($2.49), & sweet potato ($2.29); I didn’t like the brown sugar & cinnamon that was added - next time I’ll known to have it buttered only.  Fang got the Baby Back Ribs which came w/ cinnamon apples & chips ($17.99).  We got another loaf of bread to have w/ our meal.  Service was good, as was the wine - especially the shiraz.
Follow-up:  We went to Outback again, no waiting this time. I ordered a house salad w/ vinegar & oil ($2.49), it had a lot of red onions on it.  Fang got the caesar salad (price included in his meal); we got 2 loafs of bread w/ our meal. Fang had a Fosters draft ($2.25), I had the Boomey Cabernet ($5.30).  For main course, I had the Walhalla Pasta ($14.95) which was ok & Fang had the New York Strip Steak w/ a baked potato ($18.95) which Fang enjoyed.  For dessert, we shared the dessert sampler ($7.95) which had a piece of cheesecake w/ raspberry sauce, a thunder down under sundae, & a new peanut butter pie.  The pie was good except for crust, which was too sweet.  I am nut partial to pecans & the 3 bites I had of the thunder down under all had pecans in it.  The cheese cake was average.  Service has prompt, but a bit confused w/ more than one person handling our service.  When the server came out w/ our main dishes, he put Fang’s food right in my face.  I thought he was going to hit me w/ it.

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Filed by The Culinary Questor at 8:50 am under restaurant critique
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2 1/2 c. cooked turkey pieces
3 T. butter
2 T. flour
1 c. stock
1 c. cream or milk
1/4 c. sherry or wine
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 t. nutmeg
2 oz. jar sliced pimientos, drained
1/3 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 c. sliced mushrooms
1 - 2 T. fresh parsley, chopped
2 t. lemon juice
your favorite cooked pasta (usually served w/ spaghetti)

Saute mushrooms in 1 T. butter w/ lemon juice; set aside.  Make a roux of remaining butter & flour; add stock & bring to boil.  Add cream, sherry, salt, pepper, nutmeg, pimentos, & parmesan.  Mix in mushrooms, parsely, & turkey.  Serve over pasta.

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Filed by The Culinary Questor at 10:33 am under recipe
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1 med. - large eggplant
1/4 c. chopped almonds
1/4 c. chopped pistachios
1/4 c. bread crumbs
1/4 t. dried marjoram
1/8 t. pepper
2 T. fresh chopped parsley
1/4 t. onion powder
1 egg, beaten
1 T. parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Prick eggplant, microwave 5 - 8 min., depending on size.  Let cool for @ least 5 min.  Cut in 1/2 & scoop out some of inside; leave enough on sides to keep the form.  Mash or chop inside of eggplant & mix w/ remaining ingredients.  Stuff eggplant w/ mixture, place in pan & bake 30 - 40 min. 

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Filed by The Culinary Questor at 10:06 pm under recipe
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Olive Garden: Italian Restaurant @ 5380 S. Wadsworth Blvd., Littleton, CO 80123; phone 303-978-0444. Fang & I arrived a little before noon & were given a pager. We waited for a few minutes or so before it went off & we were seated; this seemed strange since the restaurant was relatively empty. After being seated, we were offered wine or other beverages; Fang got the Raspberry Lemonade ($2.60) & I got coffee ($2.25), which tasted like a popular store brand & came in a stainless steel carafe. We perused the menu & after the first time we were asked if we were ready & said no, it took quite a bit of time for our waiter to return. I put the menu on the corner of the table to cue the server. So around 12:30, I ordered the Capelline Pomodoro w/ a bowl of Minestrone ($9.95) & Fang got the Seafood Alfredo ($14.75) w/ a caesar salad that was an additional cost ($2.50), though the menu states bread sticks & choice of soup or salad w/ entree; that was misleading. The server brought out the bread sticks (3 - weird # for 2 people), soup, & salad after 10 - 15 minutes. The caesar salad had large chucks of parmesan & Fang got additional cheese on it from the waiter, as did I for my minestrone. The minestrone was a bit watery, but tasty. I like the flat Italian green beans in it. The bread sticks tasted as they were seasoned w/ garlic salt. Another server brought out our entrees, which were large & we had extra cheese added. Fang enjoyed the Alfredo, which had small shrimps & baby scallops, & I thought the Pomodoro was okay - it was very saucy & a bit overly sweet, like sugar was added to it. For dessert, I ordered Tiramisu ($5.35), which was classically delicious. We received 2 chocolate mints w/ the bill. They service could have been better; more prompt & attentive about refills. We left @ 1:30 pm & the place was packed at that time, w/ large over-flow waiting to be seated.

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Filed by The Culinary Questor at 1:22 pm under restaurant critique
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2 t. baking powder
½ c. dry oatmeal
¼ c. whole wheat flour
½ c. unbleached flour
¼ t. salt
1 egg, beaten
1 T. melted butter
1 c. soy or cow milk
½ c. cooked pumpkin
½ t. pumpkin pie spice

Mix together dry ingredients in one bowl; mix together wet ingredients in another bowl; blend together.  Heat fry pan or griddle, lightly grease & cook pancake batter in about ¼ c. portions for standard size pancakes.

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Filed by The Culinary Questor at 9:21 am under recipe
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The Shoshoni Cookbook: Vegetarian Recipes from the Shoshoni Yoga Retreat by Anne Saks & Faith Stone (copyright 1993). It contains 175 recipes that have been used at Shoshoni. The recipes range from Chai (p.195) to Baklava (p. 190) to Lentil Saabar (p. 150) to Mushroom Stroganoff (p. 128) to Ginger-Tamari Sauce (p. 79) to Multi-Grain Flapjacks (p. 27). It retails for $14.95. The few recipes I pulled out and tried were the Chai (p. 195), the Pumpkin & Green Pea Curry (p. 131), the Carrot Mint Soup (p. 44), & the Baked Marinated Tofu (p. 106). The thing I liked about the Chai is that is uses tea bags, instead of loose tea, which is more accessible & affordable to the consumer. The thing I didn’t like about it was the use of ground spices instead of whole, as they made a sludge, that even with straining, still occurred. The taste was comparable to what you get in a Indian restaurant and you can substitute the soy milk for regular milk. The Pumpkin & Green Pea Curry was good. Butternut squash can be substituted in the recipe, but I used pumpkin. It is not a spicy-hot curry, but if you taste run in that direction, you can always add a chili pepper while cooking it. The Carrot Mint Soup, I made a slight alteration to get more intense flavor by saute the carrot, onion, & garlic in a little butter before adding the stock. It is imperative you use a good quality stock to get a good soup. It is a pureed soup, but I found that was not necessary. Fresh mint is advisable, instead of dried, as it brings out a light, fresh flavor, plus a colorful garnish to the soup. The Baked Marinated Tofu uses a lot of soy sauce, so I cut back what the recipe said & was still able to achieve a flavorful marinade. The tofu cutlets came out with a bit of crustiness & chewiness.  Somewhat time consuming to make, @ least 1/2 hr. marinating time, plus 50 - 55 minutes baking.

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Filed by The Culinary Questor at 6:49 am under book review
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