Just before the holidays, I bought fresh ginger root for gingerbread cookies. I also used the ginger in this wonderful sesame ginger tofu noodle salad. For the last month, though the ginger root has been sitting on top of the refrigerator with the onions and sweet potatoes. I've been wondering about its state of being, what I could do with it, what I should do with it and then, thankfully, a tip just fell in my lap.
I can freeze the ginger. I can just stick it in a freezer bag and keep it frozen until I need it. I can't believe I didn't think of that sooner. Particularly since I froze some lemon zest (which may or may not be decent by the time I unthaw it).
I shan't mention all the other things I have in my freezer. I generally think you can freeze just about anything. As I need these items, though I will let you know the verdict. Thus far, I know I can give a thumbs up to freezing a big ol' red bell pepper.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Roasted Grapes
I had the pleasure of being invited to Claudia's house for a meal this past week where she served this delicious soup (with a vegetable stock and topped with the saffron yogurt instead of the egg).
Before the soup, Claudia served a delicious salad of arugula drizzled in walnut oil and topped with a few pinches of good (but not very good) salt, capers, and roasted grapes (the other diners also had Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on their salads).
Roasted grapes? Yes, roasted grapes. I'd never had nor even heard of roasted grapes, but I was certainly eager to try them as Claudia has yet to steer me wrong. Delicious. The roasting (and olive oil) changes the flavor and the texture of the grape so that the result is something sweet and savory at the same time. They made an excellent topping for the salad and are used for accompaniments in other dishes as well. So, how to you roast grapes?
Roasted Grapes
•Seedless grapes (Claudia's were red)--depending on how you want to serve them, you may want to remove them from the stem before cooking (it's easier)
•Olive oil
•Kosher or sea salt
Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees. Put the grapes in a roasting pan or on a baking sheet and spritz with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and roast for 15 minutes. If you don't have a oil spritzer, put the grapes in a plastic bag with a couple of teaspoons of oil instead.
As for the salt, I'm not sure exactly what Claudia uses. She keeps her "good" and her "very good" salts in wood salt boxes/cellars and she's mentioned that the good salt was English, I believe. I have a feeling that the very good salt is a Fleur de Sel. I need to check that out.
Before the soup, Claudia served a delicious salad of arugula drizzled in walnut oil and topped with a few pinches of good (but not very good) salt, capers, and roasted grapes (the other diners also had Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on their salads).
Roasted grapes? Yes, roasted grapes. I'd never had nor even heard of roasted grapes, but I was certainly eager to try them as Claudia has yet to steer me wrong. Delicious. The roasting (and olive oil) changes the flavor and the texture of the grape so that the result is something sweet and savory at the same time. They made an excellent topping for the salad and are used for accompaniments in other dishes as well. So, how to you roast grapes?
Roasted Grapes
•Seedless grapes (Claudia's were red)--depending on how you want to serve them, you may want to remove them from the stem before cooking (it's easier)
•Olive oil
•Kosher or sea salt
Pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees. Put the grapes in a roasting pan or on a baking sheet and spritz with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and roast for 15 minutes. If you don't have a oil spritzer, put the grapes in a plastic bag with a couple of teaspoons of oil instead.
As for the salt, I'm not sure exactly what Claudia uses. She keeps her "good" and her "very good" salts in wood salt boxes/cellars and she's mentioned that the good salt was English, I believe. I have a feeling that the very good salt is a Fleur de Sel. I need to check that out.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
P.F. Chang's
Yeah, yeah, another restaurant. Another, um Chinese restaurant. Just know that had I cooked in the last 24 hours, I would have wanted to cook this. It is reminiscent of the tangerine egg foo yung at Jasmine Chinese/Thai restaurant in Memphis.
Anyhoo, I started out with the spring roll appetizer. Yum. It's really hard to screw up a spring roll though. It's shredded veggies wrapped up and deep fried. Not difficult, but I'll say I enjoyed them. Just so you know.
For an entree, I had a little trouble deciding between the coconut curry vegetables and Buddha's feast stir-fried. The server warned me that the coconut curry was spicy, so I opted for the feast.
The selection of vegetables was pretty good, as you can see from their menu. It was in a light sauce that I augmented with the leftover sweet and sour sauce from the spring rolls. I think I tasted a hint of lemongrass in the oyster sauce, but it could have been some pungent ginger. It was good, but there wasn't a whole lot of the sauce (and what was there didn't have all that much flavor). But the portion of vegetables was large enough that I had a good amount left over (along with some brown rice) for another meal. I added some edamame and some sesame garlic sauce to it and viola!--dinner was uh-served.
The real story here, though is not what I did with the leftovers when I got home. It was what happened between lunch and dinner.
After lunch, there were errands to do. My leftovers sat dutifully in the floorboard of the car, patiently awaiting me in near-freezing temperatures, so I did not worry about them.
When I returned to the car from the first errand, a woman was getting out of her car right next to my door. When she passed and I opened my door, I was met with the most unbelievable foul smell. And I thought to myself (because I spend a lot of time thinking about bowels), "That woman really needs to get to a restroom."
When I got in the car after the second errand, though I smelled that smell again. Shoe checking commenced. No. All clear. Hmm. I noticed that the bag with the leftovers had fallen over, so I checked to make sure the Buddha's feast was not leaking. It wasn't leaking sauce, but it was leaking that awful smell. How could this be? It didn't smell in the restaurant! But sure enough, that container was emitting a powerfully, overwhelmingly disgusting smell. That quickly dissipated. So I don't know if it was the sauce, the lone remaining black mushroom, the asparagus, or what. I just know that not only did it smell, but it made me smell. I was informed--in no uncertain terms--that my breath was nearly as bad. And just a couple of hours later, my urine smelled pretty objectionable as well. And I'm not talking about your garden-variety asparagus pee. I'm telling you it smelled like, well, #2 instead of #1. But a #2 created by a constipated meat-eater, not yours truly, of optimal colon health.
Regardless of that, I had the remainder of the feast for dinner (as mentioned above). Luckily, it's just the cat and me, so no one has to endure this stench. But my mouth...yuck. I think I'll spray down with some Chloraseptic or maybe some bleach before I go to bed. Yikes.
Anyhoo, I started out with the spring roll appetizer. Yum. It's really hard to screw up a spring roll though. It's shredded veggies wrapped up and deep fried. Not difficult, but I'll say I enjoyed them. Just so you know.
For an entree, I had a little trouble deciding between the coconut curry vegetables and Buddha's feast stir-fried. The server warned me that the coconut curry was spicy, so I opted for the feast.
The selection of vegetables was pretty good, as you can see from their menu. It was in a light sauce that I augmented with the leftover sweet and sour sauce from the spring rolls. I think I tasted a hint of lemongrass in the oyster sauce, but it could have been some pungent ginger. It was good, but there wasn't a whole lot of the sauce (and what was there didn't have all that much flavor). But the portion of vegetables was large enough that I had a good amount left over (along with some brown rice) for another meal. I added some edamame and some sesame garlic sauce to it and viola!--dinner was uh-served.
The real story here, though is not what I did with the leftovers when I got home. It was what happened between lunch and dinner.
After lunch, there were errands to do. My leftovers sat dutifully in the floorboard of the car, patiently awaiting me in near-freezing temperatures, so I did not worry about them.
When I returned to the car from the first errand, a woman was getting out of her car right next to my door. When she passed and I opened my door, I was met with the most unbelievable foul smell. And I thought to myself (because I spend a lot of time thinking about bowels), "That woman really needs to get to a restroom."
When I got in the car after the second errand, though I smelled that smell again. Shoe checking commenced. No. All clear. Hmm. I noticed that the bag with the leftovers had fallen over, so I checked to make sure the Buddha's feast was not leaking. It wasn't leaking sauce, but it was leaking that awful smell. How could this be? It didn't smell in the restaurant! But sure enough, that container was emitting a powerfully, overwhelmingly disgusting smell. That quickly dissipated. So I don't know if it was the sauce, the lone remaining black mushroom, the asparagus, or what. I just know that not only did it smell, but it made me smell. I was informed--in no uncertain terms--that my breath was nearly as bad. And just a couple of hours later, my urine smelled pretty objectionable as well. And I'm not talking about your garden-variety asparagus pee. I'm telling you it smelled like, well, #2 instead of #1. But a #2 created by a constipated meat-eater, not yours truly, of optimal colon health.
Regardless of that, I had the remainder of the feast for dinner (as mentioned above). Luckily, it's just the cat and me, so no one has to endure this stench. But my mouth...yuck. I think I'll spray down with some Chloraseptic or maybe some bleach before I go to bed. Yikes.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Fulin's
Yeah, another restaurant review. Though I plan to cook something for dinner tonight; I just don't know what.
But Friday evening, I met Jag after work to hang out a bit before going over to Malia's house for a spa party. I just had a tube put in my left ear that morning, so my only wish was to go somewhere that wasn't loud. We bounced around a few ideas and settled on Fulin's on Old Hickory Boulevard in Brentwood. All I really knew about Fulin's was that it's a favorite of Jack White, who's been frequently seen picking up takeout from there.
At 5:30 on a Friday evening, the place isn't exactly hopping, but the wait staff was ready to get going.
First, a word about the service. Jag is a new fan of sushi (as opposed to me, a former fan of formerly-swimming sushi) so she had almost as many questions as this very high-maintenance vegetarian, so that made me feel a little better. But what made me feel even better than that was having a server (Michael from Hawaii) who was patient and knowledgeable. Who not only answered questions, but made suggestions. And even brought out a few items just for tasting. The attentiveness, interest and ability to answer questions made him certainly one of the top five servers I've ever had. The irony of this is that I mentioned it last night to my friends, Rick and Laura who said that they've gone there on several occasions and while the food was good, their service was so terrible that they had no plans to return. Maybe they'll try it again and call in advance to see if Michael's working.
And I'd say it was worth trying again. The lack of good Chinese food in Nashville suitable for a vegetarian has made me miss several of the really good restaurants in Memphis. So I wasn't expecting a whole lot from Fulin's, particularly since it also serves sushi and bills itself as "Asian cuisine." But I was very pleasantly surprised. First, they have a fairly good selection of vegetarian dishes (soups and entrees) to choose from and I was told that the stocks and sauces bases are (unless noted) soy-based. I was amazed and, of course very pleased.
I started out with a spring roll (with some of the best sweet and sour sauce I've ever tasted), but was also served a complimentary bowl of miso, which was a nice surprise since I'd leaned toward ordering a soup, but was advised to go with the Vegetable Delight. The Vegetable Delight was a combination of lightly-cooked and very fresh-tasting veggies including carrots, snow peas, broccoli, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, asparagus, mushrooms, and baby corn. It was served in a light white sauce and on Michael's suggestion, I got some of the brown sauce on the side. I thought both sauces were excellent and mixed the two together. The entrees come with your choice of white rice, fried rice, or (joy!) brown rice.
I can't say that I'm a connoiseur of Chinese food, but I don't generally prefer typical takeout and instead prefer light, fresh-tasting dishes that aren't served in disturbingly huge portions, though Jag did have to help me out with the vegetables. So I'm really happy to have discovered Fulin's. Though I have to say that when we entered the restaurant, I was a little unnerved by the decor. It was beautiful, reminscent of high-concept chain restaurants like J. Alexander's or P.F. Chang's, but according to the website, it's a small, local chain. So I can continue to be a chain restaurant snob and not feel the need to eat there in shame (like I do when I go to Cracker Barrel).
If you're interested in checking it out yourself (or trying the locations in Mt. Juliet or Hendersonville), you should know that beginning January 31, you can buy $50 worth of gift certificates for just $25 at Half Off Nashville. Only a limited number will be available, though, so you should jump on the offer as soon as it starts up.
But Friday evening, I met Jag after work to hang out a bit before going over to Malia's house for a spa party. I just had a tube put in my left ear that morning, so my only wish was to go somewhere that wasn't loud. We bounced around a few ideas and settled on Fulin's on Old Hickory Boulevard in Brentwood. All I really knew about Fulin's was that it's a favorite of Jack White, who's been frequently seen picking up takeout from there.
At 5:30 on a Friday evening, the place isn't exactly hopping, but the wait staff was ready to get going.
First, a word about the service. Jag is a new fan of sushi (as opposed to me, a former fan of formerly-swimming sushi) so she had almost as many questions as this very high-maintenance vegetarian, so that made me feel a little better. But what made me feel even better than that was having a server (Michael from Hawaii) who was patient and knowledgeable. Who not only answered questions, but made suggestions. And even brought out a few items just for tasting. The attentiveness, interest and ability to answer questions made him certainly one of the top five servers I've ever had. The irony of this is that I mentioned it last night to my friends, Rick and Laura who said that they've gone there on several occasions and while the food was good, their service was so terrible that they had no plans to return. Maybe they'll try it again and call in advance to see if Michael's working.
And I'd say it was worth trying again. The lack of good Chinese food in Nashville suitable for a vegetarian has made me miss several of the really good restaurants in Memphis. So I wasn't expecting a whole lot from Fulin's, particularly since it also serves sushi and bills itself as "Asian cuisine." But I was very pleasantly surprised. First, they have a fairly good selection of vegetarian dishes (soups and entrees) to choose from and I was told that the stocks and sauces bases are (unless noted) soy-based. I was amazed and, of course very pleased.
I started out with a spring roll (with some of the best sweet and sour sauce I've ever tasted), but was also served a complimentary bowl of miso, which was a nice surprise since I'd leaned toward ordering a soup, but was advised to go with the Vegetable Delight. The Vegetable Delight was a combination of lightly-cooked and very fresh-tasting veggies including carrots, snow peas, broccoli, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, asparagus, mushrooms, and baby corn. It was served in a light white sauce and on Michael's suggestion, I got some of the brown sauce on the side. I thought both sauces were excellent and mixed the two together. The entrees come with your choice of white rice, fried rice, or (joy!) brown rice.
I can't say that I'm a connoiseur of Chinese food, but I don't generally prefer typical takeout and instead prefer light, fresh-tasting dishes that aren't served in disturbingly huge portions, though Jag did have to help me out with the vegetables. So I'm really happy to have discovered Fulin's. Though I have to say that when we entered the restaurant, I was a little unnerved by the decor. It was beautiful, reminscent of high-concept chain restaurants like J. Alexander's or P.F. Chang's, but according to the website, it's a small, local chain. So I can continue to be a chain restaurant snob and not feel the need to eat there in shame (like I do when I go to Cracker Barrel).
If you're interested in checking it out yourself (or trying the locations in Mt. Juliet or Hendersonville), you should know that beginning January 31, you can buy $50 worth of gift certificates for just $25 at Half Off Nashville. Only a limited number will be available, though, so you should jump on the offer as soon as it starts up.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Gerst Haus
What does a vegetarian eat at a German restaurant? Well, given the unknown origin of the brown in the brown gravy on the spaetzle, I'd say, "not spaetzle." And the potato salad was, uh, not recommended. But I did have a small bowl of mac and cheese (er, make that shells and cheese), a house salad (with shredded carrots and a few garbanzo beans!) and an apple strudel for dessert. Not the healthiest meal I've ever had.
The apple strudel was the most expensive of the items I ordered at $5.25. For that price, I expected something really good (like this) or, at least authentic. But what I got was a small, thin slice of something that obviously was cut from a large pan and looked a bit like a short piece of apple lasagna. It tasted okay, but was not my idea of an apple strudel.
Regardless, Claudia's mission at the restaurant was accomplished. Inasmuch as it could be considering what she came to eat--the oyster roll--was no longer offered in its original form. Word has it that the original recipe was lost in the move from the original location to the current location. What was served in its place were these sort of oyster hush puppy things. Let's just say it was a great time to fall back on the excuse that I don't eat critters in order to avoid having a taste.
The restaurant looks like a pretty cool place to have a beer, though. And, hey it's well ventilated so I don't stink of schnitzel. Which is a very good thing. And, thankfully, the the good company made up for the not-so-good food. However, if you love all sorts of meats ground up and squeezed into cylindrical shapes or pressed into other non-natural looking masses, this might be a great place to visit. Take your nitro pill with you, though.
The apple strudel was the most expensive of the items I ordered at $5.25. For that price, I expected something really good (like this) or, at least authentic. But what I got was a small, thin slice of something that obviously was cut from a large pan and looked a bit like a short piece of apple lasagna. It tasted okay, but was not my idea of an apple strudel.
Regardless, Claudia's mission at the restaurant was accomplished. Inasmuch as it could be considering what she came to eat--the oyster roll--was no longer offered in its original form. Word has it that the original recipe was lost in the move from the original location to the current location. What was served in its place were these sort of oyster hush puppy things. Let's just say it was a great time to fall back on the excuse that I don't eat critters in order to avoid having a taste.
The restaurant looks like a pretty cool place to have a beer, though. And, hey it's well ventilated so I don't stink of schnitzel. Which is a very good thing. And, thankfully, the the good company made up for the not-so-good food. However, if you love all sorts of meats ground up and squeezed into cylindrical shapes or pressed into other non-natural looking masses, this might be a great place to visit. Take your nitro pill with you, though.
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