What's cooking?

That Cobb Salad is pretty as a picture!

Robin -

What's the sauce on the tofu made with?

That Cobb Salad is pretty as a picture!

You should try her watermelon salad!!

[Robin Garr]

Robin -

What's the sauce on the tofu made with?

Mike, it's a pretty standard Chinese-style brown sauce. Sautee finely minced ginger and garlic (lots) in a little peanut oil, then att a blob of hoisin sauce, some soy sauce, a shot of Sriracha, a dusting of Five Spice; add water to bring it up to about 1 cup; bring to a simmer, thicken with cornstarch, pour on.

[Robin Garr]

This may sound funny, but we had vegan hot dogs tonight, with sauerkraut, mustard and buns from a local bakery. We went to a food-truck pod over the weekend and tried a vegan food truck, Morels, that had an amazing Vietnamese banh mi using LightLife Smart Dogs Vegan Hot Dogs. They were good enough that I wanted to try them at home. They were pretty decent - a little bland, or "delicate" anyway, when eaten without any adornment, but who eats dogs like that!? Put on some kraut - or some spicy Vietnamese flavors - and they're surprisingly good, not to mention healthy - fat free, and just 45 calories per dog.

smartdog.jpg

[Robin Garr]

Here's a wedge of fresh cabbage. Let's turn it into a Southeast Asian-style slaw: Slice cabbage and onions paper thin, then add a few green pepper dice; dress with a tasty mix of white miso and organic peanut butter thinned with peanut and sesame oil, Sriracha sauce and lime juice. Toss, let stand for a few, and eat.

So, what wine goes with this? Let's see ...

Left over prime rib, all the fat cut away, has been simmering in beef stock, onion, fresh garlic and dash of Worcestershire. It will go onto a tarragon horseradish coated sourdough roll and dipped in the au jus. Cucumber, tomato salad with a champagne, honey, walnut oil, fresh tarragon vinaigrette. I have an epicuro salice salentino reserva to wash it down with.

I am back....

[Robin Garr]

I am back....

Welcome back, Thomas! Are you in Shanghai or Vancouver at the moment?

[Robin Garr]

I made imam Bayildi tonight with eggplant and tomatoes from the farmers' market. Not bad!

I also found out that Photo Forge, an applet for iPad and iPhone, will FTP photos to Web servers. I haven't been able to attach photos from the iPad until now, so let's see ... Awwwright!

coconut milk Jasmine rice topped with sliced, Thai flavored, sliced chicken breasts, with a variety of baby summer squashes, grilled with evoo and lemon juice.....excellent! I used one banana and two Cubanelle peppers from our garden to make a sauce for the chicken...fish sauce, soy sauce, a tad of sugar...it all came together to make a wonderful dinner. Way too many pots, lids, etc. It is time for summer eating, no multiples of pots to wash!

[Robin Garr]

coconut milk Jasmine rice topped with sliced, Thai flavored, sliced chicken breasts, with a variety of baby summer squashes, grilled with evoo and lemon juice.....excellent! I used one banana and two Cubanelle peppers from our garden to make a sauce for the chicken...fish sauce, soy sauce, a tad of sugar...it all came together to make a wonderful dinner. Way too many pots, lids, etc. It is time for summer eating, no multiples of pots to wash!

That sounds wonderful, Karen!

I am in Shanghai since 2004. Recently starting a Chinese Restaurant with the Owners of Sea Harbour LA, grand opening in September this year. I am also in wine import, mainly wine from NA West Coast.

[Jenise]

THOMAS! Oh my goodness! I thought I'd never see you again, you great big wonderful Chinese bear! I tried to call you in Shanghai all those years ago, but the number I had for you did not work. The people who answered, anyway, did not seem to know you (though I recall not being entirely sure they understood me). We must get together, share a bottle of wine, and catch up on each other's news. I see you've sent me a PM, I'll respond more there.

XOXO,

Jenise

[Robin Garr]

Farmers' market lunch: Beefsteak tomato scooped out, meat chopped and dressed with olive oil, lemon juice and capers, kosher salt and black pepper; add crumbled caccioto-style Kentucky goat cheese from Sapore d'Italia, refill tomato shell and garnish with fresh basil chiffonade and more freshly ground black pepper. 

Beautiful....my beefsteaks are about the size of a golf ball. We had so much rain this spring. The garden just sat there grumbling.

[Robin Garr]

Beautiful....my beefsteaks are about the size of a golf ball. We had so much rain this spring. The garden just sat there grumbling.

Same in our garden, Karen. I'm not sure how these farmers' market guys are getting them so early. They're required to sell only produce that they grow on their own local/regional farms, and it's really not supposed to be hothouse-grown, either. Mary thinks it's a combination of skills and varietal choice and canny use of row cover, which isn't quite the same as keeping them in a greenhouse.

[Jenise]

Tonight we're going to a dinner party where every couple brings a course and a wine to share. The wine is supposed to have a primary "big flavor" and everyone else is supposed to guess what that is. Think Shepherd's Pie, in 12 little ramekins I've made individual wild mushroom parmentiers with a gouda-potato topping that I'll serve with a Brian Loring Pinot Noir from California (big flavor: bing cherry) and pickled garlic scape garnish.

Beautiful....my beefsteaks are about the size of a golf ball. We had so much rain this spring. The garden just sat there grumbling.

Same in our garden, Karen. I'm not sure how these farmers' market guys are getting them so early. They're required to sell only produce that they grow on their own local/regional farms, and it's really not supposed to be hothouse-grown, either. Mary thinks it's a combination of skills and varietal choice and canny use of row cover, which isn't quite the same as keeping them in a greenhouse.

Mary is right Robin. Our grower's here in the area use row covers a lot, especially the folks in the mountains who grow the most wonderful asparagus, rhubarb, lettuce. I did get some green house tomatoes 2 weeks ago and why not? They still tasted much better than the supermarket, because they were grown in large pots in soil. In our climate, many have greenhouses, since our last frost in the valley in April 15th and later in the mountains. They have to start early to get the produce to market by April. I've had 4 Sun Gold Cherry and one Health Kick tomato from my garden. Usually by this time I am loaded with them. I actually had to put frost cloth over my plants for about three weeks. Kept them warmer and alive, but the growing part was held back. Considering the tragedies others in our country are having, we are truly blessed.

Marinated bottom sirloin (tri-tip) grilled to med. rare. Just picked purple and green asparagus, grilled. A Yukon Gold potato, rubbed lightly with duck fat and rolled in coarse sea salt, baked, which we will share. A salad of cukes, watermelon radish, fresh baby Walla Walla onion, sliced, and my first Health Kick tomato with one Sungold Cherry, sliced in half, with a light vinaigrette. I am so impatient with the tomatoes this year...I want them now!

[Robin Garr]

I don't know if this counts as "what's cooking," but I filled up tonight on small tastes of dishes from 30, count them, thirty restaurant booths as a judge at the fund-raising Taste of Frankfort Avenue event tonight. Hard work, but someone has to do it ...

http://www.cliftoncenter.org/

[Robin Garr]

Meatless dishes that carnivores can love: Czech Green Beans - Fazolove Lusky na Paprice - tossed in a savory sauce of onions fried in brown butter, with sour cream and lots of paprika. Potatoes not quite authentic Czech, but added to bring it up to main-dish status. Even with all the dairy, the dish works out about 350 calories

Fresh trout, grilled, green beans with onion, garlic, fresh oregano, and penne with a raw tomato sauce, fresh basil.

[Robin Garr]

I had delicious bites of artisan bread, locavore cheeses, prosciutto and salumi at a wine tasting today (The Scholium Project, really fascinating wines), so wasn't too hungry, but Mary wanted something for dinner so I tossed the other half of that pack of LightLife vegan Smart Dogs (which were pretty darn good) cut into bite-size pieces in a stir-fry of cabbage and onions sliced paper-thin with Southeast Asian flavors.