Daily Loaf

I stayed just 2 days in Bangkok, and I am now in Na Harn, a relatively sleepy beach town on the southern end of Phuket.  Phuket itself is an island off the southern coast of Thailand.  Yes, it is a tropical paradise, and so is the food.  If I were not training Thai boxing I’d be plumper than a Jenny Craig-dropout in a Krispy Kreme.

The cuisine is straight Thai food, however the heavy European tourism influence means that restaurants here always have two menus: one Thai and one Euro/Western.  This can make for a interesting breakfast, but more on that later.

On my first day here, I visited the famous MBK mall.  They have a huge food court that sells Thai food, and I did not see any chains I recognized.  All the food is cooked to order in front of you. I had chicken with flat noodles, and a coconut (top chopped off) so I could drink the coconut water. Its an interesting feeling when your palate tells you you’re at a Thai restaurant and your senses remind you that you’re in a food court.  Their entire approach to food and food service is different. Read the rest of this entry »

I get tired of seeing people caught up in these diet fads that amount to unrealistic starvation and improper nutrition and an absence of physical activity.  Unless you seriously get into modern pharmaceuticals (another post) you just can`t sit around and lose weight on diet alone. Not healthfully, at least.  It is important to make your diet work for you instead of against you, and one such way is to look for certain power foods  I love supplementing my major meals with small snacks that are high in protein, such as yogurt.  Yogurt, with its fats and proteins is a good way of both staving off your appetite and improving your probiotic health. However all yogurts are not equal. Read the rest of this entry »

Whether you are a food blogger or Food Network mega chef, you always have someone with whom you seek “foodie” counsel. This person is in essence a foodie`s foodie, and is great at pointing out new foods/experiences based on their experience. Being a CL food blogger gives me the fortune of having some pretty savvy food and wine people at my fingertips, which became quite evident when I planned a weekend getaway to Sarasota.

It was a beach and food trip, and I’d done research and was convinced that I had found a great fine-dining spot for dinner. I made my reservations and packed the Nexium. Then, in passing, I mentioned my culinary plans to my friend Taylor, who suggested I touch base with CL food editor Brian Ries. He immediately had me change reservations to the relatively new Mozaic restaurant in downtown Sarasota.  Armed with his advice, I placed my fate in the hands of Chef Dylan Elhajoui. Read the rest of this entry »

Wontons are one of my favorite foods and, believe it or not, they were passed along via the Chinese diaspora into the West Indies in the early 19th century and became so integrated that fried wontons are claimed as home cuisine for quite a few islands. I quickly found out that wontons in the US and wontons at home are  vastly different.

Traditionally, wontons are made with seasoned shrimp and deep fried to form hot crunchy boats with a savory and tasty center. They’re usually served with a dipping sauce made with soy, hot sauce,  hoisin and/or ketchup.  This style of wonton is very addictive and you can find them on the appetizer menu at most bars in Trinidad. Admittedly, it is far better to have them made for you as the process is somewhat labor intensive. However, if you must make them then you will need the following:

1 package wonton wrappers
1 pound shrimp
West Indian green seasoning (garlic, onion, hot pepper, cilantro, cilantro, parsley)
oil for frying
sauces of your choice for dipping

Now follow my video recipe below: Read the rest of this entry »

Most of my last weekend was spent in a medical conference. 15 hours in a hotel conference room listening to pharmacy laws, regulations, zzzzzzz. You get the drift. Cuisine was not a focus; I mustered up the enregy to try the turkey sandwich offered at lunch and the stale bread left me with a jaw that felt like it had been hit by a gorilla. Not surprisingly, I forgot lunch on Sunday and walked away with a hell of an appetite. I craved some something on my grill, but what? Red meat seemed heavy and chicken had worn out its welcome, but lamb, however, was just right.

I always get my lamb at our neighborhood Whole Foods and my favorite cut for grilling are shoulder chops, however they were fresh out (2nd time in a  row, whats up with that!) so I settled for 2 racks. I also picked up an apricot brandy grill sauce made by Napa Valley BBQ Co. Don’t ask me why I got this; most of my friends know I always make up my menus and marinades last minute or on the fly. I was hungry, it seemed interesting, and it was coming home with the lamb. Necessity would force me to come up with a good rub for this lamb. Read the rest of this entry »

I often think of sake as the forgotten wine.  We are often so preoccupied with fruit based wines that we ignore the shadow world of wines made by fermenting rice; and, of course, we stereotype all sake by the “jet fuel” tasting hot sake we order at sushi restaurants. Generally speaking, hot sake’s pecking order is akin to Budweiser and white zinfandel.

The next time you have sushi, challenge your palate and ask for the sake list. An entire world will be unveiled before your eyes, a world of ginjo, daiginjo, junmai and nigori.  Each of these types are fermented differently and offer their own characteristic aroma and taste.

Read the rest of this entry »

This was one of my spontaneous concoctions on a Saturday night.  I did not have the urge to have a night on the town so I stayed in to experiment with a recipe.  I picked up some butterfish fillets from Sayroo`s Bakery along with some fresh wheat buns and I figured I could put together a fish dish of some sort but could not settle on a definite plan of action. My palate further complicated me when I stopped into Whole Foods and saw a mozzarela made right here in Florida.  So there I was in no man`s land craving fish..and cheese!  However I am never at a loss in the kitchen.

I quickly lit some coals; Read the rest of this entry »

In Miami — where I recently spent the holidays consuming massive amounts of food and drink — West Indian shops and markets abound to support the needs of large ex-pat social groups eager to preserve their way of life. However, Tampa also has a significant West Indian population. Look hard enough and you will find their local markets. I have been searching for quite a while for a place to feed my occasional need for Caribbean pastries and baked goods, and the modest Sayroo’s bakery (2028 s. 50th St., Tampa, 813-248-6402) came up via word of mouth. Read the rest of this entry »

Freshly made island green seasoning – heroin for meat

I’m tired of clarifying my little marinade secret so I decided to blog it! It may look like a pesto but it’s really a spicy, aromatic and herbaceous marinade– a universal marinade for meat and seafood on my little island. 

In our family, simply using salt and pepper to season meat results in loss of kitchen credo. In the islands, big flavor and heat have become our signature tastes and those start with a great marinade made from the various abundant herbs that grow like weeds. This green seasoning has many iterations in other cultures, my Puerto Rican friends call it a soffrito. You can use it to spice up your Sunday BBQ or your weekday stew, it’s very easy to make and stays in the freezer while awaiting your next meatfest. Read the rest of this entry »

These days everyone is looking for the next health gimmick/trend — any way that we can become healthier, lighter and smaller without starving or cravings. More sensible meat options are part of that — one good example is buffalo. And, although ostrich might be a stretch for most folks, it may be a stretch worth enduring.

Ostriches are classified as ratites and their wings serve only as running aids and for changing direction. They can run fast: up to 30 mph sustained and up to 43 mph bursts. A bird that can do that has gotta have some lean, tasty meat.

Ostrich meat is lower in calories and fat than chicken, turkey, pork or beef and Read the rest of this entry »

Spices and ingredients are weapons for your kitchen arsenal – a diverse cache prepares you for most culinary challenges, whether it be saving a dish with a skillful application or satisfying a discerning palate. 

Every now and then it’s wise for a cook to do an inventory of their arsenal and the inspection of my pantry renewed my interest in cooking at home. In the past fortnight, chicken and cardamom have piqued my curiosity.

Look at this strange creature and tell me if it looks like anything you’ve ever eaten?  Ironically enough, it’s called black chicken (or Silkie chicken) and although it may be new to some of us in the West, Silkies have been a delicacy in the East for centuries. But don’t be fooled by the white feathers – the skin, meat and bones of this small bird are all black… yes black! No genetic modification or cross breeding, Mother Nature meant for this to happen. Read the rest of this entry »

Late afternoon on Xmas Eve saw my friend and I renewing our membership in the +100 mph Alligator Alley club in a pair of German autobahn cruisers; we saw SW Miami in 3.5 hours! My brain’s hunger center had me in race mode. We were impatiently making a pilgrimage for a Trinidadian Xmas: a five day celebration where shopping and presents are irrelevant, and food, drink and laughter are staples. West Indian hospitality is quite unforgettable, however you best not refuse any offerings, lest you become the butt of jokes and earn a nickname not of your choosing. Read the rest of this entry »

In order to be the iron chef of your kitchen, you need to find your local Asian supermarket. Tampa has quite a few of them, usually Chinese- or Vietnamese-owned. Every foodie should have one of these on their shortlist. Oceanic Market is mine.

I was first introduced to Oceanic by a Vietnamese friend and have been going there every weekend since. Not strictly Chinese, the market is more a pan-Asian shopping spot, offering everything from ingredients for sushi to Szechuan peppercorns and wood ear mushrooms. The store has a produce department that offers a wide variety of hard to find yams, herbs and vegetables at very cheap prices, as well as a deli and a meat department.

Located in a transitional area just north of downtown Tampa, Read the rest of this entry »