Daily Loaf

I’ve said it so many times when I cook: Simple is always better. Sure, sometimes I get mired down in complex recipes, but a handful of great ingredients with just the right touch of care always bring the greatest rewards. That couldn’t be truer than in this duck and scallop dish.

I found this gem on a menu in Stonington Borough, Connecticut — a charming little seaside village.  Water Street Café is a quaint, eclectic restaurant that is always busy, even in the dog days of winter. The fare is remarkably fresh and creative. Every meal I’ve eaten there (and I’ve had many) has been terrific.

Particularly, I’ve been fond of a very simple preparation of duck and scallops they serve. Read the rest of this entry »

(Editor’s Note: This recipe comes from CL Sarasota’s next-door neighbor, nationally recognized chef Derek Barnes of Derek’s Culinary Casual. It’s another part of CL Sarasota’s Summer of Pig coverage.)

CRISPY PIG EAR SALAD
with house cured bacon, frisée, local radish, poached Will’s Farm egg,
creamy whole grain mustard vinaigrette

FOR THE PIG EARS:
6 pig ears
1 gallon water
12 sprigs thyme
3 bay leaves

1. Blanch the pig ears in ½ gallon of boiling water for 20 minutes, then remove ears and discard the water.
2. In a medium size stock pot, add the remaining water, thyme, bay leaves and pig ears and simmer for an additional 90 minutes. Pull the ears from the water and chill in the refrigerator. Reserve for marinating.

PIG EAR MARINADE:
2 cups buttermilk
12 ounce lager beer
2 tablespoon Crystal hot sauce
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Cut the pig ears into 1 inch strips. Marinade the pig ears 1 hour before frying.

PIG EAR BREADING: Read the rest of this entry »

Memorial Day may have signaled the beginning of grilling season for our northern friends, but down here it’s almost the opposite. As we head into the humid months of summer, big slabs of barbecued meat seem a tad heavy in the scorching Florida weather.

But that doesn’t mean we need to shun the grill. For a recent pool party get-together, I wanted an easy, mid-day dish that I could cook on the patio, but wouldn’t weigh my guests down. Refreshing, light and simple.

Vietnamese bun salad did the trick. Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes when people think of salads, they automatically think “Borrrriiiinnng“. And then when they hear the word “organic” they automatically think, “expensive!”. Well it’s true that some salads can be boring and it’s also true that some organic foods can be a bit pricey. But in reality, you can make a fun organic blend salad that tastes amazing, isn’t hefty on the wallet and is made within 5 minutes!

The secret to this success is finding a salad that interests your taste buds. With the various amounts of veggies, cheeses, meats, dressings, etc., available, you can probably make a different salad each day for the rest of your life and never have the same salad twice!  Read the rest of this entry »

As the temperature starts to rise (at least in this part of the country), its time for some refreshing and simple dishes for those hotter days, like my Asian-inspired cold soba noodle salad. Soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour and have a heartier, more substantial texture than regular pasta noodles. In Japan, they’re used in a variety of ways throughout the year: cold in the summer in a salad (like this one) or hot in a soup or broth in the winter months, and in a multitude of variations. Surprisingly enough, soba noodles are now more widely available now bring in the ethnic aisle many grocery stores. Or you could take a culinary adventure to your local Asian market and pick up other interesting ingredients to play with.

Read the rest of this entry »

Have you watched the news lately? Apparently, the economy isn’t doing so well. They say that January saw more layoffs in one month since 1974.

I almost got through January, but on the 27th I became one of those statistics too. Now, it’s not all bad, folks. My career field is actually in demand so I will be back at work before I even want to. For now, though, I’m enjoying my time off and I’m wondering how I was able to get anything done with that silly ole’ job in the way. I am also becoming reacquainted with my kitchen. I’ve missed her. She was neglected, I think. Last year, I circled the globe and dined in Europe, Asia and at least a dozen major US cities, but my amazing little kitchen just sat here waiting for me to return to her. Her patient granite sorely underutilized and cluttered with mail. Fortunately, she never wavered and welcomed me back without a hitch. Now she helps me turn out dish after dish, lauding my successes and keeping my failures to herself. I wish I could take her to the beach for the weekend.

So with the economy in mind I thought to myself, “What affordable meals are out there that guests would think you pulled out all the stops for?” Read the rest of this entry »

Sure, a plane crashes, a man gets ready for the biggest job in the land, and Gruden gets a pink slip. All big stories, but where’s the love for a pot of beans and greens, or a jab at Jasmine Thai? Here’s your chance to relive the week that was, without all that pesky news in the way:

• Creative Loafing debuts its new food section! World celebrates!
• Brian reviews Jasmine Thai’s new location and pronounces it “a safety date.”
• Taylor pens a sonnet of middling quality on the pros and cons of oak. She’s well versed on the subject.
• A waiter rants about customers — “If you were to say hello to me in your office I wouldn’t say: ‘pro forma balance sheet!’ or ‘digital rectal exam!’”
• Grapefruit Avocado Salad, plus more great grapefruit recipes.
• How do West Indian ex-pats spend a Christmas in Miami? Like everyone else, but with better food.
• Tampa wins caffeine trifecta — Most Caffeinated City, Least Addicted, Most Pain Killers!
• People get drunk at Tom Pritchard’s charity roast!
• Impromptu pasta: easy Spinach and Gorgonzola Pasta.
• North Coast Scrimshaw Pilsner helps a dark beer girl remember lighter days.
• Taco Bus to host cookbook author and Mexican food maven Diana Kennedy.
• White Bean and Kale Stew will, apparently, “warm your nubbies.”
• CL announces the first of many Monthly Recipe Contests.
• Capital Grille hires new sommelier.

Have you noticed an abundance of grapefruit in the produce section lately?  Yep, it’s grapefruit season!

So you buy a few because they’re on sale, but now what do you do with them?  Most would simply peel or halve them and eat straight out of the rind.  Boring.  Why not incorporate the sweet-tart flavors of this ruby red citrus fruit into other dishes?

Not only are grapefruit a tasty addition to any meal, they’re (surprise!) good for you too.  This citrus is a great source of vitamin C, iron, calcium, potassium and lycopene.  Bonus: studies have shown that grapefruit can help lower cholesterol, and protect against cancer and heart disease.

Inspired yet?  Try this deliciously light and refreshing dish (adapted from this Sunset Magazine recipe): Read the rest of this entry »

What do you do when you’re a 13-year-old Italian kid while your grandfather is in the hospital? You find the cafeteria. Well, at least that’s what my family did. Visiting hours fell right around supper time and we figured the easiest way to maximize our time with the patriarch of the family AND fill our bellies was to eat there.

But HOSPITAL FOOD??? Boiled chicken and pudding, right? We weren’t sick. Why did we have to eat this shit? To everyone’s surprise, not only was the food not too bad… it was actually GOOD. There was soup. There was a short-order grill. A hot-food line. Soft drinks. After nearly a week and almost all of the daily specials, the words “visiting hours” were starting to sound as sweet as a dinner bell. While we were happy to have grandfather released, a small part of us knew we would miss that chow line between the hours of six and eight.

I feel that same nostalgia when I visit Sweet Tomatoes.

It’s become a  joke amongst my friends and family about me and chain restaurants. “Why,” I ask them, “Would I want to eat a meal that’s exactly the same here and at 1,400 other convenient locations in the world?”  With such a variety of great mom-and-pop eateries in the Bay area, I’d much rather go exploring the hidden gems than the processed portions of the big-box-bistros.

Can I have my salad and eat it, too? Yes! Yes! I admit it. I like Sweet Tomatoes! It’s good. It’s clean. It’s salad, so I can make-believe it’s good for me. They have bread. They have soup. And they brew their own tea!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to turn up my nose to an evening at Ceviche or a fully-loaded sushi boat at Hook’s for Sweet Tomatoes. But, every now and then, I just get a hankerin’. From the Asiago Caesar, to the Wonton Chicken Happiness, the Yankee Clipper Clam Chowder and the Foccacia, it just tastes good.

I’m sure I’ll have to hear about this the next time my friends suggest lunch at Applebee’s or my family wants to get together at Outback. But, for now at least, I get to relive a little of the past without worrying about any relatives on a heart monitor in the next room.

Oh, and they have pudding, too.