Hungry Mouth

Wagyu beef, the American Kobe

I bought some Wagyu Beef from Lobel's early this year when they were offering a 2 for 1 special. Even on sale, it was still very expensive...about $30/lb at half price. Never again. Both of us agreed that we prefer well-aged prime beef. I found the Wagyu so fatty that it disgusted me. And I like fat!

Here are the Wagyu boneless rib eyes that I cooked recently.

Honestly, I am shocked that Lobel's would sell a piece of meat like the lower one in the picture. There was no way to trim the fat without losing some of the very expensive meat. It was so greasy that I could not eat it.

Oh well. It was an interesting experiment. Tomorrow I head to the high Sierras for 5 days of camping with my 14 year old step-son. Two days after I return from camping I'm off to for Peru for several weeks. Will I have the nerve to eat one of the Peruvian national dishes, cuy, roasted guinea pig?

Pie for breakfast, anyone?

Prior to leaving for Greece, I read that breakfast there consists of a strong cup of coffee and a cigarette. That didn't concern me much as I am not typically a breakfast person...I don't eat eggs. But it's a funny thing. When I am on the road, and jumping out of bed at 6 am to go birding, I find I develop quite an early morning appetite. So imagine my joy when I discovered that pie is the national breakfast food of Greece. Sweet pies, yes, but even better, savory pies. Spinach pies, cheese pies, cheese and spinach pies...the baker pictured earlier served a fabulous ham, cheese and tomato pie that literally made my knees weak. Pies are the perfect breakfast food for the busy traveler. Just buy one and eat as you go. If it cools off, it still tastes good.

To my surprise most of the pies were not made with a filo dough crust. The crust was more like a croissant, or Danish pastry crust. I miss Greek pies.

Wonton Baskets

I confess that I stole this recipe! From a neat website http://www.finedinings.com/ . The only changes I made were to add a caper to each basket, and sprinkle them with dill rather than parsley.

The Best Shrimp Remoulade

I lived most of my adult life in Houston, TX. When I craved really good food, I'd hop in my car and drive to New Orleans. This was often a spur of the moment Friday night trip. I'd spend all day Saturday stuffing myself and drive home on Sunday feeling fat and happy.

My favorite New Orleans dish is Pommes Souffle. I've never encountered it in a US restaurant outside of the Big Easy, probably because it is very difficult to cook successfully. Basically, it is the ultimate French Fry served with a Bearnaise dipping sauce. The potatoes are twice fried in such a way that they puff up to form a thin crisp potato shell surrounding air. The potatoes must be aged and sliced perfectly in order to puff. I'd love to share a recipe but I have never had any success cooking the dish at home. My potatoes are all duds.

My second favorite dish is Shrimp Remoulade in the style of Arnaud's Restaurant. I think I have come close to perfecting this dish. My recipe is inspired by one in "The New Orleans Cookbook" by Rina and Richard Collin. I have a large collection of Cajun/Creole cookbooks and "The New Orleans Cookbook" is my favorite. I highly recommend it. While I love Paul Prudhomme's books, the recipes don't always succeed in the home kitchen. Another excellent cookbook is "Cajun-Creole Cooking" by Terry Thompson.

Shrimp Remoulade

In this recipe it is important to adjust the amounts of the sharp flavored ingredients (vinegar, cayenne, horseradish, etc.) to your own taste. Start with less and add more to taste.

1 bunch green onions
2 small stalks celery
3 large sprigs parsley, stemmed
3 Tb Creole mustard (see note)
4 tsp sweet paprika
1/4 t cayenne or more to taste
2 heaping T horseradish
S & P to taste
3-4 T white wine or Sherry vinegar
5 t lemon juice
1 t dried basil
1/2-3/4 c olive oil

1 green onion, minced
2 T minced celery
1 T minced parsley
romaine lettuce
1 lb. large cooked shrimp, shelled and deveined, chilled

Process 1st 3 ingredients until almost a puree. Stir in remaining ingredients up to olive oil. Using a wire whisk slowly add olive oil til well blended. Taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in the minced green onion, celery and parsley. Chill at least 3 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, shred romaine lettuce and spread about 1/2 c. on each of 4 chilled salad plates. Arrange shrimp on top. Cover with remoulade sauce. Garnish with a slice of lemon and serve. Serves 4.

Note: Only Creole mustard will work in this recipe. Zatarain's in an excellent brand which is stocked by one of my local grocery stores in California.

This makes a great light summer meal with a boiled artichoke and some crusty bread.

Gyros Shock

I was certain I knew what Gyros was; a huge cone-shaped piece of pressed mystery meat that spins on a vertical spit. Wrong. That's just an Americanized, watered down, tacky version of something wonderful.

In Greece the gyros meat is not ground and pressed. It consists of real meat, either thinly sliced pork steaks or whole chicken breasts . . . The only similarity to what is served in the US is the vertical spit and the way it is carved from the sides.

Gyros is Greek fast food. The meat is encased in a flat bread (similar to a pita but without a pocket). Ususally, there is a dab of Tzatziki (garlic or cucumber yogurt sauce), a few slices of onion, maybe a tomato slice, and French Fries all wrapped in white paper! Yes, the fries are in the sandwich. A few gyros stands also added catsup and mustard. Odd.

Gyros is the delight of the budget traveler. An order typically costs less than 2 euros and is quite filling. One warning: be sure to specify "gyros peda" when ordering. If you don't mention the word "peda" (bread), you will receive a much more expensive gyros plate.

Greek Anti-War Graffiti

I was quite amused yet saddened by this building on the outskirts of the village of Eressos. Certainly the Greeks are outraged by the war in Iraq. The unfortunate torture scandal broke while we were in Greece and every headline, every news show, every front page expressed scathing disgust with USA's current leadership.

Traditional Baking in Greece

On our first evening in Skala Kalloni, a fishing port village on Lesvos, I saw a sign for a bakery which pointed down a dark alley. Early the next morning I headed for the bakery to see if they had anything for breakfast. The bakery was actually below street level by several steps. I descended the steps and entered a very small room, probably about 10X15 ft. Inside the elderly baker and his young assistant were busy shifting breads around in the wood-fired stone oven with long-handled wooden peels.

I was very excited to actually see one of these ovens in action. All over Europe they are quickly becoming just a memory. As the old bakers die there is noone to replace them. The younger generation of bakers typically go for the modern electric oven, and the bread suffers as a consequence.

In the background of this picture are the long wooden troughs where the bread is placed to rise.

Fresh baked croissants.

The breads were delicious. It was nice to see that the baker was training a young apprentice. Maybe in this village, at least, the tradition will continue.

Oh...and let's not forget breakfast. The Judge likes sweets so I got him a chocolate croissant. The baker took a fresh croissant, shoved it onto a metal tube poking out of a large device clamped to one of the tables, cranked a handle and chocolate cream filled it. I like savory so I had a choice between Spinach Pie, Cheese Pie, and Ham/Cheese/Tomato Pie.

What's wrong with turnips?

Most people hate turnips. I think I know why. For many of the "older" generations, turnips are associated with WWII. During the war turnips or rutabagas, a close relative but with yellow flesh, were a main stay of the diet in Europe. (Prior to the war rutabagas were considered animal fodder.) This left negative associations which were handed down to their children.

Also, overcooked turnips may exude a strong odor into the house (though not foul like overcooked broccoli or cabbage).

Despite that, I adore turnips. One of my favorite vegetables. So I was thrilled when my farm box yesterday included a bunch of baby turnips with greens attached. By baby I mean about 2-3 inches in diameter and the skin was still soft, not mini chi-chi. I decided to cook the greens and roots together as the Greeks do with beets (see earlier entry) though in a different fashion. This is a recipe that takes less than 5 minutes prep time!

1 bunch baby turnips with greens
3 slices bacon, diced (EVOO would work too)
1 onion diced
S & P

Separate turnips from greens. Wash greens well, remove tough stems (I broke a half inch off the stems and peeled them upwards which removed any stringiness). Slice stems into 1/4 inch pieces and leaves into one inch pieces. Set aside.

Start bacon frying.

Scrub turnip roots, no need to peel. Slice into small bite-sized pieces.

Add onion to bacon and cook til transclucent. Bacon should be cooked but not overly crisp. Add turnip roots. Saute for about 10 minutes til roots are lightly browned on both sides and tender. Add greens. Stir til greens are beginning to wilt. Cover for a few minutes til greens are tender. Add S & P to taste and serve

Oh, the baby turnips were delicious raw. I couldn't stop munching on them. If you have turnip haters in the house...slice up some baby turnips and feed them. Tell them it's jicama. They will be converted.

My favorite non-baby turnip recipe is from Julia Child's "The Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1". Casserole roasted pork with turnips and cabbage. I use a pork butt and, OMG, it is truly a heavenly peasant feast.

Eat your Greek vegies...

This is an example of a vegetable platter meze (appetizer) we were served in a small taverna in Sigri, a small fishing village on Lesvos. Each vegie was cooked separately and then marinated in an appropriate dressing. Tasted as good as it looks. (This was the same place I had the octopus salad pictured previously).

As in many Greek tavernas, there was no menu. The server simply took us to the kitchen and showed us the food. Sometimes we actually looked into the cooking pots. In this case, they had a refrigerated case with the food on display.

I ordered fried small fish for my lunch.

The Judge had veal stew.

We sat on the patio.

The taverna owners were proud to tell us that they were among the 200 people who remained in the village each winter. Many people fled the rough weather. I was shocked at how low the population was given that Sigri is one of the major cities on Lesvos.

By the way, all that food plus wine cost about $20...one of the more expensive meals we had in Greece!