PIE-HOLE

Where's Dan ?

Sorry friends. No new posts for a while now. I have been nutso busy with work, and to be honest - haven't done that much that would be considered PIEHOLE worthy for a while. At least nothing that could be shared.....

I've been on the road and traveling a lot lately, but it has been to really BORING places like Rochester NY and St Louis. Thought I would spare you the agony of a review of PF Chang's or the buffet line breakfast at a Marriott hotel.

Here's one for you - I whipped this up for some friends at dinner the other night. SCARY - see if you can guess what it is ? (No  - it isn't Martian Dog Food)

I promise some new posts soon, and I'm heading off to Northern Europe in August. Stay tuned !

Pok Pok in Portland

Down in wonderful Portland a couple of weeks ago for my monthly visit to my witch-doctor physical therapist. For some time now I've been hearing about a wonderful Thai place that's been garnering a great deal of attention in the local and even national media for the last couple of years. Owner and resident wizard Andy Ricker received The Oregonian's pick for 2007 Portland Restaurant of the Year.

So I hooked up with my old pal Timmy (turns our Pok Pok is a customer of his) and off we go on a lovely warm summer evening.

  

Pok Pok is located in a residential neighborhood in an old house;

 Pok Pok 3226 SE Division, Portland, OR (503-232-1387; pokpokpdx.com).

Now I am usually NOT a fan of the restaurant in an old house thing - but they have done a remarkably good job of it, leaving the dining areas feeling comfortable and not too crowded. The place was packed at 6:30 on a Wednesday evening - and they don't really have a bar of any real size that you can hang out in while you wait for your table. However they do have a pretty cool deal worked out with the little bar directly across the street. Leave your name at the desk at Pok Pok, and then head over for a cocktail. They will call you at the bar (across the street) when your table is ready. How handy !

As we eased on up to put our name on the list - the first thing I noticed about Pok Pok is that the whole damn place smells like Thailand ! Now that is a natural observation one might say - but NOT SO FAST.

Hang on - let me explain; They use the same cooking methods here - the real deal - with the smells of barbequed meats cooking over real wood charcoal. This combined with the delicious herbs and spices unique to Thai grill cooking - it was like stepping out on your hotel balcony at dusk in Bangkok at dinner time. A singularly special scent memory that I will always associate with my visits there. Thanks for the blast from the past Pok Pok.

We are seated and dive right into the menu. Good ol' Timmy - (he was my traveling companion for my very first trip to Thailand), In his special warm and wonderful style, as we settled in to decide what to order he says to me  - (just like he told me that very first trip in Bangkok) -  "get whatever the fuck you want - you drunk - you know you will anyway". It brought a tear to my eye - such fond memories...

Here's Timmy - with some more drinks on the table..... like, duh?  Notice the focus of the shot is on the alcohol - not on of one of my best friends for the last 25 years. Priorities - right ?

Let's get to it. First course: Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings - described on the menu as "fresh natural chicken wings marinated in fish sauce and palm sugar, deep fried and then tossed in Carmelized Phu Quoc fish sauce and garlic". Apparently this dish was named as one of the 10 best restaurant dishes in America by Food and Wine Magazine. No wonder - they were deeee-licious.

You can almost taste 'em just looking at the picture - eh ?

Next -  on to one of the most interesting Asian salads I've ever had. I make a fair amount of green mango and green papaya salads, but this was so much more complex. Called Yam Samun Phrai - the menu describes this as a special Northern Thai herbal salad with white turmeric, carrot, parsnip, betel leaf, basil, lime leaf, sawtooth, fried shallots, cashews, peanuts, sesame seeds, dry shrimp, ground pork and thai chilies in a mild coconut dressing.

I will drive back to Portland just to eat this again - WOW. My photo doesn't really do it justice - but you get the idea.

We followed that up with their charcoal roasted game hens that had been stuffed with lemongrass, garlic, pepper and cilantro and served with a spicy sweet and sour and tamarind dipping sauces. We also really enjoyed their offering of large calamari that had been whole grilled over charcoal, then chopped into fairly good size pieces and served with lettuce and numerous different fresh herbs along with a spicy lime/garlic/chile dipping sauce.

Several of the menu items suggested that the dishes be served with their sticky rice. This comes to the table in indivudual small bamboo steamers for you to grab clumps with your fingers (you animals) and stuff into your piehole. The rice was delicious - its something not often seen in Thai restaurants here in the U.S.

Here's a shot of their outdoor grills. Standard large kettle - and very traditional smaller asian style charcoal grills.

I give this place 5 stars - a TEN. I can't wait to go back. As a matter of fact - this great food has me really thinking about another trip REAL SOON to Thailand - just to EAT !

Timmy - you ready ?   Pack your bag you crusty old bastard !  Remember the hot nights, cold Singhas, spicy food and nasty cheap-ass hotels?  No ?    How many fingers am I holding up ? 

It was all a blur for both of us. That's how I know we had a good time.......

Au Pied De Cochon + Fun in Montreal

 

  

Last week - up in Montreal for the usual bizness boogie. Long F- ing flights, flight attendants with false eyelashes  - older than my dead grandmother, things that could perhaps pass as food enroute (in a hospital), sore back, condemnation for 5 days to Marriott jail - you get the picture....

However, yours truly had a serious and well planned ulterior motive for making the trip. The house of delicious porky, foie gras infested goodness - Au Pied De Cochon. Mmmmmmmm...

SO - workmate DAVE and I  (commonly referred to as grasshopper - sorry Lori), slog through a couple of days of dreary but successfull client appointments - Zzzzzzzzz. My planned highlight for the week, reason for living and best of the trip, was our Wednesday evening reservation at Au Pied De Cochon  - loose translation for you frenchy-impaired - " the foot of the pig". And yes - you can order the foot of the pig - more on that later.

This place is without question - in my top 3 favorite restaurants ANYWHERE in the world - maybe #1. So let's get to it:

We head for the restaurant in a cab - BTW -  if you haven't been to Montreal - put it on your list !  So very cool - like DAVE said repeatedly during our drunkfest that evening, " Wow - this is like being in a foreign country ! "

I believe what he was mostly referring to was the Quebecoise/French being spoken all around us. It really is a charming city with tons of history/cool architecture, extremely friendly people, yummy food, and is very walkable. I might suggest a visit in the spring, summer or fall though - unless you like icicles on your eyelashes.

We are seated - at my request at the chef's counter. The last time I was here a year or two ago - we sat in the dining room of this very bistro/cafe style joint and had a rip-roarin-good time, but this time I wanted to "BE the fois gras". It was GREAT.

Let's start with the eats - (by the way - a few of the pics are a little blurry - but by that time - so was I). We had stopped for some ass-kick cheeser beer at a local taven around the corner - we got there a bit early.

First Course - me - Bison Tartare. Despite the abbatoir-like food processor they ground the meat up - right in front of me - it was perfectly spiced, delicious - and I was pissed when I even let a little bit of it get away from me - in my make room planning for further gorging on courses that would be sure to follow.

DAVE's First Course - oh what the hell - here's DAVE in all his glory. As you can see - he opted for crab rather than lovely organ meats or piggie parts (the weiner). Nice choppers DAVE !

My second course - a most blissful perfectly prepared, humungous slab of Foie Gras terrine. It truly was the BEST I have ever enjoyed - anywhere, and I am a bit of a gallbladder bustin' savage when it comes to Foie. Served with grilled oven fresh bread and an orange rind marmaladey-compote (I think).

Know this - Au Peid De Cochon offers Foie Gras in more forms and styles than any place this side of the pearly gates. I am NOT exagerating either - check out the menu: http://www.restaurantaupieddecochon.ca/index_eng.html I LOVE THIS PLACE !

To digress for a moment - check out what our neighbors where having at the chef's counter ! Since my last visit there - they have amped up their fesh seafood offerings to include all kinds of crazy stuff from the atlantic. Don't forget kidz - Montreal is north and even east of Maine! They have all kinds off goodies we west-coasters never even see. Whelks, Periwinkles,atlantic sea urchin, Quahog and Cherrystone clams, Blue Crab, Rock Crabs, Nordic Shrimp, Abalone - you get the picture. Here are the feasts going on with a look left and a look right from where we were sitting. There was a serious party going on !

 

OK - enough of them - back to ME.

Said "friend" DAVE ordered the Lobster Roll. This ain't your usual Lobster Roll - for those of you who have never been to New England - the regular Lobster Roll is a delicious fresh lobstermeat salad sandwich, with just a little mayo on a soft, slightly sweet hot dog style roll/bun. Its a foundational food experience - transformative - the cockroaches of the sea turned glorious. So this place - along with everything else - has to hit the cover off the ball. They start with a freshly baked Brioche roll (yes - freshly baked in their wood fired ovens for YOUR order - you pig!) . That is then split while still hot, stuffed with fresh Atlantic lobster tail and claw meat, lightly tossed with a mayo based dressing ( I assume), and then - just to add decadance to happiness - topped with several slices of - you guessed it; Foie Gras and a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar reduction. I've got a chubby just thinkin about it. See what I mean ?

By this time - I am starting to feel the effects of 60,000 calories. As I am want to do - I wanted to maximize my experience - so I called in the ultimate for the next couse; Foies Gras Poutine. Now for those of you not in the know, Poutine is a regional specialty, local to Eastern Canada. Basically - it is late night drunk food - if you are eating this - you should have already been home in bed, tucked in safely by your loving Mum. Its Canada's version of White Castle. So - what the hell is it ? Take a base of deep fat fried french fries, add to that - a glob of cheese curds (any questions so far?), and then top that off with GRAVY !. You gotta love these guys. Well at Au Pied De Cochon - let's take that a step further and first fry the potaotos in DUCK FAT, and then add a couple of slabs of  - yep - fois gras (buuuuuuurrrrpp):

Any questions ?

An extra course of fried fresh zuchini blossoms - Yum-f-ing YUMMY !

So the rest of the experience gets a littel bit blurry. I remember kissing a waitiress, trading business cards with a pregnant wine guzzling cigarette smoking chef's counter neighbor (NICE), buying T-shirts with the cool Au Pied logo on it - below - and then stumbling out into the night with DAVE.

Let it never be said that our PIE-HOLE author is not all about experiencing all there is to be had - in any given spectrum, in any given medium, in any given city, in search of excellence and the pursuit of PIE-HOLE fillage, anywhere - any time. Long story short - DAVE and I decided to walk home to our hotel (6-8 miles) in our drunken fugue state, and along the way - felt the need for more POUTINE !

As I recall - barely - the deal was; a jumbo Coke - with 2 hot dogs and a small trough of Puotine for silly little money. Its basically the White Castle scenario again - when despite the fact that you've just spent $500.00 on dinner, you're so hammered on the way home - that a bag of sliders - or in this case - Poutine - sounds like a grand plan. So yes - after the gallbladder busting experience at Au Pied - we garrffed down hot dogs, and more poutine on the way back to the hotel. Oh, yeah - along with your Poutine (fries, cheese curds and gravy) they give you a side of FRIES. See below; 

EVIDENCE:

2 fingers = 2 hot dogs EACH.......

Can you feel your arteries hardening ? Looks like my small intestine....

Here's a couple more fun photos from Montreal. Didn't eat here this trip - will for sure next time:

This was my lunch the first day in town. It was listed on the menu as a "smoked meat sandwich". No further explanation was ever offered. Pretty good though - I think it was beef. A local Quebec specialty.

A spooky Church at night. Those damn Catholics - always tryin to scare ya....

Pestcides - Buy Organic or Not ?

  

 

Heard a great radio program this last weekend on NPR – that pointed me towards a very interesting new resource: The Environmental Working Group  www.ewg.org, and its list of the most pesticide ridden types of produce available to us all. One word - YIKES.

I think it’s safe to say that we all realize or at least assume that small doses of pesticides and other chemicals on produce can unfavorably affect us. Is there a cumulative effect ? Is it worth the extra $$$ to shell out for the pricey and sometimes limited produce available in the organic section of your local grocery store ? And by the way - It isn’t just produce at the grocery store that contains pesticides. Farmer’s markets also offer produce grown with pesticides, despite that “farm fresh” message and appearance.

So where is the biggest impact ?  

Maybe ultimately in your long term health costs / care requirements. Although we all know that yours truly doesn’t’ exactly treat his body as a temple of the pure ( excuse me – PIE-HOLE ? – please…) you should probably consider what you are doing to yourself over time with stuff like High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), nerve poisons (a.k.a. pesticides), aspartame and other artificial  sweeteners, as well as margarine and other trans-fatty acids, as part of your diet.

Do you eat "whole foods" – or do you shove a bunch of crap down YOUR pie-hole in the form of scary processed foods and other mass produced produce, meats and dairy?...that's right - put DOWN the Doritos.

Now I am all for certain reasonable forms of excess (OK, most forms), but even I can take some simple steps to improve my diet and long term health by avoiding things that are easy to step away from. And I think I can do without any extra NERVE POISONS – thank you !

SO – I think we can begin to balance the possible additional cost of that Organic produce where appropriate, if it can actually help us avoid some of these other nasties, and ultimately keep us healthier?  I am also now much more cognizant of what goes in the pie-hole these days as far as meats and dairy – believe it or not. Don’t think I need any extra antibiotics, or growth hormones either (my man-boobs are already big enough – thank you)  As you’ll see from some of the other reference material on earlier posts – “corn-fed” ain’t really such a good thing either.

( Here's a good one - and I shit you not – I just found an organic vodka up at the local liquor store. Does that count ? Think I’ll head back up there today for a couple more cases...)

Thank goodness that our awareness continues to grow, at least in the foodie community – it’s a good place to start. Is it possible to help share the new food gospel without being seen as a whacko ? I figure it starts at home with friends and family – and then we spread the word. By the way – the West Seattle Farmers Market – rocks. http://www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org/markets/west_seattle  Get your butt up there or to one of the many other wonderful markets here in Seattle. Lots of organically raised everything.

DETAILS – here you go…

Apparently many fruits and vegetables are uniquely vulnerable to containing residual trace amounts all the way to your grocer's shelves. Some of the worst ones are peaches or other stone fruits, which always carry pesticide residue in part of their soft skin, according to a study done by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Apples and bell peppers are also way up there at the top of the list. Pretty scary – I eat red or yellow bell peppers with almost every meal.

As The Environmental Working Group put these lists together they took into consideration how people typically wash and prepare their fruits and vegetables. For example, some are washed or peeled prior to being eaten. While washing, rinsing or peeling your fresh produce may reduce levels of some pesticides, it does not necessarily eliminate them. Your best bet is to be aware of what you purchase and consume, wash ALL your produce, and cough up a little extra dough for organic when you can – especially with the top 12 listed below.

EWG’s research has shown that people eating high and low pesticide diets can lower their pesticide exposure by almost 90 percent by avoiding the top twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables and eating the least contaminated instead – or buying organic ONLY when it comes to the top 12.

They say that eating the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables will expose you to roughly 14 pesticides per day, on average. Eating the 12 least contaminated will expose you to less than two pesticides per day. I’m not makin this stuff up – check it out at www.foodnews.orgor www.ewg.org

So -  DON'T BE AFRAID OF YOUR FOOD !

Eat ! Enjoy ! Fill the PIE-HOLE !

Just be a little smarter and better prepared next time you head off to your local grocer.

YOUR FRUIT AND VEG MR. YUK LIST

Top twelve most contaminated fruits and vegetables containing pesticides:

1. Peaches

2. Apples

3. Sweet Bell Peppers

4. Celery

5. Nectarines

6. Strawberries

7. Cherries

8. Lettuce

9. Grapes - Imported

10. Pears

11. Spinach

12. Potatoes

Top Twelve least contaminated fruits and vegetables containing pesticides:

1. Eggplant

2. Broccoli

3. Cabbage

4. Bananas

5. Kiwi

6. Asparagus

7. Sweet Peas-Frozen

8. Mango

9. Pineapples

10. Sweet Corn-Frozen

11. Avocado

12. Onions

Source: The Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, published by the Environmental Working Group.

Chinese Style Spareribs, pupu platters, Trader Vic's and beyond...

Feeling like it had been a bit too long since we'd done a night out on the town, I contacted the usual suspects to encourage and organize an evening of making the rounds, eating and imbibing here in what I will loosely refer to as the "greater" metropolitan Seattle area.

We begin our story in Bellevue.  The idea was to meet at Trader Vic's for silly rum cocktails and a pupu platter or two. This was going to be my excuse to once again try their scrumptious little barbecued spareribs and share and compare a recipe I recently prepared at home for same (recipe to follow).

What began as a well intentioned foray into the Eastside and all its glory, rapidly devolved into a nightmare. First of all, Downtown Bellevue has never really been my scene, but I gotta tell you - at 5:00 onwards on a Friday evening, it is almost godamn impossible to get yourself a cocktail or five without WAITING IN LINE. Yes it's true, I am saddened and embarrassed to say that I couldn't swing a dead cat and hit a bar within a block or two of freakin Bellevue square and find a place with open seating at happy hour.

This means either;

a. Bellevue needs A LOT more bars

b. More of these people need to go HOME so I have room to drink, or

c. I am never going back to Bellevue again for Friday happy hour without a couple of hand grenades in my pocket - seriously.

So after waiting for 20 minutes in line (I almost can't even bring myself to write that), we were finally able to be anointed with a table at the new Palamino in the ground floor of the Westin. Oh yeah, Trader Vic's ? Fuggedaboudit - their bar was jam packed. That had to wait for later.

Drinks and snacks at Palomino were just fine - service was good, the place was jammed - but that will probably be the first, last and only time I run the gauntlet in that establishment. I was also wearing extremely cruel shoes that were too new and too tight for standing in line making small talk with the 16 year old "hostess" unit assigned to keep the rabble in line. So finally after settling in and pounding a few, getting my alcohol and blood sugar levels back to normal, we decided we would be brave and leave our tabletop sanctuary to once again try our luck at Trader Vic's. (By this time, every fiber of my being was screaming for an escape directly to Chinatown).

We managed to finally secure a table at Trader Vic's in the bar. Perused the goofy rum cocktail menu and ordered a few along with the requisite pupus. This is where I began to look around and as my rheumy eyes cleared momentarily; I realized this was not at all the Trader Vic's I remember so fondly from childhood. First of all, instead of an intriguing labyrinthine floor plan with the ceiling height intimately lowered by a collection of strange Polynesian kitsch, this modern day recreation in Bellevue was a big open box, with a rather cheap imitation decor-wise, of the original. Sure they have a few woven baskets and fishnets hung from the ceiling, but you can also see all of the industrial ductwork etc. for the space clearly evident if you are sober enough to ever look up. The bar was packed, but even at 7:00 - which it had now crept up to being - the dining room was no more than 20% full. Something tells me this joint may not be long for this world.

The drinks arrive - and I will say that the perky "like - how are you guys ?", cocktail server did a pretty good job keep us fed and lubricated while we were there. That being said - check out the sad cocktails:

What I remember as being a wildly garnished feast for the senses, to be shared by 2 or 3 people, wound up plopped on the table in a dirty, greasy, fingerprinted, massively chipped cheap piece of crap, with a browning -  I firmly believe, previously used gardenia floating in it. It was like a mini-septic tank - all for you sir ! The other drinks were just as unimaginative, identical tasting and poorly presented. I think they must just have "rum gack no. 1, and rum gack no.2" on the guns behind the bar, with the occasional splash of grenadine for color. OK, enough, enough - you get the picture - I was disappointed.

The snax were a bit better, and the ribs WERE still pretty damn good:

They were moist, smokey, not too much sauce, with extremely tender meat that must have been slow cooked and smoked at very low temp for a long time. The food was still tasty - but the rest of the experience seriously needs work.

So here's the promised recipe that was prepared and devoured here at home last weekend. Not exactly the same (not the same smoky flavor), but very highly recommended. It came from the May issue of Saveur Magazine, and is apparently based on one that appears in the Joyce Chen Cook Book (J.B. Lippincott 1962), by the author of the same name. I make a LOT of different types of ribs, and this is a very good recipe, all-in-all pretty easy.

They recommend using leaner St Louis style ribs, with the breast bones and extra flaps of meat removed.

• 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tbsp. dry sherry (or Shaohsing cooking wine if you have it)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 3/4 tsp. red food coloring
• 1/4 tsp. Chinese five spice powder
• 1 2-lb. slab spareribs, preferably St. Louis style , cut into individual ribs

1. Whisk together hoisin, soy, sherry, garlic, sugar, food coloring and spice powder in a large bowl. Add ribs: toss to coat with marinade. Set aside, covered with plastic wrap, to let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange a baking rack on top of a rimmed foil-lined sheet pan. Remove ribs from marinade (reserve marinade); arrange the ribs on the rack  - meat (not bone) side up. Place pan on the middle rack of the oven; pour in enough water that it reaches halfway up the sides of the pan, making sure the water doesn't touch the ribs. Bake ribs for 35 minutes. Baste ribs with reserved marinade: flip and baste again. Bake for 35 minutes more. (Add more water to the pan if it dries up). Raise the oven temp to 450 degrees. Flip ribs again: baste with remaining marinade. Continue baking until the ribs are glazed, browned and tender, about 10-15 minutes ( Watch it here! You can easily and quickly overdo it and make them tough, dry and burnt if you are not careful ! ) Serve with Chinese mustard, or duck/plum sauce. Yummy !

Churrasco for Gumbies

Churrascaria - here's what Wikipedia has to say - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Churrascaria

Have you done this yet ? The Brazilian steak house thing ? You know - they bring by grilled meats to your table on long skewers and slice off pieces for you at the table in an unending blissful stream of carne carnage. Basically it's meat, followed by meat, with more meat, and then more meat, followed by more meat, until your colon is screaming for you to put down the fork and GET OUT !!!

Well, I went at it with the ol' Weber Gas Grill on the deck tonight. Having been to wonderful Brazilian Churrascaria restaurants over the years like Fogo de Chao http://www.fogodechao.com  I thought - what the hell - I can do that !

 

 Well, initial investigations provided me with some basics - like MEAT - what kind ? I wound up with the correct cut - you can get it from your local butcher, but you need to ASK. It's called a Sirloin Cap - and you want to ask for it - "fat on". When most meat departments cut the primal cuts they receive into steaks - they can easily accommodate your request - especially if you give them a little advanced notice. They cut enough sirloin every day, every week - that you can have one - or a bunch of these Sirloin Caps reserved for you - if you plan/ask ahead. They will come to you roughly an inch to 2 inches think - 1/4" in fat (good) with the remainder in meat - they will be roughly square about 12" X 12", unless you have a SPED butcher at your local grocery store.

 

Now you've got your meat in hand (sorry). Cut them in half lengthwise and fold them over and run 'em through on your skewer of choice (see photo at the top of the post). I got a little carried away - as you'll see, with the meat-in-bondage thing. You can probably just as well fold the damn thing in half and run it down the skewer without the extra meat oppression technique I employed.

 Please excuse the nasty, dirty grill. if you come over for dinner - I promise I will clean it.

Next thing you'll need is one of those rotisserie thingies that I got with my Q, or you'll need a small indentured servant with a strong right arm to turn the meat on an improvised spit over your grill for an hour or two. In that case - you'll also need cold beer or skittles to keep the BBQ slave/munchkin happy and quiet.

Beyond that - it's pretty simple. Round and round she goes, seasoned - ONLY - with a generous amount of coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. As you'll see from my BBQ pics - I needed to remove the grills to allow for proper rotation (I hate it when that happens). I would recommend the HIGH setting to start, (the BBQ - not you - at least not yet). One word of additional advice - DO NOT close the lid. We had a rather spectacular flame-up that had me running around, screaming, swearing and generally looking like a fool.

After that - take it off and carve it into thin slices against the grain - as in the plagiarized photo at the bottom, and stuff it in (what else?) your PIE-HOLE.

It was seriously good, and despite all the hassle of rigging up the BBQ with this ridiculous gear and having to cook on a 3 foot long skewer - I will do this again.

And FINALLY -  this is what it was supposed to look like - it kinda did - but by that time I was to busy feeding my beak and had forgotten all about the stupid camera......

Enjoy !

Pie in the HOLE - a glorious weekend

Last night's desert finale. Fresh Spring Apricot upside-down Piehole Surprise (recipe to follow)

The weather-people were WAY off here in Seattle this weekend. What was predicted to be cloudy and rainy turned out to be absolutely beautiful. And apart from the Jerry Springer-like Slapfest that took place in my neighbor's condo ( Grandma-punching, F-YOU yellin, cop-callin, drunk-spittin, lawn-sleepin ), it was a lazy 3 day weekend cooking and drinking wine with friends. Ahhh, the good life......

The desert above finished up last night's dinner, which followed a weekend of pork induced haze. Some highlights:

• Cypriot Pork Souvlaki Kebabs with yogurt, cucumber mint and garlic sauce
• Local Mangalitsa Woolly Pig Bacon - thick cut from the shoulder. Purchased up at the West Seattle Farmers Market, along with great veg,  free range chicken and duck eggs ! See: http://www.woolypigs.com/
• Chinese Style Short Ribs - ala Trader Vic's pupu platter - you remember that, don't you ?

Here are the Kebabs - I'm still burpin the garlic. Ping me if you want the recipe.

So back to the PIE for the HOLE. I think this is a Jamie Oliver recipe - but I have been making it periodically for years - can't quite remember (if it was yours Jamie - thanks). I always enjoy it because it allows me to look a magician in the kitchen in front of my guests, whipping up something quick, easy and delicious - even after we've polished off numerous bottles of wine between the 4 of us (this time I only burnt 7 out of 10 fingers in the process).

Start off with a dozen or so ripe ( but not too ripe) apricots. We were lucky enough to find a new purple variety at the local Theftway Store up in the hood. Sort of a cross between a plum and an apricot. Slice them in half, remove the stones, then quarter them.

Place the fruit in a standard size glass or metal pie plate. In a saucepan on the stove, put one cup of sugar and melt over medium-high heat until it melts and makes your basic carmel. Pour over fruit in the pie pan.

Take a sheet of puffed pastry from the freezer. I know, I know - but I said it was easy - right ? When it is thawed enough to form - roll it out just a little bit, place it over the top of the pie pan and crimp the edges down all the way around. Poke the top several times with a fork.

Place into a preheated 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until the top has puffed and is golden brown.

Take the sucker out, run a sharp knife around the edge of the pie plate to loosen the pastry from the dish. Get another large plate or shallow bowl. Invert it over the top of the PIE (this is where you burn your drunk-ass fingers) and CAREFULLY flip it upside down into the large plate or bowl. REMEMBER - spilling molten carmel all down the front of you is a pretty surefire trip to the burn center up at your local state hospital. Hot goo + alcohol = stupid ouchy mistakes - be careful please.

And finally - sprinkle with chopped shelled pistachio nuts. Then cut with a pizza slicer and serve - topped with a scoop of GOOD quality vanilla ice cream.

Your guests will be impressed with your ability to maintain, serve delicious treats and not wind up with 3rd degree burns.

Bon appetit !

Notes from the field........

 

At Blog Author’s request, Piehole wandering Editor-at-Large( pictured above) - Mike, files the following field report:

Just back from a four-night, five-day 2,604.6 mile moto-blitzkrieg west on the BMW R1200ST motorcycle. A bit weary, no stopping allowed. Took in the northeastern Colorado Rockies, the Bighorn Mountains in Wyoming, and the Black Hills on the way back home to the Twin Cities. The bike returned about 50 m.p.g. when running at or below 80 m.p.h., which dropped to around 40 m.p.g. when running at or above 90 m.p.h. Average m.p.g. for entire trip: 41. (Well, Your Honor, um, this type of machine just runs better at higher speeds.)

The stretch north from Granby, Colorado through Walden, and into Laramie, Wyoming is terrific for the sport-touring motorcyclist. It has it all. You cross the Continental Divide north of Granby on some very well maintained yet technically demanding roads (off-camber, decreasing-radius curves), with little margin for error, and then descend onto the plains south of Walden where the road straightens out and opens up seemingly to infinity. Here the scale becomes vast and the miles beg to be dispatched at speed. This stretch alone justifies the truck-blasted, mind-numbing slog across Nebraska and eastern Colorado to get there, a slog which will cost you about 15 IQ points if you’re not careful. (May I suggest calculating in your head the discrepancies between mile markers and the posted distance signs.)

Note: Estes Park, Colorado is no longer a worthy destination for the moto adventurer seeking a staging area for a ride into the mountains. I hadn’t been there in decades, but I do recall when it consisted of a loose and funky hodge-podge of youth hostels and genuine outdoor outfitters, and when smoking pot was a universally accepted, almost mandatory part of the local culture. Now, Mainstreet consists of an upscale, antiseptic strip mall of banks, art galleries, and an INDOOR mountain climbing simulator (it’s safer and easier). When checking in at my hotel I was required to sign an acknowledgement that a $500 penalty would be imposed if anyone in my party smoked anything anywhere on hotel premises. The 450 lb. manager explained that this was necessary to protect the health and well-being of hotel employees and guests. (Yes sir. Where do I sign? And do you have a lighter?).

Takuan - Sweet Pickled Daikon Radish

One of my FAVORITE pickles. And you know I loooooves my pickles !  I just cranked out a batch of these bad boys today. They're zingy, sweet, vinegary (is that a word?), spicy, zesty, just plain F'n - A  good !

It's a very popular and traditional recipe from Japan, served as part of the traditional tsukemono, and is sometimes even enjoyed at the end of the meal as an aid to digestion.

And they pack an extra surprise ! The daikon radish, when pickled - emits a particularly feet like odor when you crack open the jar. Guaranteed to make your friends and family pay attention to you're doing in the kitchen - or at least look over their shoulders and ask you WHAT THE HELL IS THAT !   The stank dissipates in about 15 seconds or so - and they are really lovely and delicious ! The smell is not at all related to the flavor.

Here's my EASY recipe:

Take a 1-2 lb. Daikon radish, peel it - slice it lengthwise in half, and then cut each half into semicircles about 1/4 of an inch thick

Dissolve 1 cup Kosher salt in 1 gallon water

Place the daikon in a ceramic or glass container and cover with the brine. It is critical that the brine completely cover the daikon - I usually put a small plate or something like that in the top of the container to weigh down the daikon into the brine before I cover it. Cover and soak the daikon in the fridge for 4-5 days like this.

Remove, drain the brine and rinse well 

In a saucepan, combine 1 cup unseasoned rice vinegar, 1/2 cup of water, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp ground turmeric, and either 1/4 tsp crushed red chili flakes or a few small whole chili pods of your choice - depending on how spicy you generally like stuff. I usually get a little carried away here - I like it HOT. Bring this to a boil - just enough to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and cool

Place sliced daikon in clean mason jars, cover with liquid and refrigerate. Should keep for a few weeks.

If this is your first time - after they've sat for a day or two in the fridge, open a jar with a newbie by your side and put it directly under their nose. Always good for a laugh. Enjoy !

Kawali Grill

I've been lunching lately -  almost once a week at this great new joint on Rainier Ave:

Location:

5300 Rainier Ave S
Columbia City (Seattle), WA 98118
(206) 723-6179

Here's a look at their daily specials from this week. Different from your usual fare, eh ? One great thing about the menu is that they offer standard American fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but also have a full Filipino menu as well !

My lunch selection this week was their Lechon Kawali - seasoned crispy pork belly, with rice and veg - Yum !

Great service, friendly and helpful staff and a wonderful change of pace in desert selections. Give them a try !

Corn - were you aware ?

Corn is the most ridiculously subsidized farm crop in America today. Our government spends literally billions a year to prop up its production. Corn ethanol subsidies alone are a healthy $1.25 per gallon of ethanol sold at the pump. Your tax dollars via these subsidies funnel billions into the coffers of mega agri-business companies like Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and Cargill. That means that your taxes go to manufacture heavily subsidized fuel out of the most heavily subsidized crop out there. Is this screwed up or what ?

Even more foolish is that the energy value of corn ethanol is much lower than gasoline. Essentially automobiles get worse mileage using ethanol. To make matters worse, corn ethanol production requires as much energy as it produces. A pretty foolish break-even proposition, eh ?

Is it a "Green" alternative ? No. The grade and type of corn being produced most certainly isn't food grade, and the manner in which it is farmed requires ridiculous amounts of insecticides, herbicides and especially fertilizers - which are made out of guess what ? PETROLEUM. Corn farmed in this fashion for this purpose is now responsible for the most soil erosion of any crop in this country. Runoff from these farms silts up the rivers in the heartland, and this chemical laden byproduct ultimately winds up in the gulf, killing fish, shellfish, corals and other forms of marine life. Guess what - you remember that shrimp you just had with your "seafood lover in you" dinner the other night? Think of all the delightful toxins it likely contained. Thanks ethanol.

This ethanol nonsense is just getting started too. Recent federal legislation calls for ever increasing production during the next 2 decades, and for all of this - we won't even come close to feeding the beast that is our national fuel consumption. The offset of all this increased production won't even affect it by more than 5%.

To add insult to injury, we are replacing food crop production with fuel crop production - right now we are at diverting 25% of our annual corn crop (it used to be for food). This will only increase in the years ahead. Great stuff eh ? Food shortages increase globally, prices continue to rise and there is no end in sight. Tell you what - take a minute - as I have, and drop these knuckleheads in our nation's capitol a note letting them know your thoughts on the matter - web site address listed below. In the mean time spread the word - I'll keep mouthing off - with my fingers crossed....

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

Thailand - ideas and suggestions

Someone just asked me for some help in planning a trip to Thailand for the fall. Since I sat down and wrote all this stuff out for them - I thought I might also throw it our here for anyone headed in that direction any time soon....

This is the web site we used to book our wonderful island paradise hotel for our last trip to Thailand:

http://www.i-escape.com/home.php

Their reviews are thorough and thoughtful - covering all the aspects you would like to know about a property. We felt very secure in the financial transaction with them and came away from the experience through them with very good things to say.

On our most recent trip we stayed for a blissful do-nothing week here:

http://www.i-escape.com/hotel.php?hotel_key=TH007

It was pretty paradise-like. Don't know if you guys dive (we don't yet), but this was away from the main tourist hustle - remote - great lodging and food - and away from it all. This small island is known for its diving experience. We did snorkel, rented a skippered little fishing boat for an afternoon that took us all around the island (takes only about an hour) and it was amazing. To get there, you take a short flight from Bangkok to the island of Koh Samui and then take a 1-2 hour high speed catamaran out to Koh Tao. Koh Samui is good for a few nights stay also - its a much bigger island and much more developed - although not without its charms. When it was much less developed - way back in 1989 - I spent one of the most blissful months of my life there with some close friends.

I would feel pretty comfortable with any of the recommendations on this site. As I recall - there are two periods of "monsoons" in the gulfs of Thailand on either side of the Thai peninsula. East side is during one distinct time, and west side is during another. Do some research - you may be OK in the islands to the south - if you plan accordingly to be on the correct side of the Thai peninsula when you are there.

Speaking of the Peninsula - if you want to splash out a little - the Peninsula in Bangkok offers 5+ stars accommodations for pretty reasonable rates compared to elsewhere in the world. I think we got ultra-pampered there for around USD$250.00 per night. Considering almost ALL flights from the US arrive around 11:30 PM - it is really nice to have a luxurious lap to start out your trip in. It is also right on the Chao Prya river - the main artery that goes through Bangkok.  http://bangkok.peninsula.com

Across the river is the Sheraton Royal Orchid hotel also - which I have never stayed at - but is in a great location - and always struck me as a good possible. http://www.bangkok.com/royalorchidsheraton/

Depending on your budget - I also know of a great low end place very close to the river and the Sheraton where I have stayed a few times over the years also - called the Riverview Guesthouse. Funky - in a safe but VERY colorful neighborhood, has air-con rooms and a groovy rooftop restaurant. I can get you a business card for this place with a little map on the back of it - if you are considering it. I have LOTS of photos of all of these places too if you want more. http://www.frommers.com/destinations/bangkok/H1709.html

I have been to Thailand 5-6 times and I REALLY like staying in a hotel on or near the river. You can navigate much of the city and most of the major tourist sites via water taxi up and down the river - which gets you away from sitting in Taxis in Bangkok's non-stop rush hour traffic. The new monorail system also connects very close to both of these hotels - so you can utilize that too. Whatever you do though, DO ABSOLUTELY take a couple of shorter trips between your destinations in the little 3 wheeled scooters called Tuk Tuks. A true Bangkok experience not to be missed. And haggle the driver down a little from whatever price he offers you when you approach him - PRIOR to getting into the Tuk Tuk. They usually double what the ride is worth in their initial quote to you if you look like a tourist.

In Bangkok - go to the Royal Palace, The Golden Buddha, The Patpong Night Market, Ayuthaya - the archaeological site / old capitol city up-river, Chatuchak Market if you are there over a weekend, rent a rooster-tail boat for an hour or two for a private tour of the smaller tributaries of the river (surprisingly affordable) and eat, eat, eat, eat.

If the south is just not workable from a weather standpoint - head north to Chang Mai. I have not been there since 89' so you are on your own for specifics - but know that it is definitely different from the rest of Thailand and wonderful. Higher elevation, a bit cooler and plenty of stuff to do and see - check you guidebook for ideas.

Also - if you can plan for it - GO TO ANGKOR WAT ! It's a 2 hour easy plane ride from Bangkok, and one of the most amazing places I have ever been. If you are into archaeological site visits - this is right up there with the Pyramids in Egypt and Machu Picchu. Not to be missed. Despite the fact it is in Cambodia (you will need a visa), it is a very easy 2-3 day side trip. The people are wonderful and friendly - food is good and hotels are plentiful in Siem Reap. I have attached a couple of photos from there to lure you guys into going there.

Let me know if you have any other specific questions. And do go - Thailand is my favorite destination in SE Asia. Super friendly peop