Into the Soup

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Surprise, Surprise!

February 21, 2011 / / 0 Comments

I always think it’s interesting to hear someone say, “I was pleasantly surprised.” On the surface this appears to be a good thing, and in fact, it probably is. However, to me, this phrase indicates that one wasn’t planning to be surprised at all, and anticipated that a particular encounter or event would indeed suck. Have you ever heard someone say that he/she was unpleasantly surprised?  Well, maybe you have, but that’s not the point….or is it?

What is the point then, you ask? No freakin’ clue, dude! Perhaps it was an attempt to point fingers at those “glass half-empty” people (Cheer up, Charlie!). Of course, it could be the fact that I recently watched “Pretty Woman” and haven’t been able to shake what struck me as a poignant exchange between Edward and Vivian. Edward (Richard Gere) says something to the effect of “…people rarely surprise me,” to which Vivian (Julie Roberts) counters, “Yeah, well you’re lucky,  because they surprise the hell out of me.”

To be surprised means lots of different things in lots of different situations.  Webster defines it thusly:

1. to come upon or discover suddenly and unexpectedly; “Don’t surprise the cat like that!”

2. to make an unexpected assault on (an unprepared army, fort, person, etc.); “The ENTIRE German army, well Surprise, Surprise!”

3. to elicit or bring out suddenly and without warning; ”Put that away, you’re surprising me.”

4. something that surprises someone; a completely unexpected occurrence, appearance, or statement; “I was pleasantly surprised when the service took a turn for the better and our meal was a complete…um, surprise?”

While numbers 1 and 2 don’t do much for me and 3 could be taken completely out of context and ruin someone’s career, number 4 seems to fit the bill for an encounter I had last week.

While my glass was half-full in anticipation of meeting Eric Gitenstein (MF Tasty) and Jeff Kraus (Truckin’ Good Food), it developed a slow leak when Abbie and I were greeted (if you can call it that) at the reception stand of a local eatery. There were 4 people in the place, it was 4 p.m. and there were going to be 4 of us in about 4 minutes– no problema, si?  NOT! 

Gratuitous whispering ensued, management was called into play, and we were grudgingly told that they USUALLY don’t seat a party until everyone arrives, but today, they would make an exception (Happy Valentine’s Day!). Next time, if they were busy, we’d have to wait.  Drip, drip, drip.

Things start looking up as cute waiter number 1 steps in…until he brings his serious attitude to the table. Drip, drip, Drip. I order my Pinot Grigio (really small pour) and Abbie gets a flat Sprite with lipstick stains on the glass.  Drip, drip, drip. Mr. Attitude gets repositioned to the patio and cute waiter number 2 enters (stage left), with a shiny new Sprite for Abbie, a big fat smile, and announces the stupendous happy hour pricing. One leak plugged.

Eric and Jeff (and his wife, Erin) arrived and were actually nervous to meet me. They must have read EaterAZ’s article about me being “Bat Shit-Crazy” or they hadn’t listened to my show and thought I was ‘proper’. The hell with that! After dropping a few gratuitous “F- Bombs” and a few shady jokes, we were well on our way to being–what do the kids call it nowadays? BFFs?

Everyone relaxed and we shared some snacks, some stories and some serious laughter, and soon, my glass runneth over!  Were they pleasantly surprised?  I sure hope so. 

Chef Eric Gitenstein’s MF Tasty Cream of Mushroom Soup

February 18, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Chef Eric Gitenstein is a doll! He kind of reminds me of a young Richard Dreyfuss (my secret crush) AND he can cook! Geez, if this guy could hunt for sharks AND owned a boat…well, never mind. Seriously, Eric is a great guy, great chef and has a great thing going with his MF Tasty underground restaurant movement. I’ll be first in line for his next party – shark fin soup, perhaps?

Cream of 3 Mushroom Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups crimini mushrooms, quartered
  • 2 cups maitake mushrooms, base removed
  • 2 cups enoki mushrooms, base removed

*If you cannot find these particular mushrooms, substitute with whatever you can find, same amounts apply

  • 1/4 cup minced yellow onion
  • 1/4 cup minced garlic
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1/4 teaspoon chopped thyme, fresh
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt & black pepper
  • Chopped parsley (for garnish)
  1. In a sauce pot, over medium high heat, melt the butter and sauté the mushrooms, onions and garlic. Add the salt, pepper, and thyme. Allow the mushrooms to slightly caramelize and deglaze the pot with white wine. Stir occasionally and allow the wine to reduce almost completely. Pour in the cream, stir and simmer until cream has slightly reduced and mushrooms are cooked completely.
  2. Serve in your favorite soup bowl and garnish with chopped parsley.

 

 Click Here for More Soups of the Week

The Weekly Whet: The Sour

February 18, 2011 / / 0 Comments

It was recently brought to my attention that too many of my cocktails involve the use of a cocktail-shaker (oops). I deeply apologize to those of you who are not equipped with this fine bar tool.

However, I also must point out that a similar result can be achieved by pouring the ingredients into a glass full of ice, placing a tupperware lid over the top of that glass, and holding it securely over the opening with the non-mixing hand, while the “mixing hand” shakes the MacGyver-like contraption. You can use any kind of cooking strainer–or hell, a piece of your screen door–to strain your drink into a new glass (can you tell I went to college yet?)

But seriously folks, go ahead and just mix this one up with an old-fashioned spoon (or chopstick, or the end of that old flute you’re never going to play again). I won’t tell.

Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 oz light rum
  • 3/4 oz lemon or lime juice OR pre-made sour mixer
  • 1/4 oz grenadine
  1. Pour rum into your drinking vessel
  2. Add a few cubes of ice (or for those of you in cold climates, a few shards of icicle)
  3. Add the lemon, lime, or sour mixer
  4. Add grenadine and stir it all up!

Enjoy:)

 

The Yogurt Bible: Baked Chicken and Mushroom Risotto

February 17, 2011 / / 0 Comments

You could serve this easy chicken and creamy risotto as a luncheon dish or as a main-course dinner dish with a green salad or steamed vegetables. Don’t be tempted to omit the grated lemon zest because it really sets up the taste.

Baked Chicken and Mushroom Risotto

Serves 6

Preheat oven to 400°F

9 x13 baking dish, lightly oiled

  • 3 skinless boneless chicken breasts ~1 lb
  • 2 tbsp  olive oil                                                            
  • 1 tbsp  butter                                                               
  • leek, white and light green parts, sliced                      
  • 1 cup coarsely chopped mushrooms                         
  • 11⁄2 cups Arborio rice                                                  
  • 4 cups chicken broth                                                  
  • 1 tbsp  grated lemon zest                                           
  • 1⁄2 cup frozen peas                                                     
  • 1 cup plain yogurt                                                       
  • 1⁄2 cup crumbled goat’s cheese (Feta)                       

1.  Slice chicken breasts into 1⁄2-inch wide strips. In a skillet, heat oil and melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes or until lightly browned on all sides. Using tongs, transfer to a plate and set aside.

2.  Add leek and mushrooms to pan and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until leek has softened. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes or until transparent. Scrape vegetables, rice and browned bits from bottom of pan into prepared baking dish. Stir in broth and lemon zest. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes.

3.  Add browned chicken pieces and peas to rice mixture and stir well. Cover and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender and chicken is no longer pink inside. Remove from oven and stir in yogurt and goat’s cheese.

Excerpted from The Yogurt Bible by Pat Crocker © 2010 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Click here to purchase this week’s cookbook: The Yogurt Bible by Pat Crocker

Questions? Contact:

Martine Quibell

Manager, Publicity

Robert Rose Inc.

120 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 800

Toronto, Ontario   M4P 1E2

Phone 416-322-6552 x 3133

Fax 416-322-6936 

mquibell@robertrose.ca

Also check out Yogurt, the Ancient Wonder Food by Katie Haarala

Who’s Cookin’ Now: Milling Around with Julian Wright

February 16, 2011 / / 0 Comments

by Emily King

Mill Avenue is the place to be and be seen on a Friday afternoon. College-aged students are sitting outside enjoying a few beers after a long week of classes. Street performers are setting up shop on corners in preparation for an evening of entertaining the inebriated masses as they hop from bar to bar. Good-looking servers are rolling out space heaters to make patio-seating more comfortable. It’s a hip and inviting scene—the perfect setting for new restaurant concepts, or in the case of Julian Wright, a few new restaurant concepts.

Julian Wright, owner of La Bocca Urban Pizzeria and Canteen Modern Tequila Bar, is truly “the man behind the curtain” of both of his current operations. Luckily for him, they are located just across the street from each other, and I’m quite certain that he saves a fair amount of money on a gym membership as he runs between these  two very popular establishments.

       

                                                            Dusk at Canteen and La Bocca

Despite his busy schedule, Wright has mastered the art of the “poker face.” The man is in constant motion during our interview. He jumps up every now and then to make sure that a minor repair job is going well, answers queries from his staff, and greets the regulars, yet he never seems to be overwhelmed. It’s the kind of work-ethic and multi-tasking ability that develops from years of experience in the restaurant industry—experience that Wright gained as he worked his way through college.

After graduating from ASU, Wright forged ahead in the fast-paced restaurant industry. As a bartender and server on the opening teams of many new restaurants, he was able to observe the successes and failures of numerous owners and managers. Before long, he too was an owner doing his best to avoid making the mistakes of his predecessors.

Make no bones about it: Opening a restaurant is a tricky business that perplexes even the most talented and intelligent professionals. Perhaps what sets Wright apart is his attention to detail and his participation in every aspect of his restaurants. He is the king of “winging it,” proving that formal training in culinary, design, and carpentry are nice, but not always key to success.

 

Wright opened La Bocca in 2008, “as the sky was falling,” he jokes. With less disposable income, people were especially picky about where they ate, and Wright didn’t feel like the mediocre crust La Bocca was turning out at the time was cutting it. Ever the busy-body, Wright headed to the kitchen and stayed there for 6 months learning the intricacies of pizza dough. He admits that La Bocca’s process is unconventional, but customers can’t get enough of it. Mission accomplished.

Of course, the pizza isn’t the only thing that makes La Bocca a shining star among the slew of eateries on Mill; the signature flatbread, and garlicky baba ganoush (Caution: do not consume on date-night if you intend to get that goodnight kiss) are delicious components of the medley plate. The Queen Creek Olives, tasty feta, and smooth hummus are perfect accompaniments for a glass (or three) of wine and good conversation. For more substantial noshing, I’d spring for the Mascarpone, Smoked Prosciutto, and Truffle Oil Bruschetta. Basically, Ecstasy without the pill–or those pesky urges.

Then, of course, there are the impressive interiors of both Canteen and La Bocca which look like the creations of a professional designer with access to a large budget. In fact, the chief interior designer of both restaurants was Wright himself, armed with only his creativity, the local Ikea, and the patience “to go to Lowes and get nine different colors of paint.”

The Bar at Canteen

Wright denies that he is an artist although I beg to differ. It takes the spirit of an artist to look at a space and work with the existing pieces the way he does. He points to the long, upholstered benches that run parallel to the bar in the center of Canteen; they are cream-colored with splashes of lime green—the exact shade of the wall behind the benches.  Clearly, he wasn’t kidding about all those trips to Lowe’s.

While Mill Avenue may be the place ‘to be and be seen’, the scene (yeah, I know) at both La Bocca and Canteen is well worth any trip to Tempe.  Stop in and say “Hello” to Julian – he may sit down and give you some interior design tips.

Capistrano’s Breakin’ Bread: The Croissant

February 15, 2011 / / 0 Comments

by Emily King

The next time you’re browsing the glass pastry case for an edible companion to your morning cup of coffee, consider passing on that sad-looking low-fat blueberry muffin and indulging in the buttery goodness of one of those lovely golden puffs on the very next tray . Yep, you’ve got it—the croissant!  Once thought of as a somewhat exotic treat, croissants are now a staple in coffee shops and supermarket bakeries. But they made an awfully long journey to achieve their station on the shelf next to the other breakfast goodies.

Like most of our favorite pastries, the croissant hails from across the vast Atlantic. But don’t let the French name fool you; these cafe staples actually originated in Austria. Food historians are skeptical about the lore behind the development of the croissant (or should I say Kipfel—the German word for ‘crescent’), but who wants a boring story about some Austrian baker who was fooling around in his kitchen and happened upon such a delicious confection? Not us!

The more exciting (albeit fanciful) legend has it that the Kipfel was created by bakers who assisted in the Austrian defeat of the Ottoman Turks attacking Vienna in 1683. After surrounding the city for months, hoping that the Viennese would surrender from starvation and exhaustion, the Turks became impatient and began tunneling under the walls. Hardworking bakers who were up late at night heard the tunneling intruders and warned the city’s defenders. The warning gave the Viennese time to call on King John III of Poland, who brought an army that defeated the Turks and freed Vienna. In celebration, the bakers created a crescent-shaped pastry representing the symbols on the Turkish flag. People devoured the pastries as voraciously as King John’s army had “devoured” the invading Turks.

Kipfels became a beloved snack among Austrians, including the Austrian Princess, Marie Antoinette who married (then) Prince Louis XVI of France in 1770. French bakers made batches of the pastries for the Princess’ arrival and soon Parisians were going crazy for Kipfels! In fact, the only thing the French saw fit to change about the pastry was its decidedly un-French name. Voilà! The “croissant’ was born.

Go ahead–take a bite of that perfectly flaky, feather-light croissant. Slather it in butter. Lick your fingers. Think of the bakers who got out of bed long before the sun was up, and lovingly rolled, folded, and rested the dough to create those 81 heavenly layers.

And please don’t feel sorry for the low-fat blueberry muffin. All of the preservatives, fake sugar, and fat-alternatives will surely keep it case-stable for another day.

And don’t forget–you can always get your croissant-fix and other premium bread products from Capistrano’s!

Visit Capistrano’s Wholesale Bakery online by clicking here.

Click Here to read more Breakin’ Bread Features

Or, in Arizona, Capistrano’s artisan breads are available at Vincent’s Saturday Market on Camelback when it is open, at Holsum Outlets, and now at Luci’s Healthy Marketplace. Here are the locations.

  • Apache Junction – 10107 E. Apache Trail
  • Casa Grande – 823 N. Pinal
  • Chandler – 7275 W. Detroit
  • Peoria – 9210 W. Peoria
  • Tucson – 2801 S. 4th Avenue
  • Luci’s Healthy Marketplace -1590 East Bethany Home Road, Phoenix

 

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