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Dick Pickles

February 4, 2011 / / 0 Comments

When I try to be cool, it really never works because, basically, I’m a dork.  I think that the only time I REALLY force it is when I put on my Simpson (maiden name) attitude and attempt to prove some lame-ass point to Dave – still doesn’t work. As my daughter often says, “Epic Fail!” Case in point…last night, at Big Earl’s BBQ (James Porter’s new bent), Emily and I were pretty much standing alone – as we tend to do at most of these shindigs.

Hold on, hold on!  That is not the fail!! However, in most circles I’m sure that hangin’ with your driver kills all hope of achieving the popularity that many strive for in this business ~ yeah whatever. Anyhoo…there we were, eating pork in every form known to man and drinking copious glasses of a nice Merlot when I started pointing and jumping up and down (I do this a lot) and slurring (I do this a lot, too)….”Isn’t that the guy from that show, um you know–The Middle! No, no, it’s the other one, you know, the guy, the Dad, with the weird hair and hot, neurotic wife?”. 

For those not “in the know”, I was referring to Phil from Modern Family; however, the gentleman in question was actually Mr. Rich Dahlquist, meteorologist extraordinaire from ABC Channel 15. 

Flashback to 1992…..

…so there I was at a Country Dance Bar in Tukwila, WA. I don’t remember why I was there or who made me go, but, hey! I can groove with the best of them and believe whole-heartedly that line-dancing is an art. Well, on this particular evening, an extremely interesting gentleman asked me to dance and since I was on a break, I said, “Yes.”

There we were, twirling ‘round the dance floor when someone dosey-do’s by and says to this extremely interesting gentlemen, “Hey, aren’t you Bill Ny the Science Guy?” Epic Fail!!  He was actually very popular in Seattle at the time and did a bit on a local late night show, but, of course, I didn’t have a clue. So, there I was…..on another break.

Rich the Meteorologist, on the other hand, didn’t desert me to the wallflower waiting room or question my integrity because I wasn’t aware of who he was or what he did. We did, however, strike up the best conversation I’d had that evening (aside from exchanging pigeon stories with Emily) and I completely enjoyed myself.  I love it when you meet people for the first time who can trigger true belly laughs, make you feel comfortable, and don’t give a shit what anyone else thinks. 

Along with his great sense of humor and complete sincerity, Rich asked for a code-word. Since fried pickles were one of the down-home delicacies flying off the trays at this function, I blurted out “Pickle!” Emily and I raced home – well, we stopped for a quick drink at Dillon’s – and watched the 10:00 o’clock weather report on Channel 15.

Rich Dahlquist:”It’s gonna be cold out there” (something, something, something) “but if you’re in a pickle….”  And there I went again, jumping up and down, pointing at the TV. Yep, totally UNCOOL!! David was tickled because that’s why he loves me. Then, I got a kiss. Thanks, Dick!!

 

Chef Doreen Fang’s Creamy Corn Soup

February 3, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Doreen Fang’s name will probably be familiar to those of you who tuned into Season 6 (2010) ‘The Next Food Network Star.’ We are so excited to have her as this week’s guest on into the Soup Radio!! Doreen earned an Associate of Occupational Studies from the California Culinary Academy and loves experimenting with different cuisines and ingredients. She currently co-owns a boutique catering company and teaches cooking classes for adults and children in Los Angeles. Raised in a predominantly Chinese community in Los Angeles, Doreen finds culinary inspiration in her family and friends. Doreen shares this comforting corn soup that her mother used to make. The bits of egg in this recipe add a mild Chinese flair. She loves it, and we think that you will, too!

My Mom’s Creamy Corn Soup

Ingredients:

  • 3-14 oz cans Chicken broth
  • 2 cups Water (or you can just add more broth if you like)
  • 2-14.5 oz cans Cream of Corn
  • 1 cup Frozen Corn (no need to thaw)
  • 1 large Egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 Tbsp Cornstarch (make a slurry by adding 2 Tbsp cold water to the cornstarch)
  • 1 squirt Sesame oil
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • White pepper, to taste
  • 1 stalk Green onions, cut on bias (garnish)
  1. Combine chicken stock and water in a medium sauce pan; bring to a boil. Add your corn (creamed and frozen); bring to a boil again.
  2. While you stir the soup, slowly add the cornstarch slurry, making sure it does not get clumpy.
  3. Before you pour in your egg, use a pair of chopsticks and to start stirring the soup; continue to stir as you pour add the egg. Use your chopsticks to break up the egg so there are long swirls and bits of egg.
  4. Season with salt and pepper. Add a squirt of sesame oil and top with green onions to garnish. Serve immediately.

 Click Here for More Soups of the Week

The Weekly Whet: The Red Lotus

February 3, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Can I get a show of hands (or paws) from my fellow rabbits? That’s anyone born during the years of 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, and 1999.

According to The Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, “People born in the year of the rabbit are articulate, talented and ambitious.” We get along with pigs, dogs, and sheep, and “(we) would make good gamblers for (we) have the uncanny gift of choosing the right thing. However, (we) seldom gamble, as (we) are conservative and wise.”

I think I’m tired of being conservative and wise…anyone want to grab a red lotus and try our luck at the poker table?

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 oz Vodka
  • 1 1/2 oz Lychee Liqueur or Vodka (available at major wine, beer, and spirits warehouses and possibly Asian markets)
  • 1 oz cranberry juice
  1. Pour the vodka, lychee liqueur or vodka, and cranberry juice into a cocktail shaker with ice.
  2. Shake well.
  3. Strain into a chilled glass filled with ice and Gong Xi Fa Chai!

Slow Cooker Winners: North African Chicken Stew

February 3, 2011 / / 0 Comments

The slow cooker truly is the busy person’s best friend! What could be better than throwing some ingredients in a pot on your way out the door and coming home to a sensational supper? It doesn’t get much easier than this, friends!

North African Chicken Stew

•  Minimum 4-quart slow cooker

Ingredients:

11⁄2 lbs       boneless skinless chicken thighs,                     
                  cut into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces

11⁄2 tbsp     freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp          ground cumin                                                   

1⁄2 tsp         ground allspice                                                

1⁄2 tsp         cayenne pepper                                               

2                cloves garlic, minced                                        

1                red onion, chopped                                          

1                butternut or other winter squash, peeled            
                  and cubed (about 6 cups/1.5 L)

2 cups        cooked or canned chickpeas                            
                  (see page 120), drained and rinsed

1⁄2 cup        chicken broth                                                   

                  Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4                green onions, chopped                                     

                  Hot cooked couscous

                  Chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

4                lemon slices                                                     

 

1. Place chicken in slow cooker stoneware. Drizzle with lemon juice and toss chicken to coat.

2. In a small bowl, combine cumin, allspice and cayenne. Sprinkle over chicken. Arrange garlic, red onion, squash and chickpeas on top. Pour in broth.

3. Cover and cook on Low for 5 to 7 hours or on High for 21⁄2 to 4 hours, until chicken is no longer pink inside. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

4. Add green onions. Cover and cook on High for 10 minutes.

5. Ladle over couscous and garnish each serving with cilantro and lemon slices.

Makes 4 servings

With this stew, you can enjoy the flavors of North African cuisine without having to go to an exotic grocery store to buy the ingredients. Ladle it over couscous and serve it with some warm flatbread to soak up the savory sauce.

Tips

You can add a little more heat to this recipe by increasing the amount of cayenne pepper. Or you can add some hot sauce at the end of the cooking time, if you prefer to taste the level of heat before adding extra spice.

Look for precut fresh squash in the produce department of your supermarket. It will save a lot of preparation time, since the peel and seeds have already been removed. Simply cut it into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes.

Excerpted from Slow Cooker Winners by Donna-Marie Pye © 2010 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Click here to purchase Slow Cooker Winners by Donna-Marie Pye

Coffee 101: The Science Behind The Roast

February 2, 2011 / / 0 Comments

by Emily King

There’s something a little different about Village Coffee Roastery. One of my first observations is that it’s just 10 o’clock in the morning and the joint is packed with people pounding coffee-rubbed short-rib sandwiches along with their cappuccinos. I pull up a barstool next to an older gentleman; he has a kind smile and a little bit of grease running down his chin.

“It’s that good, huh?” I say.

“It’s THAT good,” he confirms.

I’m not much of a coffee drinker, but something about this place makes my mouth water and my taste buds itch for a latte. The aromas of caramelized sugar and rich, earthy notes of fresh coffee linger in the air and head straight to my olfactory factory. This is how a café should smell.

Owner Lisa Stroud passes off her last order to another barista and we grab the only empty table in sight. It’s appropriate (or is it ironic?) that we’re sitting in the shadow of a large, blue, Sasa Samiac Roaster. Our topic of conversation today is, you guessed it, coffee-roasting; and I can’t seem to shake the feeling that this machine is looking over my shoulder, double checking my fact sheet.

“Sasa” Fierce

Lisa begins by showing me the different parts of the beautiful drum roaster imported from France. The raw beans are poured into a wide funnel-like piece that is connected to the drum. Hot gasses heat the drum and the drum begins to spin. The beans roast as they tumble around in the spinning drum. When the roasting process is complete, the beans are quickly removed from the drum and completely cooled within two minutes. Lisa emphasizes that this is one of the most important steps of the procedure; if the beans are not cooled immediately, they will continue to roast in their residual heat and the batch will be ruined.

Drum Roaster (Top View)

All of the beans at Village Coffee are medium-roasted except for the espresso beans (a slightly darker roast). I ask her why she doesn’t offer the fancy-sounding “French Roast” or “Italian Roast” like I see at some chain-coffee spots. She explains that at Village Coffee, “The roaster isn’t the star, the coffee is the star.” She pays top-dollar for the best shade-grown, high-altitude beans she can find and dark roasts destroy their innate flavors and antioxidant properties. In a medium roast, the sugar is gently caramelized—not burnt, resulting in a coffee that is sweetened naturally.

So how do they achieve this perfect medium roast? Well, that’s the scientific part of the process!  Before the Village Coffee experts begin roasting, they plug many factors into their top-secret equation, including the weight of the batch to be roasted, humidity, outside temperature, and altitude. Based on this information, they determine the optimal temperature and roasting time for the beans. 

While many roasters rely on “first crack” (the popping of the beans as they heat) or color (which can be affected by the age of the beans), the experts at Village Coffee use a mass spectrometer to ensure a consistent product. The mass spectrometer reads the reflectivity of the beans as opposed to variable characteristics like cracking and color. The beans are then allowed to rest for 72 hours before they are ground and brewed. As it turns out, freshly ground beans do NOT produce the best cup o’ joe!

According to Lisa, the quality of the beans begins to deteriorate after 7 days and they should not be kept (or used) beyond day 14. Of course, filtered water is another must when brewing great coffee. Even the best beans cannot stand up to the harsh minerals in Arizona tap water. Village Coffee is equipped with a phenomenal filtration system which is strictly maintained.

Stroud and her team run a tight ship. Espresso machines are calibrated constantly and the chimneys are cleared of soot every other day. They do everything in their power to make sure that their customers get a premium brew with every visit, and judging by the constant flow of people into Village Coffee Roastery, their efforts are most appreciated.

Click here to see Heidi and Jason of Village Coffee Roastery make coffee-rubbed prime rib.

Still thirsty for more? Click here to see Julie and Emily get their caffeine fix at Village Coffee Roastery in Scottsdale.

For More Coffee 101, click here

Brought to you by Village Coffee Roastery, turning Science into Art

The Weekly Whet: The Neat-O-Tito

January 28, 2011 / / 0 Comments

As I took a big bite of perfectly grilled Mahi-Mahi and tore into a fresh corn tortilla yesterday at The Vig Uptown, I felt a devilish grin creep across my face; While other employees were stuck in break rooms heating up leftovers, I was sittin’ pretty at one of the best restaurants in town, listening to Heidi organize her thoughts for this week’s radio show.

if you’ve never been to either of The Vig locations, they’re worth entering in your GPS. The food is gorgeous, inventive, and delicious. Unexpected blends of ingredients and spices make for an incredible dining experience, and some of the names  of the dishes will make you chuckle. Oh–and did I mention the perfect service? Thanks for putting up with our silly banter, Adam, we’ll be seeing you again soon for Happy Hour. I’m sure Heidi will be ordering a “Neat-O-Tito”, and I’m gonna “Take Bethany Home.” Remember that, will ya?

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 oz Dry Vermouth
  • 1 1/2 oz Tito Vodka

1.) Pour ingredients into a cocktail mixer with ice

2.) Shake “liberally”

3.) Strain the drink into a martini glass and garnish with two Bleu cheese-stuffed olives

 

Visit The Vig Uptown

6015 North 16th Street, Phoenix

The Vig

4041 North 40th Street, Phoenix

Click for menus and more location information

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