Feeling Crabby

Tracy's been in a crabby mood the last few weeks, which found us almost having to wait for nearly two hours at PPQ Dungeness Island on Clement Street in San Francisco. Fortunately, we made a call to Yummy Yummy on Irving and they saved us a seat. I don't see the big fuss over waiting such so long for crab. I remember being quoted a wait time of 3 hours at Boiling Crab in San Jose last year.

Crab boils are pretty simple. You buy a live crab (like Ferdinand here), and throw him in the freezer for a bit so gets nice and comfy. Later, boil a huge pot of water and season it (there are tons of different crab boil seasoning recipes, just google it). Boil for 10-20 minutes depending on the size. Throw in some of your other accoutrements like chopped corn on the cob, potatoes, onion, or sausage. Once Ferdinand starts floating, go a couple more minutes and you're good.

For that "I just waited for 3-hours for this" restaurant feel, put some butcher paper down over your dining table, and dump the strained crab and goodies onto the table and dig in.

Chile Verde Soup

This dish is sort of a mash-up of Chicken Tortilla Soup and Chile Verde. I experimented by taking ideas from a few different recipes, and ditching the measuring cups and spoons.

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into small pieces (you can use chicken thighs if you want to impart more flavor, moisture, and fat)
• 1 chopped onion
• 3-6 cloves chopped garlic
• 2 diced anaheim chiles (or poblano/pasilla chiles)
• 10 tomatillos - husked and chopped
• 1/2 or 1 Bell pepper (I like red for contrast and flavor, green works well too in keeping it verde. If you feel bold, go with yellow or orange)
• 4 cups or so chicken broth
• Olive oil
• Oregano
• Chili powder
• Cumin
• Paprika
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cinnamon (2 sticks preferred, but a few dashes of ground cinnamon is fine too)
• 1-3 zucchinis (depends on size)
• Cilantro
• Tortilla chips (or Fritos)

Cooking instructions:

1. Chop everything in advance, except for the zucchini (that comes at the end)
2. Season the chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper.
3. Heat a wok or skillet on high heat with olive oil.
4. Add chicken and toss and stir for a couple minutes. This is to give the chicken some color. You may want to do this in two batches to get good color - don't crowd the pan.
5. Transfer to a slow cooker, crock pot, or cooking pot [hereby called the "chicken pot"]
6. Add more oil to the pan and add chopped onion and garlic for a few minutes, then transfer to the chicken pot.
7. Add more oil to the pan and add bell peppers and chiles and saute for a few minutes, then transfer to the chicken pot.
8. Add the tomatillos and chicken broth to the chicken pot along with oregano, chili powder, cumin, paprika, additional salt and pepper. 
9. Stir everything around in the chicken pot to mix in the seasoning and various ingredients. If you are using ground cinnamon, put a few dashes of that in before stirring, if you are using cinnamon sticks, add that in after stirring and submerge it in the mixture.
10. Slow cook that bad boy
• If slow cooking or crock potting, set it on low and slow for at least 4 hours. If you have a high setting, maybe 2.5 hours is enough, but generally longer and lower the better.
• You can alternatively simmer over the stove for a couple hours, stirring occasionally.
• If you're pressed for time, just bring it to a boil then set on medium for 15-20 minutes.
11. Add chopped zucchini with about 30 minutes remaining to avoid getting it too mushy.
12. Serve in a bowl with cilantro and crushed tortilla chips.

Some other tasty tips:

• Add canned corn at some point for extra goodness and color.
• Since I use a slow cooker and am a firm believer in low-and-slow, I like to do steps 1-9 the night before and throw it in the fridge. In the morning, I put it in the slow cooker and set it for the maximum 9-hours so its ready when I get home.

Closing Time at Le Cheval

One of our favorite restaurants, Le Cheval in Oakland, is closing its doors after 25 years. Apparently they were forced to move out of their location at Clay St. and Tenth St. due to an unwarranted eviction by the building's jerkstore landlord, Monica Ung, who's company is under investigation by California State Attorney General and Alameda County District Attorney.

Tracy and I were fortunate enough to be there for Le Cheval's last dinner service -- salty calamari, lemongrass chicken, and their famous beef cubes.

Tracy inquired with an employee from Le Cheval about their closure, and we were pleased to learn that they would be opening a new location at Clay and 11th Street where China Wok Restaurant used to be (underneath Arsimona Bar and Grill). The new location will be significantly smaller (about 100 person capacity compared to 285), and may offer a slightly different menu. Inside Scoop SF's Paolo Lucchesi reports that the new location may be a wine bar called LCX.

So its bitter sweet that they are leaving, but on the bright side, the new location will be opening, and their other locations in Berkeley and Walnut Creek will continue to be open for business.

Chicken Nugget Experiment

By popular demand to my friends that missed this when I posted it in Facebook (seriously guys, social media - its gonna be a thing). This is a video clip from Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution on ABC, in which he shows and explains to a group of kids how chicken nuggets and chicken patties are made.

I'll admit, I used to really like chicken nuggets, and those cheapo $1 McChicken Sandwiches when I was in a rush, but I doubt I'll eat them anymore after watching this. Enjoy.




So, would you still eat it?

Saturday Morning Flapjacks

Woke up this Saturday morning and felt like making some pancakes. We had some Kodiak Cakes whole grain flapjack mix leftover from when the girls (Tracy's kid-cousins) stayed over on Labor Day weekend. So here we have some flapjacks, nothing special, but added some fresh nectarines.

I'll be making my own pancakes from scratch one of these days. I watched a video from Food Mob on making pancakes and poached eggs. So I'm excited to try that soon. Its essentially just Flour, Eggs, Milk, and a little baking powder.

Banana Bread

I bought a big bag of bananas from Costco, and for some reason they got ripe really quick. Tracy, our primary banana eater, likes her bananas on the green side. I don't mind a yellow banana, but I don't eat a lot of bananas, and certainly couldn't put down 7 extra bananas, especially when they start getting those brown spots. So when you're in such a situation where you've got more bananas than you can eat, try making some banana bread. Its an easy and delicious way to put them to use.

I used a modified version of Aunt Holly's Banana Bread from Epicurious. A relatively simple recipe that uses minimal ingredients.

• 3 to 4 ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups flour*
• 1 teaspoon baking soda*
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• Chocolate chips (as many as you want!)
• Mixed Raw Nuts**

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mash the bananas in a bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon. Bake in a buttered loaf pan until a toothpick stuck into the bread comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Slice and serve.

* I used self-rising flour in lieu of regular flour and baking soda. My baking soda has been in my fridge absorbing odors for the last several months, so i thought it unwise to use it. And my alternatives were in the freezer and shoe closet doing the same.

** Walnuts would probably be recommended for a more traditional banana bread, but given what I had available in my pantry, mixed raw nuts is what I used. I think some crushed or sliced almonds would be great, as would a handful of any trail mix.

Special Report - Twin Egg Phenomenon

After my wife told me that a few of the eggs she was going to eat had double yolks, she refused to eat the remaining eggs. So I took it upon myself to really test these eggs, plus we had purchased two-dozen of these Kimbo Grade A Jumbo eggs from the 99 Ranch Market. I believe Kimbo is 99 Ranch's house brand. Which is starting to explain a lot. Check out this video to see my test of cracking open 10 eggs open.

Special Report: Twin Eggs from Ray Huang on Vimeo.

I did some further research on the phenomenon of twin eggs, and it turns out that it is quite common in jumbo-sized eggs. By the sorting process, the eggs are sorted by size, and all the jumbo ones are put into jumbo carton, the similarity in size keeps the eggs from getting crushed in the carton by more evenly distributing the weight. But you don't car about the carton, you care about the yolk.

According to a website called www.countryhen.com, "Hens begin their laying process with small eggs, then medium, and eventually over the course of time are laying large, then extra large and finally jumbo eggs before they stop laying altogether. It is the jumbo eggs that have double and sometimes even triple yolks. The number of yolks reflect only on the age of the hen, not on the feed they eat or any other factor. The egg with a double yolk is still fresh and Grade A."

I consulted another website called PoultryHelp.com which stated, "Double yolks are a 'mistake' in the chicken's reproductive system that sometimes happens when a hen just starts laying eggs and her system is still trying to figure out how to do it correctly." The site goes on to say, "Double Yolkers appear when ovulation occurs too rapidly, or when one yolk somehow gets "lost" and is joined by the next yolk. Double yolkers may be by a pullet whose productive cycle is not yet well synchronized. They're occasionally laid by a heavy-breed hen, often as an inherited trait." PoultryHelp.com has an illustrative list of other egg oddities that is worth a read.

So after throwing ten eggs down the drain, it would seem that this string of twins is not too abnormal, but I still cringe a bit when you consider what hormones may or may not be pumped into the hens to make them crank out eggs faster. Much like women who go through fertility treatments are more prone to having multiples after getting pumped full of who knows what, that may be what is happening to these hens. So I'm still weary of eating these, and I think I'll stick with medium or large eggs purchased from more reputable markets.

I Pity The Hens.

Beware of Falling Objects

I almost lost my toe the other day. I was taking out a pair of kitchen shears to cut up some ham to put in my omelette. I fumbled it and it fell. I did one of those cat-like instinctive jump and spread my feet as far away from the landing zone as possible.

The shears landed pointy-side down and stabbed into the floor and stuck the landing. At first I was amazed that it stuck like that, considering I dropped it from only about 2.5 feet up, but then I though how much that would've hurt if that had landed on my toe. Yes, I cook barefooted, which I might think twice about.

Brown Sugar Gingersnap Ice Cream from Ici

After a long and uphill bike ride up to Tilden Park in Berkeley, I rewarded myself with a scenic and fast ride down the hill that made me feel like I was on my motorcycle again. I stopped by to watch a little Cal football practice at the stadium, rode through campus, and rewarded myself with a hotlink from Top Dog on Durant, and then this wonderful Brown Sugar and Gingersnap ice cream from Ici on College Avenue.

This delectable delight hit the spot, with just the right creaminess and sweetness and the gingersnap cookies provided a nice chunky surprise and burst of flavor. The cone is unique too. Its not a waffle cone, so much as a crepe-cone.

Ici Ice Cream
2948 College Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94705
http://www.ici-icecream.com/

Pizza Benedict

Friday night, as I was biking home from work wondering what to make for dinner, I took a mental inventory of what was in my fridge that I can make into a meal. I knew I had 1/3 bag of shredded mozzarella, a ball of buffalo mozzarella, ham, and some frozen bacon. I decided to make a quick pit stop at Trader Joe's* thinking I'd make a pizza, what better way to get rid of all that mozzarella cheese. I then thought about what flavors go with ham, and tomato sauce and ham didn't seem like it would go well together. So perhaps another sauce would work. I had a flashback to a brunch I had a couple months earlier at my neighborhood Café Aquarius--I had an Eggs Benedict Pizza.

I ended up making a hollandaise sauce (in lieu of tomato sauce), which started with with 3 egg yolks, 3 tablespoons of butter in a small bowl. I brought some water to a low boil and put the bowl of butter and egg yolks in it, forming something of a double boiler. I whipped that well with a fork, and after a bit, added a bit of salt, pepper, and cayenne. Normally when making a hollandaise sauce, you want it to get to about 140 degrees, but since I was baking the pizza, it wasn't a concern.

Next step was rolling out the pizza dough. I used the Trader Joe's Garlic and Herb dough and let it rest first for about 20 minutes before working it to a nice rectangle that fit my cookie sheet.

I nuked a few slices of bacon in the microwave between paper towels. This is a great way to cook bacon and absorb some of the fat, and not make your house smell like bacon (which isn't always a bad thing) or cause a hot greasy mess on the stove. I also saved the 3 egg whites and lightly cooked them in a frying pan with olive oil and a dash of salt.

Assembly Time

1. Preheat oven to 450-degrees
2. So pizza dough is spread out on the cookie sheet (lightly greased). 
3. Spread the hollandaise sauce evenly.
4. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese lightly.
5. Cut a few slices of ham into strips or pieces, and distribute a layer.
6. Cut or break the bacon into pieces and distribute.
7. Place pieces of the cooked egg whites.
8. Slice the ball of buffalo mozzarella and lay over the pizza (or sprinkle more shredded mozzy).
9. Top with sliced grape-tomatoes.
10. Place in the oven for 12-15 minutes or until the crust feels crusty and the cheese gets some color.

When its done, let it rest for a few minutes, then transfer to a cutting board. Cut in whatever fun way you like and enjoy a wonderful breakfast pizza for dinner... or breakfast or lunch.

*Trader Joe's co-owner, Theo Albrecht, passed away at 88 years of age on Saturday, July 24, 2010. He was one of Forbes Magazine's 20 Richest People. Read more about Theo Albrecht's passing...

Thai Basil Chicken

On the menu today is Thai Basil Chicken, a relatively easy dish to make. This video will take you through the basic steps and I will also list the steps below. Here are the ingredients:

• 1 package of ground turkey or ground chicken or thinly sliced chicken (1.25 lb.)
• 1 large or 2 medium zucchinis
• 2-4 tomatoes (depending on size)
• 1 bunch of basil
• 1 onion
• 4-5 cloves of garlic
• 4-10 Thai chiles (or 3-6 Serrano chiles)
• 3-5 tbsp fish sauce
• 3-5 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp cooking wine
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt to taste

Thai Basil Chicken from Ray Huang on Vimeo.

This recipe doesn't really require exact measurements, its hard to go wrong, and you can make adjustments based on your preference of spiciness, saltiness, fishiness, veginess, meatiness, and chunkiness.

1. Start cooking your rice.
2. Wash all the vegetables thoroughly.
3. Slice the zucchini, tomato, and onion into pieces that are about the same size. Not too big or you can't get all the elements in one bites.
4. Dice the garlic
5. Slice the Thai/Serrano chiles to your preference. I prefer thin slices for even spice distribution. Remove seeds if you're a wuss. You could also halve them lengthwise or throw them in whole.
6. Pluck the leaves of the basil stems.
7. Heat a wok or pot on high and add a light coat of oil.
8. Add the garlic followed by the onions and sauté for a couple minutes.
9. Add the ground turkey (or chicken) and break it up a bit.
10. Pour fish sauce, soy sauce, and cooking wine and sugar over the ground turkey, mix together. (I forgot to say I added sugar in the video!)
11. Add sliced chiles and brown the meat for a few minutes until nearly cooked through.
12. Add zucchini and tomatoes and mix in for a couple minutes.
13. Add basil leaves and mix in.
14. Taste it and see if it needs any adjustments to flavor. Sometimes a sprinkle of salt at the end is all it needs to bring out a lot of the flavor.
15. Turn off heat.

Serve it however you like. Either by spooning it over rice, or transfer to a serving plate for self-service.

Melona Ice Cream Bars

I was visiting my parents over the Independence Weekend and my mom handed me this frozen treat. Melon flavored ice bar. I've since also had it in strawberry flavor as well the original melon; mango, banana, red bean, and lime are also available, but I have not had them yet. It has a unique creamy texture rather than the iciness of a Popsicle, though it doesn't melt and drip nearly as quickly as a true ice cream bar.

According to Wikipedia, Melona is a South Korean product that launched in 1992 by Binggrae. It quickly became a top seller in the "Popsicle" category in South Korea.

Melona bars are available at 99 Ranch Markets and possibly other Asian specialty markets. If you can find them, I give them a very high "buy' rating. They come in boxes of 8, though they may be sold separately as well.

Just this evening I bought a box of Strawberry Melona and froze it for a little late night dessert. I was a bit disappointed though when I pulled one out of the box, that apparently it may have melted and refroze, leaving me with a chubby short bar (as it molded to the end of the wrapper). Perhaps there are still some shipping/logistical kinks they need to work out shipping them from Korea, or else someone at 99 Ranch forgot to freeze them right away. No worries, it still tasted great and had the same ultra-smooth texture. I may update this in the morning if I feel any ... repercussions.

San Marzano Pizza - Video

I recently got a new FLIP HD video camera, and on a whim, I decided to try my hand at making a little cooking video. The major challenge was holding the camera while prepping food. So pardon the shaky camera, I'm dealing with a lot of firsts: first time filming, first time editing video, and our first cooking show.

Its 13 minutes long, mainly because I ramble. If I had a camera man, or even a tripod, or multiple cameras, and the skills to properly edit a video,  I think we could be onto something. So enjoy my video.


San Marzano Pizza | iPityTheFood.com from Ray Huang on Vimeo.
Ray makes a Pizza with a San Marzano tomato sauce, salami, artichoke, basil, and mozzarella, on Trader Joe's fresh pizza dough.

If you like this blog or this post, please share it!

Bacon-wrapped Hot Dogs

Is there anything better after a late night out, when you come stumbling out of a bar, 6-8 hours since dinner... and from several blocks away you smell a delightful smell of bacon wrapped hot dogs cooked on a sizzling cart.

The story is the same for me every time. I get excited at the intoxicating smell grows stronger and I inch closer to what I can imagine heaven smells like, or maybe the charred fleshy smell of hell is more like it. None the less, I can't resist it. I impatiently wait in the chaotic line, and initially balk at the $4 price tag (I can get this for $1.50 with a soda at Costco!), then I remember that I've been drinking $12 watered-down cocktails all night. Why did I get that last drink, I could've had 3 more of these glorious devil dogs.

I like mine w/ grilled onions, jalapeños, ketchup and mayonnaise. How do you like yours?

Quickfire Dinner - Scallops and Garlic Noodles

After a late night of work, its hard to find the time to make dinner, especially when you haven't gone to the store in a few days. Last week we were in just that situation. So we pulled out some frozen scallops and defrosted them under cold running water for about 10-15 minutes. Dried them off well, and sprinkled a little  over them. Sear them in a hot pan for 90 seconds or so on each side and finish it off with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Garlic butter noodles are easy. Boil some spaghetti a minute or two less than the directions suggest. Mince a bunch of garlic. Melt some butter in a pan (I used about 2 Tbsp for half a pack of spaghetti). Throw in the minced garlic and a 1/2 tsp of salt and brown the butter and garlic on medium. Crank up the heat, and throw in your noodles. Toss them around nice and good, add some pepper, and serve. Veggies are always optional. In our case, some asparagus was in the fridge, so a light garlic and olive oil sauté was all it took.


As a finishing touch, I de-glazed the scallop pan with lemon juice and scraped the seared crud off the pan and topped the noodles with it. It added a unique lemony tang with some scallop juices and seasoning.

The lesson here, is to always keep some frozen scallops on hand. They defrost quickly and taste deluscious.

Boil, Butter, and Bike

The Miller-Lo's hosted a wonderful Memorial Day get-together which was aptly called, "Boil, Butter, and Bike." We started with a bike ride from Campbell Park through Vasona Park. We enjoyed a nice picnic of build-your-own sandwiches and spent some quality time in the park. After a ride back to the Miller-Lo's, we started boiling a couple pots of water and everybody pitched in to make the crab boil happen. We boiled up some clams, black tiger prawns (pictured in front), dungeness crabs (piled up in the background), corn, potatoes, hot links, artichoke crostini, and quinoa salad. For appetizers and dessert, we had Tracy's dark chocolate brownies.

Since I am allergic to shellfish (crab, lobster, shrimp, and crawfish), my contribution was a nice tri-tip roast with my Cajun rub (pictured below). Overall, the event was a hit. We enjoyed a beautiful day with some good friends, got some exercise to work up an appetite, and all pitched in for a glorious Memorial feast.

The House - Anniversary Dinner (part 2)

Nothing says fancy food like foie gras. For the main course of our anniversary dinner at The House in SF, Tracy had the grilled sea bass with garlic ginger soy, while I enjoyed one of their specials of the day, rigatoni with braised short ribs and foie gras with fava beans. In case you don't know, I'm a sucker for short ribs; so its no surprise that I ordered this. I had never really had foie gras before, but I have to say, it was very rich, and very tasty. The presentation wasn't particularly impressive and the short ribs were just modest meat chunks, also with a rich flavor. The combination of rich flavors worked really well when tempered with the pasta and the braising sauce.

Hopefully Tracy will follow up with a review of her sea bass soon.

Overall, I'd give The House a 4 our of 5 stars. I thought the service was mediocre, and the ambiance can vary by your table location in the tiny restaurant. The food is excellent, the portions a bit small, and the price a bit high (but not shockingly over priced, nor unsatisfyingly small) which brings down its value a bit for me. If you're looking for a great date spot or a romantic celebratory dinner, I think The House will do just fine.

Thanks also to my friend Nate for recommending this place nearly 5 years ago.

The House - Anniversary Dinner (part 1)

Earlier this month, Tracy and I celebrated our third anniversary. To make things both special and nostalgic, we had dinner at The House in San Francisco's North Beach, where we also went on our first date. I recall having the sesame soy glazed salmon and Tracy had the seared Ahi tuna. Both staples are still on the menu today.

This time around, we started off with the seared scallops with a yuzu vinaigrette, topped with some fancy micro-greens. Does that sound familiar? It should; in my first blog post I wrote about my version of yuzu seared scallops. They were cooked perfectly, the sauce was good, and the greens were nice too. It did however baffle me that the order came with three. I'd imagine most people at nice restaurants come in pairs, or in small groups. Three pieces? That means we had to share one, which could be a deal breaker if this were a first date.

We both slowly ate our first scallop, slicing it into quarters for each bite to make it last. I know you all do this, when you have good food in a very limited quantity. If there were 6 scallops on the plate I probably would've just popped the whole delicious bad boy in my mouth. After finishing the first, we both patiently waited to see who wanted that second one more. Tracy offered it to me, and she ate the radishes in the middle. I thought they were just for decor.

I'll write more about my main course tomorrow.

The House
1230 Grant Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133
http://www.thehse.com

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BBQ Chicken Pizza

Ray's BBQ Chicken Pizza - Its not much to look at, but it tasted as good as CPK's version if not better.

Ingredients: Trader Joe's Regular Pizza dough, Chicken breast sauteed with Smith and Wollensky's Steak Sauce, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Cilantro, Onion, Tomato, Jack Daniel's BBQ Sauce, and Bill Johnson's BBQ Sauce, and mozzarella [afterthought ... try adding some smoked gouda].

The BBQ Chicken pizza is a staple in modern dining. It always looks appetizing when I see it on menus, and rarely does it let you down. It takes so many of my favorite foods and creates a perfect storm of tasty goodness.

Braised Short Ribs w/ Celery Root Mashers

Braised Short Ribs served with Celery Root Mashers and Curly Mustard Greens. The short ribs are braised with a blend of onion, celery, carrot, garlic, ketchup, and red wine. Browned first, and then into the oven with braising sauce for a few hours.

This is one of my favorite recipes when I have time and the reason. Its a derivation of Anne Burrell's recipe.

The meat just melts in your mouth, and the braising liquid makes for an excellent gravy over the celery root mashers. If you're looking for a change-up from your run of the mill mashed-potatoes, try boiling a few skinned celery root bulbs and mashing those with your potatoes. Here's Anne Burrell's FoodTV clip on making celery root mashed potatoes. She uses a mill to get them real smooth-- I don't have such fancy equipment, so I mash.

Bon Appetit Fool!

I Pity the Scallop

I made this dish back in September 2008. Pan-seared Jumbo Scallops drizzled with Japanese Yuzu sauce, served with Garlic-Ginger Bok Choy, and Fried Rice.

The scallops are from Costco, available in the frozen section, in 2-pound bags (I think they're U-15... as in 15 per pound). The key is to thaw them and dry each one individually with a paper towel. If its moist, it doesn't get a good sear on it.

Yuzu is this japanese citrus fruit that has a very delicate light but distinct flavor. Its used in a lot of fancy japanese recipes. Its available at the giant asian supermarkets or specialty japanese markets.

Sprinkle salt and pepper onto all sides of the patted-dry scallops. Heat up a frying pan on high heat for a minute or two, then add some olive oil (or use a spray oil like Pam), give it another moment, then one by one add the scallops in. Drop a few drips of yuzu on top of each scallop. After 1.5 to 2 minutes (of putting down your initial scallop), start flipping each one over. Then drip a little yuzo on each one again. 1.5 to 2 minutes later, remove each one from the pan and plate.