Monthly Archives: January 2010

Pork loin & bacon fat-sauteed cabbage sammies

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bacon slaw & pork sammie 1-24-10

Bacon Slaw and Pork Sammie

I have some leftover mustard-encrusted pork loin roast from the day before last, and I just saw 3/4 of a head 0f cabbage in my vegetable crisper, which makes me happy I saved the bacon fat from the BLTs we had a couple of weeks ago.  I know I have one bagel, one piece of naan and one sub roll, as well as fixings for mustard aioli – if I scrape out the large jar of Best Foods I bought for the holiday season, that is – so that, my friends, means there will be a dinner for three tonight, and I’ll let the boys fight over the bread and take the one that’s left.  Something tells me it’ll be the naan.

Cabbage Sauteed in Bacon Fat

1 Small head green cabbage
1/4 cup rendered bacon fat
1 tablespoon whole mustard seeds
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
Salt & pepper

1).  Cut cabbage in half and remove core by making v-cuts into each half as it sits cut side down on board
2).  Shred cabbage (medium to large shred)
3).  Wash and spin-dry shredded cabbage
4).  Add bacon fat to wok or other deep vessel on medium flame (I often use my trusty Wolfgang Puck electric wok for this)
5).  When oil melts, add mustard seeds
6).  When mustard seeds begin to pop, add cabbage, bay leaves, turmeric and a little salt & pepper (amount of salt depends upon salt content in bacon fat used)
7).  Turn flame to high and stir fry for a few moments
8).  Cover and cook, over medium flame, stirring now and then, until cabbage is at desired consistency.  About 7 minutes is usually good in terms of leaving a little texture intact

This is good served with a non-clashing pork roast, i.e., one that has been rubbed with a paste of Dijon mustard, ground thyme, a little oil and some salt and pepper.  If you serve it on a pork sandwich, make mustard aioli to serve on the side.

Mustard Aioli

1/4 cup of good mayonnaise, like Hellman’s/Best Foods
1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon black (or white) pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk everything together, adding more salt and/or pepper, if you like, and allow to sit in fridge for a couple hours to meld.

Little Louie’s in Point Richmond

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Prime rib sammie at Little Louie's in Point Richmond

Grilled prime rib panini at Little Louie’s in Point Richmond

Matt and I drove over to Point Richmond a couple of weeks ago to take some photographs.  It’s an interesting area with some nice old houses and storefronts – a hidden gem.  According to the Point Richmond History Association, Point Richmond was once an island on San Francisco Bay and the birthplace of the city of Richmond.  Point Richmond is now a Richmond neighborhood and considered its “old town.”

If you spend a little time walking its hilly streets looking at Victorian and Craftsman-style homes, you’ll have no problem grabbing a bite when you’re done.  Since we like delis, and think there are not enough of them in the Bay Area, we almost always go to Little Louie’s (49 Washington Avenue).  Now, if you’re from a place like New York (like us) or Chicago or even LA, you won’t consider this a “real” deli, rather a good Cali-style fancified kind of deli/casual eating establishment where you can get decent sandwiches.

Grilled chix panini at Little Louie's in Point Richmond

Grilled chix panini at Little Louie’s in Point Richmond

Little Louie’s is a comfy place where you order at the deli counter and your food is brought to the dining area in the back room.  Matt and I opted for panini – one prime rib and one chicken – and a Caesar salad.

The Caesar salad ($5.95) was a nice big bowlful of fresh romaine tossed with the customary trimmings with dressing on the side.  It was the perfect thing for us to split with the sammies.

My prime rib panini ($9.25) was very good. and not over-grilled.  I give them credit for serving this, because you have to strike a balance with prime rib that’s not cooked to order.  Too much grilling and you’ll wind up with overcooked meat – too little and the fat will not have softened sufficiently to get good flavor and mouthfeel.  This is exactly why I buy a prime rib at Christmas that is about the right size for one meal – it’s just not the same as a left-over.  My still-pink slice of meat, of a sufficient size, was topped with melted cheddar and sauteed onions and served on a high-quality sourdough roll, most likely from Semifreddi’s.  It was served with beef jus for dipping, a pickle spear and a couple pepperoncini.

The chicken panini ($8.50), served on a ciabatta roll with spinach, tomato and jack cheese, arrived naked on the plate – no pickle, no nothing, but was tasty.  It could have used a few more minutes on the panini maker, but other than that, there were no complaints.  I can’t say it was as good as the prime rib sandwich, though.

If you’re in the area I suggest you give this place a try.  They’re very nice there, and have an extensive menu, including numerous breakfast items (they actually serve a full breakfast) and carry  the whole nine yards falling under the category of “coffee and” if you don’t want a full meal.  Burgers, sausages, bagels – it’s all there.  They open at 6:00 a.m. during the week and 7:00 a.m. on weekends, but be sure to check their hours because they are open for breakfast and an extended lunch only.

Scallion guacamole

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Scallion guacamole

Scallion Guacamole

The weather has been crappy so I want to serve something to brighten up the day around here.  Given that I have a number of ripe avocados on hand as well as many limes waiting to be picked, I thought guacamole would fit the bill.

I love any reasonable form of guacamole and often experiment with ingredients, particularly those that can stand in for the cilantro and chilies.  Today I don’t want much heat and would rather amp up the sour element, so I decided to go with scallions and extra lime juice.  Sometimes scallions are skinny and lifeless, but Berkeley Bowl had some great looking, large, crisp scallions the other day, so they will really work well here.  When using scallions, you can also nix the red onion.

One important note it that you should always use fresh lime juice in guacamole.  It makes a difference!

Scallion Guacamole

2 large (or 4 small) ripe Hass avocados (they are ripe when they have a little give when pressed – but not too much)
1 medium tomato (use a decent, ripe tomato!)
4 nice, leafy scallions (aka green onions)
3 tbsp.  fresh lime juice (at least)
3/4 tsp. coarse salt (Kosher is fine)
A few grinds of black pepper

1).  Remove the seeds and pulp from the tomato and give it a rough chop.
2).  Chop scallions into 1/4 inch rounds.
3).  Give your avocado flesh a rough chop. (for help in dealing with getting at the flesh, look here)
4).  Gently combine all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl.
5).  Adjust salt and lime juice to your liking.

Note:  If you are not going to serve right away, add the tomato at the last minute.

This one is especially good with grilled chicken or salmon.

Creamy butternut squash soup

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Creamy squash soup ready to ladle out

Creamy squash soup ready to ladle out

When I was at Costco last week I noticed that they were hawking bags of cubed butternut squash ready to cook.  At $5.49 for 2.5 pounds, and my shortage of time this week, it was serendipity defined. 

I decided to make a killer squash soup for the fam, who declared it the best I ever made.  Here’s the recipe:

Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

2.5 lbs. cubed butternut squash (about 1″ cubes)
3 tbsp. canola oil
1 quart chicken stock
1/2 tsp. ground dried thyme
3 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 c. mild, creamy bleu cheese, in very small pieces, for garnish (you could even use a hybrid like Cambozola)
Kosher salt & white pepper

1).  Place the squash on a sheet pan and rub with the oil and some salt; spread out in single layer
2).  Roast at 400 deg F. until the edges start to get a bit brown – at convection, if you have it.  This should take no more than 30 mins.
3).  Removed the squash from the sheet pan and place in a dutch oven, being sure to get any stuck-on bits.
4).  Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
5).  Reduce to a simmer, cover, add the thyme, and allow to cook for about 25 mins.
6).  Add a little white pepper and then blend with an immersion/hand/stick blender (directly in the dutch oven) until very smooth.  Alternatively, blend in batches in a regular blender, but at your own risk! 
7).  Place pot with blended soup back over very low flame and add the butter, which should be stirred in until melted.
8).  Bring to just under a simmer and turn off heat.
9).  Stir in heavy cream and adjust seasoning.
10).  Ladle into bowls and garnish with bleu cheese

Squash soup being simmered

Squash soup being simmered

Tomate Cafe in Berkeley

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Side potatoes from Tomate Cafe in Berkeley in 2009

‘Bakers Mash Potatoes’ at Tomate Cafe in Berkeley (12/09)

We really, really wanted to love Tomate Cafe (2265 5th Street, Berkeley).  It’s a cute little place tucked into Berkeley’s industrial area, food-wise something on the order of a Jimmy Beans or Meal Ticket.  They’ve got lots of veggie and vegan options – plenty of organic stuff – and refer to what they offer as “creative, non-traditional American cuisine.”  When looking for parking near Vik’s, I would notice this place while circling around, and was looking forward to giving it a try.  Matt and I were finally able to stop in for lunch during the holidays.

It wasn’t that the whole experience was negative, but two key elements were a problem.  First off, we were overcharged significantly, as in the person behind the counter adding an extra $50 to the bill.  Luckily, the manager caught it and took care of it for us.  OK, mistakes happen, and I don’t really hold this against them, but at no time did the person who made the error say, “I apologize.”  The manager just kept saying something like, “…mistakes happen.”

We each ordered a tuna melt ($7.25), which were pretty good, I must say, particularly the bread, which had a nice crunchy texture.  The tuna salad was flavorful, and there was some red onion, tomato and sprouts, too.  There was sufficient filling, and everything on the sammie melded nicely.  Matt had a green salad and I had the potato salad, which was, well, nothing to write home about, but I find this to be true of most cold, mayo/creamy dressing-based potato salads.  This one was no more or less a heavy mass than others I’ve come across, but it also lacked flavor.  Maybe if they cut their potatoes into smaller pieces it would help, but they seem to not want to break down their potatoes much, which leads me to the main irritant of our meal:  the side order of “Bakers Mash Potatoes” ($2.00).  What we got was a plate with three smallish potatoes that looked as though they were cooked whole (I guess they were baked, from the name) and then smashed down on a grill and left there for a very short period of time, given their lack of crust or color.  They were served with a small quantity of sour cream on top.

I looked at the server (not really a server – you order at counter and then someone brings you your food) as if she had just brought us out a plate of sawdust.  “That’s the potatoes?  They look like crushed whole potatoes and there’s hardly any sour cream,” said I.  She said, “Yes, that’s the way we make them, and you should know that these potatoes are served with the breakfasts.”  Good to know.

While we were eating, another diner ordered the potatoes and also gave them a perplexed look when they arrived.  She asked the same server for “something” to put on them, like a sauce.  The server offered pesto, which seemed agreeable.  When the server passed by our table, I asked her if she had something to put on our potatoes (I don’t think she knew we were wise to the other diner and the pesto), and she said, “no.”  She told me she would take them back and give us something else, but by then we were pretty annoyed and told her we’d take them home and use them to cook.

I’m still wondering if they normally crisp their potatoes up on the grill, which would make all the difference, but at no point did the server indicate this.  Until I get to the bottom of it, I’ll stick with the tuna melt and salad!

'Classic Tuna Melt' at Tomate Cafe in Berkeley (12/09)

‘Classic Tuna Melt’ at Tomate Cafe in Berkeley (12/09)