A $26 Burger - WTF?

OK, ok, so I was going to share my cooking escapades, recipes, and how to cheat cooking just a little to make a great meal.  However, I'm traveling for work and so you get this instead.  On the plane I paid the obligatory $6 and watched the new Cooking Channel the entire time.  The one thing that stood out?  The Black Label Burger at Minetta Tavern.

Is a twenty-six dollar burger really worth the money?  HELL YES.  OMG, this had to be hands down the best burger I've ever eaten.  The famed Black Label Burger at the Minetta Tavern in NYC is made from 4 different cuts of prime beef - dry aged rib eye, NY strip, skirt steak and brisket.  Beef lovers - you cannot even imagine how good this is.  I couldn't, neither could the multitude of bloggers I found on Google, each one with the same conclusion.

Monday night, 8-ish, I take a cab from Mid-Town to MacDougal Street in the Village.  There is nothing like MacDougal street in Seattle.  This is back-to-back restaurants, one after the other, a true plethora to tempt the tastebuds.  I got out of the taxi, was a bit dizzied by the neon signs and shingles to read from and found the one for the Minetta.  I managed a seat at the bar after about 10 minutes.

I ordered my burger medium rare, more to the rare side the bartender warned me (I told him it could come raw and I'd be fine) served plain with nothing but caramelized onions.  Sounds great - just give me the beef.

Words cannot describe this burger.  Hands down the best burger I've ever had.  The burger came on a small bun, what resembled a pretzel but in reality was probably brioche.  Dark brown shiny top with large specs of sea salt on them.  The burger itself had a nice crust on it - something only a flattop grill can produce.  I cut the burger in half.  It was red and it oozed.  The first bite, the juices and the fatty goodness of  a warm but not thoroughly cooked burger coated my tongue.  "Great mouthfeel" for the fancy eaters out there.  Every bite was juicy, with true beef flavor and texture.  No flimsy patties here, no sir-eee.  Every bite delicious beefiness.  So good I didn't even eat the frites (amazing I know).

Did I mention this was the best burger I've ever eaten?  Worth every single one of those two thousand sixhundred pennies.  Put it on your "must eat in NYC" list.

Sorry, no pictures you'll have to use your imagination or find the Cooking Channel's "Unique Eats" episode.  People in NYC are simply not on their phones at every given moment like Seattlites and I surely would have been laughed out of the place.

Cheating the System

Hi All (or the few that read my blog),  I decided in the shower this morning that instead of blogging about the food we eat out, I will share my recipes, tips, tricks and ways I've learned how to 'cheat' the cooking system here.  Hope you enjoy it and possibly even learn something.  Please stay tuned.

Eating Out in NYC, No Reservations Required

Wow, has it really been two months since I've last blogged.  That is sinful in blogspace (is that even what its called?).  Well, hopefully I can return to a regular schedule.  Part of the reason for my absence is the fact that I changed jobs and have been running non-stop.  For my new employer, I find myself in NYC getting ready for an office move.

So tonight I had an opportunity to eat at Les Halles, the home to Chef-at-large Anthony Bourdain.  I made it there with 30 minutes left in happy hour - hooray! Dining alone, I sat in the bar.  I secretly hoped (along with many other diners I'm sure) that Chef would show up and dine with me.

Three small dishes for me, a smoked pork tenderloin skewer, country pate and fresh mushroom raviolis. The pork, basically a lean tasty and tender ham with just a touch of smoky fat was fantastic - 4 pieces were just enough.  The country pate came with sliced cornichons.  Simple, tasty and filling.  Finally the mushroom raviolis were heavenly.  Cellophane thin pasta filled with fresh mushrooms in a rough chop where each type of mushroom were readily identifiable served in a buttery sauce and bits of goat cheese.  Pure pleasure.

Purposely ordering small plates, I left myself room dessert.  Happily a chocolate-free one too.  Vanilla cake, not quite as dense as a pound cake but not exactly light and fluffy.  Anyway, the cake had a berry mousse in the middle and was topped with whipped cream and fresh berries, with a berry coulis on the side.  Yummy, yummy.  Along with a glass of Tempernillo made for a very happy tummy. 

Not Your Ordinary Margarita

Somewhere new!  Tonight we went to Laredos Grill on lower Queen Anne.  It's been open for awhile now but this was our first visit.  Making quite the transformation in what was formerly Veil, our bartender/server told us the story of how the owners (one a Texan) traveled through South Texas experiencing the food and ended up in a Laredo warehouse sorting through a widower's antiques trying to find appropriate decor.  The multiple prayer boxes mounted on the exposed brick are prime examples of their findings.

While musing over what to eat, I spotted something on the menu that I had to drink - Avocado Margarita.  What? Disgusting you say - oh no Honey, very tasty.  They take their signature blended margarita, add avocado puree to it and give it another whirl in the blender.  The result is not overly avocado-ish, but a sublime, creamy and perfectly balanced drink.  For someone whom tequila is the last liquor of choice, this drink was outstanding. The menu tells a story of how the recipe also traveled from Texas, so it must feel at home in Laredos. 

As for food, Rob and I shared the  Tacos Al Pastor and the Quesadillas with Mesquite Grilled Carne Asada.  For those that don't know, Tacos Al Pastor is a hard thing to find in the Seattle area - Barrio serves a version, but they are not prepared traditionally; there is a cart that can be found in the Fremont Market, but that available only on the weekends and then you're subject to the whims of the Seattle weather.  We were excited to see that at Laredos, their Pastor was prepared in the traditional manner, on a big metal stick, in a vertical spit and with a pineapple on top.  While the tacos were good and close to what you can get in Mexico - they needed a little more pineapple and cilantro,  the quesadillas were better.  Three-cheesy goodness with just enough smoky mesquite from the carne asada coming through.  Both were fine accompaniments for my avo-rita.

We will go back to Laredos again, most likely for the happy hour (4-6 daily) where we can get three of the tacos for $4 along with $2 Tecate cans.  Muy bueno!

Photots by Rob

Nature's Gravy - The Egg Yolk

On Easter Sunday, Rob and I found ourselves at Blueacre (yes again - so what?).  The menu tailored for brunch Rob ordered a chicken fried NY strip and eggs and I opted for the traditional Easter dish, Shrimp and Grits.

Admittedly, my experience with Shrimp and Grits is limited having tasted it only once before here in Seattle at the somewhat recently opened Toulouse Petit on Queen Anne and they were OK.  There the shrimp were served in a very dark, heavy roux and what appeared (and tasted) to be the base of their gumbo.  But not at Blueacre.  The sauce was much lighter and brighter in color.  A saucy and tomato-y red, with discernable bits of what appears to be the Trinity held within and to make a brunch version - two perfectly poached eggs.

As sweet as the shrimp, as creamy as the grits and as flavourful sauce were on their own, add to it the the warm sunshine yellow of the yolk.  Mmmmmm.  Ohhh, the creaminess of the yolk just adds a whole new dimension.  Fancy words come to mind like mouthfeel and sublime.  Nature's perfect accompaniment to help bind flavours and ingredients together.  Perfection!

After adding a latte and bloody mary, we rolled out of there and headed straight home with good intentions of a spring cleaning but what ended up as a nap.  Bliss.

Burgers at The Counter

Both having had disappointingly unsatisfying lunches and thanks to a Living Social deal, Rob and I tried The Counter located in the Ballard Blocks just off the Ballard bridge.

The Counter has an airy and inviting atmosphere, reminiscent of a soda shop but one that serves adult beverages along with the shakes and malts.  The burger menu is so extensive it comes with instructions. 

First, choose your protein, and its weight after cooking, 1/3 lb, 2/3 lb and 1 pound.  Yes people - a one pound burger!  Then select from a plethora of toppings to choose from including cheese, veggies, sauces and finally a bun. My choice went low carb with a "bowl" version where they substitute the bun for a bowl of organic greens or lettuce atop which lie all your previous selections.

We started our meal with a platter of skinny french fries (my carb quotient) and finished it off with Key Lime Pie.  A much more satisfying meal than our lunches.  We'll definitely go back, but next time I'm starting with the deep fried dill pickle chips.

Aching for Blueacre

Today, Rob and I had the priviledge of dining at the soft opening of Blueacre, the new restaurant owned and operated by Kevin and Terresa Davis of Steelhead Diner - something I've been waiting for since they made the announcement several months ago. I view tonight as a homecoming for Kevin of sorts returning to the kitchen at 7th and Olive and where Oceanaire once stood (and where I met Kevin), Blueacre is now truly his kitchen and his restaurant.

With headings such as "the hunger" for starters, "boil and bubble" for soups and "belly full-o-steam" for the steamed spiny goodness of crab and lobster, the menu is chock full of tasty sea treats and I could hardly decide where to start.  New things right?  OK.

We decided to begin with the Totten Inlet Geoduck Tiradito. A Peruvian seafood dish, similar to a ceviche but where the fish is cut into strips instead of diced and then is garnished with an aji amarillo or a yellow pepper sauce. Very pungent, very tasty. The crab bisque was next.  Deep in both color and flavour, it was creamy, rich and topped with a large crab leg section that was gone in two bites.  Definitely the best either Rob or I have had.  

I found my braised lamb shank under "the craggy moor" and Rob found his olive topped halibut in "the briny sea".  Both entrees did not disappoint.  As to be expected, they were full of flavor and cooked to perfection as was our "sideways" fried green tomatoes.  I was so full I couldn't finish my entree or even take a bite of the tomatoes but they did come home with us so I will consume them later.

Now just because I was full doesn't mean that I couldn't take a bite of something found in the "burnt sugar" section.  Rob selected the butterscotch pudding.  Definitely not of the Bill Cosby Jello pudding genre, this was more like a creamy but not overly whipped mousse.  Nothing like the caramel colored butterscotch I was expecting.  It was similar in color that I can only describe as cookies-n-cream with the cream appearing as itself and the cookie part being speckles of vanilla bean.  On top, a homemade vanilla wafer that was remiscent of a crispy snickerdoodle.  A fine ending to a fine meal.

Blueacre officially opens on Friday, March 19th.  Eat there. 

*Flavors of Seattle 2010, the annual dinner and auction benefitting the American Liver Foundation will be held on Monday, April 26th at the Grand Hyatt Seattle.  This is a fantastic culinary with local chefs showing off their skills.  For more information, please feel free to email me or check the Flavors website.   With his new endeavour, Kevin will not be cooking at this event but many of your favourite chefs will be. Hope to see you there.

Street Food

What is is about street food?  As the Mobile Chowdown proves, many people including myself and my friend Karen love it.  What used to be a roach coach is now uber gourmet.  But why?  What is the draw?  It can't be the cleanliness after all, if you think about it, probably not so clean - no running water, no where to wash up, etc.  Oh well, who cares?  Street food is good food.

Last Saturday was yet another Mobile Chowdown.  The skies were clear but the winds were blowing.  Still, people including myself braved the gusts and waited patiently in line for Marination. (@curb_cusine)  It was my first experience with this food truck and I waited with great anticipation, anticipating for 20 minutes.

Finally, I got my delicious box.  Kimchee fried rice, topped with ginger chicken and a sunny-side up egg.  YUM.  Well worth the wait.  Karen got the "tacos around the world" which included a Korean beef, the ginger chicken, a spicy pork and a sexy tofu taco.  They looked great but were gone before I got a chance to take a bite.  :)  OK, admittedly I was too busy stuffing my own face.  The draw on street food?  Its quick, its good and heck it comes from a truck - how awesome is that?

Guacamole Goddess

What I have discovered is, for me anyway, trying to blog once a week is hard. Work, outside work commitments and life in general makes one’s schedule very busy. So, I will try and keep this up and schedule time in to write – which in itself is a learning experience for me.

We headed off in a group of 7 to my friend’s “cabin” in Packwood aka Elk Trail Lodge for a skiing weekend. The theme was Mexican and I was requested to bring guacamole. How many avocadoes does one need to make for 7 guac lovers? The answer is 15.

I have often been asked for my guacamole recipe. “Sure!” I say, but it is not that easy as I don’t use a recipe, just a list of ingredients. Avocadoes, ripened to the point they just slightly give under your thumb. (If you need to ripen your avocadoes, put them in a brown paper bag with an apple or a banana for a few days. The fruits emit a gas that helps to ripen avocadoes.) Shallots and garlic, both minced; fresh cilantro, chopped or torn; fresh lime juice; green jalapeños, seeded and minced; salt and pepper. Quantities all depend on how much guacamole you are making and then everything is to taste. Admittedly, I do have a secret sauce that I add as well – but that’s an ancient Chinese secret.

Mash everything in a bowl – potato mashers work great. Start with small quantities of everything, including the avocado – don’t put it all in there at once. The primary reason for this is because you need to taste along the way and after adding more of each ingredient; you need to mix/mash again. Personally, I like my guacamole a little lumpy so that is why I reserve some avocado to add in later.

I know you’re probably wondering about quantity so here is an example: for the 15 medium avocadoes used, I added one large shallot, 4 cloves of garlic, one large jalapeño and about a tablespoon each of cilantro, salt and pepper. This made about 8 cups of guacamole.

Did we eat it all? Yes, we ate most of it that night and polished off the rest the next morning. Yum.

A Second Valentine's

For a second Valentine’s dinner, Rob took me to Cascina Spinasse. An Italian trattoria specializing in food from the Piedmont region of Italy, located on 14th on Seattle’s Capitol Hill with an unassuming storefront.

We were 45 minutes early for our 6:30 reservation but thought we’d go in anyway and sure enough we were the first people for the evening. The décor is simple an unassuming - one marble four-top with the rest of the dining area at communal tables. We however opted to sit at the butcher block bar so that we could peer into the kitchen. Much like a voyeur, I like to watch the kitchen in action especially as they’re readying for the rush to come.

The menu outlined in courses, Rob and I had a difficult time choosing what to eat for what course. Our server assisted with suggestions on how to plan our meal. To get us started, we were served crostini spread with whipped lardo and topped with what tasted to be a julienne of dry-cured olives.

First, the antipasti - Prosciutto di Parma – Pio Tosoni prosciutto with oil poached baby artichokes. Tender, salty goodness. What can I say, cured pigs are tasty. We selected two primi - Caramelle di ricotta – caramelle is a pasta that is shaped like a piece of fresh caramel candy with ricotta as the candy and the pasta wrapped around it and twisted like the waxed paper wrapper, topped with a sage leaf and toasted walnut oil; the other was a ravioli made from the thinnest sheet of pasta filled with hedgehog mushrooms served in truffle butter, truly decadent. Secondi - Stracotto di coniglio –falling off the bone goodness. I’m not sure how they were even able to remove it from the pan! The rabbit was moist and succulent after being braised in red wine with pancetta, prunes and these little olives that added a great deal of rich flavor but not salt. To go along with the rabbit, we ordered roasted parsnips as the contorni. These were a smart addition as they helped cut some of the richness of the rabbit.

Even with half orders of the antipasti and primi, I’m stuffed and our server brings out the dolci menu, “there’s always room for dessert” he says slyly and walks away. We look; we order; we eat. A semi-freddo Gianduja – a large oblong serving of chocolate-hazelnut ice cream served with slightly whipped cream and chunks of thin chocolate hazelnut bark. Now overly full, we rolled down the street to home to collapse in a food coma.  A romantic night indeed.

She's Saucy

On a quest to contiually improve my cooking skills I took a sauce class with my friend Sandy. This class was an offering from David LeClaire’s Uncorked Seattle and taught by Chef Kathy Entrop of Kathy’s Kapers. Taking a cooking class, you always hope to learn something and the first thing we learned was a French phrase "mis en place" meaning everything (prepped and) in place. This is important as timing can be critical and if you don't have mis en place, then you could miss the timing of your sauce and it would fail.

We would be making 8 different sauces with recipes ranging from a time consuming seafood stock based sauce (great for a bisque base) to very simple butter sauces. We split up into teams to prep our ingredients. Each team was to prep and cook their sauce in front of the group. Sandy and I chose to make the Rosemary Balsamic Butter sauce. A simple sauce with few ingredients but definitely packs a punch. Plus, we went next to last so that meant lots of wine tasting along the way while everyone else was toiling over their sauces.

Rosemary Balsamic Butter Sauce
• 8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into tablespoon chunks, reserve two of these in the fridge for finishing the sauce.
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 large shallot
• 2 large sprigs of fresh rosemary – kept whole
• Salt and pepper to taste
In a sauce pan over medium heat, cook the shallots in 6 tablespoons of butter until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add in vinegar and rosemary, whisking to combine and simmer until liquid is reduced to about ½ a cup, about 6 minutes, whisking as needed to keep the balsamic and butter combined. Remove from heat (sauce may separate as it cools), remove rosemary and whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons of chilled butter until the sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Now, as you read the recipe, you may wonder – salted or unsalted butter? I always thought sauces started with unsalted butter, however, Chef Kathy said she always uses salted butter. You also want to be sure your butter stays cold until you need it. No melty stuff here – no sir, it is important to keep that butter chilled so that the sauce keeps a good texture and the fat and milk solids don’t separate or you’ll get an icky mess, which of course can be resurrected by adding more butter. :)

Personally, I think this sauce would go well with a red meat. Beef, lamb, venison or even buffalo. I tried it over a pork tenderloin because I couldn’t find a nice beef tenderloin that hadn’t already been cut into steaks when I went to buy groceries. While it tasted good, the strong balsamic flavor overpowered the pork and its dark color was a bit off-putting against the white of the pork. Next time I'll try with a white balsamic.

I also learned about “beurre marnie” – little wonderballs of equal parts room temperature butter and flour rubbed together into a ball and are used to thicken sauces instead of a slurry or egg yolk. Chef Kathy recommends one tablespoon of each for a pan sauce. These little lovelies you can make ahead and chill in the fridge until you need them. Can’t wait to use ‘em because everything is better with butter!

Bruddah Bruce's Maui Chicken Wings

Food, family, friends and fun. The four F's. Thanks to @lornayee tweet the other day about soy sauce chicken wings, I got a craving for my brother Bruce's Maui chicken wings. And you know you have to eat what you're craving or else you'll be eating everything under the sun until it is satisfied. I also think it is best to share that craving to help it go away - like when you get a song stuck in your head and it won't go away until you tell someone else? No better time to share my craving than on Superbowl Sunday - add a fifth F, football.

I was raised as an only child here in Seattle, a product of my father's second marriage. His first produced 6 boys who all grew up in Hawai'i, one of which is Bruce whom we thank for sharing his recipe below.

Bruddah Bruce's Maui Chicken

2 cups white sugar

3 cups water

4 cups soy sauce

5 cloves of garlic, smashed

1 inch of ginger, smashed

3 pounds of chicken thighs or drumsticks (or about 5 pounds of chicken wings)

I like to add some crushed chili peppers and chili oil to add a little heat. I suggest using an Asian chili oil rather than a hot sauce like Tabasco because you want pure heat without the vinegar.

Mix together all ingredients until sugar is dissolved. Prepare chicken by rinsing and removing any excess fatty pieces and breaking down the chicken wings at the joints if necessary. In a large pot or in plastic bags, marinate the chicken overnight in the refrigerator, gently turning every 4-6 hours to ensure all pieces are evenly marinated. If you can't marinate overnight, then for at least 8 hours and reduce the water by one cup. For wings, marinate at least 6 hours, until the raw chicken takes on a dark brown color.

Remove the chicken around an hour or so before you're ready to start cooking. This is just to prevent a nearly freezing chicken hitting hot fire. That way the outside doesn't get dry while you're trying to make sure the parts closest to the bone get cooked thoroughly. Use your favorite method for cooking...on the grill, broiling in the oven, baking or even stovetop boiling in the marinade with some extra water. Apply heat until the chicken is cooked all the way through and enjoy - chopstix not required!

Having these wings brings back the memory of the first time I ate these at Bruce's house on Maui. A warm Hawai'ian breeze, beautiful sunset and my niece Kristeena schooling Rob on the backyard Astroturf putting green. For Rob's sake, I should mention that Kristeena is currently the 2009 HSJGA champ for 9-10 year old girls. She beats the 11-12 year old boys too but they can't say that.

Aloha and mahalo Bruddah Bruce!

White Boy Food

Oooh, can she say that? Yup. It isn't anything but a loose slang translation of the infamous El Guero Canelo in Tucson, home of the Sonoran Dog. (Guero canelo is more commonly translated as "cinnamon blonde", the haircolor of the its founder, but that isn't nearly as catchy.) Now, I most certainly am not the first one to become intrigued by this pork on pork porn. I first saw this place on a Travel Channel's Man vs. Food featuring the food of Tucson and knew this was a must try on my next visit. A bus, to a train, to a plane and I'm off to spend some quality time with Mom.

Heading to the original location, we drove 40 minutes on the I-10 to South Tucson, made a few turns and we found ourselves on S 12th Street in front of El Guero Canelo - basically two taco trucks and a grill all held together by a corrugated metal covered seating area. The parking lot was packed for 4:00 in the afternoon. Oh, that's right - did I mention the Travel Channel happened to be filming another segment on the Sonoran Dog for a yet TBD show? They had had so much positive response to the same show that I saw, they felt the need to come back for more footage. Who am I to argue with that?

Enough story and get to the good stuff right? OK, let me set it up for you: One standard hotdog, wrap it in bacon and grill. Insert the into a super soft, slightly sweet, buttery bun "envelope". Now top with frijoles, chopped fresh tomatoes and onions. Add a line of mustard and jalepeno sauce then criss-cross with garlic mayonnaise. I'm not sure how to describe it other than being a processed pork food treat and damn tasty.

Like many people, I have an "it" list of fast food I must have while visiting a particular city. These include Portillo's in Chicago, In-N-Out in LA and Chick-Fil-A in Atlanta. Luckily, I can find the last two and now El Guero in Tucson. Guess I need to visit Mom a bit more often.

Three B's at Sweet Iron Waffles

I once predicted in a tweet that there was a Brie, Basil and Bacon waffle in my future and today it came to be. My husband Rob and I went to Sweet Iron Waffles in downtown Seattle. Tucked away next to the Jimmy John's on Third Avenue between Seneca and Union is this small shop that cranks out a small part of culinary heaven, traditional Liege (leej) Belgian waffles.

Waffle schmaffle, why venture into the outskirts of Seattle's financial district for a waffle? Well, honestly, what first drew my attention to it is the fact that the little girl shown on the website happens to be the granddaughter of a woman I work with (no relation to the shop); second, it is the only place I know of that serves savory waffles. Hmmm, the thought of a savory waffle makes my heart go pitter-patter so, off we went.

My choice, the three B waffle was a tastebud treat. The traditional Liege waffle, for those of you that didn't follow the link, is made with a brioche type of raised dough that incorporates pearl sugar. So even though I chose a savory option, the waffle itself was sweet. The sugar also gives the waffle a glistening crunch that would stand up to a syrupy and fruity topping without sogging out ala IHOP, but I digress. Back to my waffle...warm, sweet and crunchy waffle topped with Val de Saone brie melting from the heat of the waffle, topped with fresh basil chiffonade and crispy Applegate bacon. In true male fashion, Rob chose the Bacon waffle. A perfectly simple concoction of waffle, topped with a generous portion of the aforementioned bacon and drizzled with pure maple syrup.

Portland favorite, Stumptown coffee rounded out our morning meal and helped our Sunday get off to a great start. Would I go there again? Yes, next time 'round I'm going for the date and blue cheese waffle. Simply and smartly decorated with three small tables and a coffee condiment bar, Sweet Iron provided a little ray of sunshine on a gray and rainy morning.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention they're doing their part to keep it green - TaterWare cutlery, compostable plates, everything but lids and straws.

Visual samplings provided by Rob's iPhone. He takes much better pictures than I do.

Wayback Wontons

As mentioned before, I made wontons for my audition tape. I did this because this was one of my earliest memories of cooking more than searing a steak on the Jenn-Aire grill and making rice in the cooker. Hence the "wayback".

When I was a child, my mother and I would spend a Saturday afternoon making wontons. I really enjoyed the time but most of all I enjoyed eating them! Funny, I'm still the same way.

Below is my "recipe" for the filling. I included the quote marks on purpose because most of my Chinese cooking is done by sense, not be recipe. If it looks right, smells right, tastes right, etc. Now, while I don't recommend tasting the raw meat, you can cook a bit of it and adjust seasoning accordingly. In the wayback days, the ingredients list would include a shake or two of MSG or Accent seasoning as it really does enhance the flavor. If you've still got it in your spice rack, use it and start with less salt. If you want to try it, you can still find it in the Asian markets. When you are seasoning, remember that it is easy to add more flavor but you cannot take it away. Well, in this case you kinda can by adding more meat, but then that just makes more work!

Pork Wontons

One pound unseasoned ground pork, raw
1/2 cup soft tofu (optional)
3-4 medium dried shitake mushrooms, reconstituted in hot (not boiling) water, stems removed and then minced
2 TBSP finely chopped green onion
1 TBSP fresh garlic, finely minced
1 TBSP grated or finely minced ginger - remember to remove the skin!
1 TBSP soy sauce
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 dz medium raw shrimp (40 count size)cut into thirds and set aside
1 pkg of wonton wrappers, thick or thin, your choice
1 ramekin or other small bowl of warm water

In a large bowl combine all items together except for the shrimp. It is best to use your hands and make sure all ingredients are combined together but do not overwork as it will make the meat tough. If you add the tofu, it will help soften the meat and keep it moist.

Set up your work area so that you have the wrappers, meat and shrimp all within easy reach. I also suggest lining a cooking sheet with parchment paper that you can place the finished wontons on for easy freezing.

Take a wrapper and put it in one palm with the heavily floured side up. Using chopsticks or a fork, place about 1 well rounded teaspoon of the meat mixture in the center and one piece of shrimp. Take your fingers and gently wet the wrapper from the pork out to the edges. The water and the flour will form the glue that will hold everything together.

Form a triangle by bringing together two opposite corners of the wrapper. Starting from the meat, gently press together the two sides, squeezing out all the excess air and water. When cooked, air pockets will cause your wontons to explode, so do you best to remove as much as possible. Then take the two corners of the "base" of the triangles and cross them together over the top of the meatball and squeeze them together forming a "bow" over the top of the meatball. This is demonstrated in the video. Placed the finished wonton on the parchment and repeat.

Once you are finished, freeze the wontons on the cookie sheet. You can store them in a container or freezer bag to use as needed. To cook, simply drop as many as desired into boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes or in similar fashion to ravioli, until they float.

Serve them in your favorite broth with some fresh baby bok choy, bean sprouts and fresh shitake mushrooms; enhance Top Ramen by adding the frozen wontons to the boiling water a minute or two before adding the noodles (a personal favorite); or by themselves with a dipping sauce on the side. In our house, the dipping sauce of choice is Chiu Chow Chili Oil mixed with a little soy sauce. You can find this hot chili sauce at many grocery stores with a large Asian food section or online at Amazon.com. Last but not least, you can deep fry and eat as finger food - no chopstix required!

Bolognese and Beyond

Many of you know that I love to eat and cook, no surprise there. What you may not know is that I love both enough to stick my neck out and attend an open-call auditon for a new Fox TV reality cooking show, MasterChef, featuring Gordon Ramsay of Hell's Kitchen fame. How does one find out about these things? A co-worker sent me the Craig's List post in hopes Chef Ramsay would yell at me, and I would in turn, yell back.

First, the initial contact. I sent in my short bio and a recent photo. Holy schnikes - they called me back! A 30-minute call with a casting agent later, I am now needing to make a video no shorter than 15 minutes long to showcase my personality, my cooking skills and why I love food. Oh by the way, can you have that completed and sent to our offices within the next 10 days? Yes, I know it is two days before Christmas - but you're not busy right?

OK video done, check. Now what? A taste test. Food prepared off-site, served to a culinary judge, at room temperature. What pray tell tastes good at room temperature? UGH! Well OK, time to get creative. What tastes good at least lukewarm, transports and plates easily and that I cook well? Bolognese of course! No silly, not the wontons I made in the video, that would be too logical and what would I blog about next?

Make the marinara, season the meat, make the pasta and get ready to go. Driving up to Sur La Table in Kirkland, my husband and I find hundreds and hundreds of people in a line circling the block. All patiently waiting while their carefully prepared dishes are getting to a less-than-room temperature. Lucky for me, I had that phone call a few weeks earlier - I got scooted up to the front of the line and was inside within 5 minutes. With plate, pasta and sauce kept warm in a thermos, I'm ready.

On pins and needles, I place my dish in front of the judge - drumroll please - he takes one piece of rigatoni with a teensy bit of sauce on it and puts his plastic fork down. Then the questions roll:

• Tell me about this dish, why did you make it? Well, I really enjoy making comfort food. This dish was inspired by Assaggio's Bolognese as well as one I had in Portland at Pazzo. I think mine is different than most Bolognese sauces.


• Why do you think it is different? Most sauces have beef or a combination of beef and pork. I add lamb to mine. The lamb must be from New Zealand because it tastes better.
  
• Do you know why it tastes better? Yes, because it is grass fed. (He smiles, nailed that one.)

What other types of cuisines do you cook? What does food mean to you? Things one would expect, and then - Have you ever broken down a side of beef? C'mon really? Who besides a butcher breaks down a side of beef? This show is supposed to be for untrained home cooks that think they cook well and me, well I usually don't have a side of beef hanging around. Breaking down a side of beef - yeah, no.

More questions, more answers. I was standing there being interviewed for about 5 minutes. Finally, he says "OK thanks, go and see Lyle please". What I wanted him was to say "Go and see Tyler" as it appeared that Tyler was the one handing out appointments for second interviews but OK, I'll go and see Lyle. We talk, he asks questions, I answer them and then Lyle tells me to go and see Tyler. Finally - fingers crossed! Over to Tyler I go and she hands me a piece of paper. An appointment time yes??? No, a lovely parting gift for 15% off at the store. Thanks for playing.

The beyond you ask? I started this blog and got a twitter account @chopstixnotreq to start. Be patient as I'm learning. What's up next? You get to laugh at my audition tape and learn how to make wontons. Want my Bolognese recipe? Only if you ask nice.