Archive | May, 2008

Recipe: Soft-boiled Egg With Shiso and Kochujang (Korean Hot Sauce)

Recipe: Soft-boiled Egg With Shiso and Kochujang (Korean Hot Sauce)

I have pneumonia.

Haven’t felt like eating much of anything, but I’ve been lying around with a fever, deliriously thinking of dishes I want to make when I’m better. Last night I suddenly wanted a soft-boiled egg, and once I was in the kitchen, my …

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Herbivoracious Dinner Party #1

Buckwheat blini with creme fraiche, asparagus caviar, and black salt

Last Sunday was my first "underground" dinner party – a chance to bring together a group of friends who love food, to give me a chance to test dishes and practice this kind of service. I plan to do more of them in the future for …

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On “On Vegetarians”

Naomi, my buddy over at GastroGnome, just published a piece about vegetarians, more or less in response to Taylor Clark’s Slate article on the subject. I was going to reply to her in comments, but I think I have enough to say that a full post is worthwhile. Which is of course to say I …

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Taylor Clark’s Slate.com on Being a Vegetarian

Do you ever read an article and have this weird feeling like the author is channeling you? Or rather channeling a version of you that writes words together real good like?

That’s how I felt about Taylor Clark’s hilarious essay on Slate explaining vegetarians to omnivores. He captures exactly my definition of being vegetarian …

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Restaurant Review: Jasmine Provincial Vietnamese Restaurant

This is my entry in the Seattle Restaurant Review 360 that Gastrognome is hosting this month.

I’d been intrigued by Jonathan Kauffann’s review of Jasmine Provincial Vietnamese Restaurant in the Seattle Weekly awhile back, so when Naomi named this her pick for a 360, I was more than ready to jump in.

The Weekly review …

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What I’m Doing This Weekend

Insanely Fresh Asparagus

What am I doing this weekend? Turning these 25 pounds of just-picked, local Washington asparagus into dinner for 16. It is a six course tasting menu, with asparagus in 4 of the courses.

If you are in the Seattle area and are interested in being invited to future dinner parties, drop …

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Review: Punjab Sweets

Thali with Bhindi, Chana, Mattar Paneer and a Gulab Jamun

Iqbal and Gurmit Dha and their daughter Harpreet Giil have done something terrible, and I’ll never forgive them. Their vegetarian restaurant, Punjab Sweets, offers my favorite Indian snacks, entrees, and sweets. And it isn’t in walking distance of my house. I find this to …

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Recipe: Cranberry Bean “Fool Mudammas” (aka Borlotti Beans)

Cranberry Bean "Fool Mudammas" (aka Borlotti Beans)

I’d never worked with Cranberry beans (also known as Borlotti beans) before. By appearance they reminded me of pinto beans with more spots. I knew they were best known for use in Italian soups. But when I boiled them up and tasted them, the flavor immediately reminded me of …

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Recipe: Sesame Corn Muffins

Sesame Corn Muffins

[See the improved version of these sesame corn muffins.]

I'm completely crazy for corn. Corn on the cob, corn sautees, tofu corndogs, and of course cornbread and corn muffins. Mini-me and I were plotting some of those muffins the other morning, and the inspiration struck to add sesame seeds. Sesame and corn go great together, …

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Recipe: Fresh Spinach Fettuccine With Goat Cheese, Jerusalem Artichokes, Morels And Leeks

Fresh Spinach Fettuccine With Goat Cheese, Jerusalem Artichokes, Morels And Leeks

When we got to the farmer’s market at noon last Saturday, I hadn’t thought about how little might be left. It is early in the season, and Seattle’s throngs of organic produce devotees had snapped up just about everything edible.

Still, I spied beautiful fresh spinach …

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