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Oh Basil, How I’ve Missed you

March 3, 2012 By Fran Leave a Comment
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SaladAlbahaca.  It’s got a mystical sound to it, don’t you think?  It sounds somehow like it belongs on the coast of North Africa.

I’ve been been going through Basil – Albahaca – withdrawal for the three months I’ve been in Honduras, but as of this week, it is no longer something I need to crave.  Super Mario, one of my coworkers, looked at me in disbelief the other night when I told him I have had no luck finding the elusive herb since I moved here.  I thought it strange that in such a warm climate and tropical environment I would have trouble putting my hands on the leafy green and he agreed, telling me that the supermarkets in town definitely carry it.

I didn’t believe him.  I’ve spent my share of time and money in the markets around town — Colonia, Los Andes, Guamilito and have yet to spot the green goodness.  But Mario told me he would find it and bring me some.

Well, not only did he bring me some, but he brought me two bags of the fresh stuff AND a bunch of “long”– ancho cilantro.  This cilantro is amazing.  San Pedro Sula, you’ve redeemed yourself!    It has the same fragrant aroma as “little” or “delicate” cilantro, but it’s a bit stronger.  Warning, if you are one of those that HATE cilantro, this is not the herb for you.

Chicken-and-Basil

I had to make a decision for dinner, would I use the basil for an Asian dish or for Pesto?  When I got home I headed straight for the kitchen and pulled garlic, ginger, mushrooms, spring onions and a jalapeño pepper.  I had defrosted a chicken breast in the fridge during the day and Thai Chicken with Basil was born.

Then it was time to do something else with the rest of the basil.  I knew it wouldn’t hold up long so last night I turned it into Pesto.  I had a package of pasta, a fair amount of garlic and a big wedge of Grana Padana my friend Bender willed to me before he left for Canada a couple of months ago before leaving for northern climes and pizza he could trust — story for another time.

Forkful-of-Pesto

But wait….that’s not all!  I had a package of mozzarella in the fridge waiting to be made into something.  I’m not sure what.  It wasn’t fresh mozzarella, but how many years did we all survive on the firm ball of cheese before we became sophisticated and learned of fresh packed mozzarella?  And no, there’s no fancy bottle of Balsamico lurking in this kitchen, but my Caprese Salad with good olive oil and red wine vinegar, fresh cracked pepper and salt satisfied the craving.

What’s so sad about all of this is that I have no sense of smell since this affliction of Ebola or TB or SARS or, well, ok, just a rotten sinus infection hit me last week.  But don’t kid yourself, for a brief moment I thought I should have the doc check for Malaria.  I’ve heard from people that have had it that it feels like a horrible case of the flu, so my dramatic self began to worry, but a couple of days of the mega antibiotic Zithromax and I was on the mend.  But a killer sinus infection means I have no sense of smell.  Zip.  Zero.  Zilch.  Nada.  Nunca.  Nyet.  Nine.  Nothing!  I’m talking about not being able to smell even a hint of basil, nor the 4 cloves of garlic I used in the pesto and the olive oil?  Well, I know it’s good because the smell of olives came through loud and clear the last time I was able to smell anything.  I’m not quite sure why I’m eating anything or why I even care, the only flavors I can discern right now are salt, sweet and sour and they are all exaggerated.   But it’s in my nature and I HAD to have something familiar and fresh and GREEN.

Tomatoes-Mozzarella-Basil

One day my sense of smell WILL return, although it could take months, but for now I’m happy to have the memories of what things like Basil smell and taste like and I am pretty good at making do with memories.

And there you have it, Albahaca is back in my life!

And just as fun as the bright and remarkably fresh and brilliant green albahaca has been, a trip to the beach on Sunday with a colleague from Costa Rica was equally as fun.  It was another 6 day work-week, the end of a busy one with a whirlwind job fair on Saturday and we needed to get out of town.  The resort I usually go to was full so we had to find someplace else.  We lucked into Telamar and it turned out to be a great afternoon.  The food was … meh, but the beach was wonderful.

 And the warm water of the Caribbean was welcoming and a great respite from the searing sun.  There was a bit of a rip tide and just staying in one place was a work out, but it felt good to have the sun bearing down on me while I planted my feet in the sand and tried to stay upright.

Lunchtime-View

There was a lot of activity on the beach and while I can handle people and even young boys with drums dancing the Punta (on the tips of their feet), but the 4x4s vrooming up and down the beach was annoying.  The pollution, both noise and otherwise takes a bit of the “peaceful day at the beach” out of the equation, but in the end, it was a relaxing few hours and I can’t get enough of the beach, so it cured my weekly craving.

Dancing-on-the-Beach

Tela-Atlantida

The good news is that I can come here on a day off without much planning.  It’s just a 90 minute drive north and we’re there and this time we only got stopped at the checkpoint one way.  The officer asked us to roll down the window and check to make sure we were ok and once that was done we were on our way again.  A brief stop along the way.

Map-to-Tela

It still amazes me that when I plug in an address here it finds it and a route is created.  You know what else amazes me?  There is just ONE road to Tela.  There is just one road to most places.  Coming from a place were there are ALWAYS cars on the road and countless routes can be taken to get from point A to point B, the lack of transportation infrastructure always surprises me in countries like this.  I’m not surprised, I just stare at the map in disbelief that there are really no options and my mind wanders thinking about the simplicity of this kind of life — the lack of choices.  I think it would ease the stress of driving a bit, no?

Boy-with-Drum

Filed Under: All Tagged With: Asia, Basil, Beach, Chicken, Cook, Dinner, Food, Herb, Honduras, Tela

Fried Rice Recipe with a Side of Spider

February 18, 2012 By Fran 1 Comment
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Bowl-of-RiceThings have been tough and just when I think I’ve rounded the corner, another obstacle appears.  It kind of pisses me off.  Not so much because a challenge has come into my way, but because I can’t seem to control the obstacles.  Like that scary brown spider that invaded my peaceful bedroom this week.

Oh, he thought he got away with scaring me, but I got the last laugh (or gag) last night.  I walked into the closet to ditch my work clothes when I saw him out of the corner of my eye.  Chocolate brown, with legs that came to a point.  I ran for the nearest thing — toilet paper.  Unrolled a good 30 or more sheets and wadded it up.  There’s no way I’m going to let him bite me through the paper while I try not to gag as he squishes!

He was wedged against the wall.  I snuck up on him quietly so he wouldn’t have a chance to go running for my clothes or my shoes.  Wham!  Gotcha.  I picked up the paper and … ack!  He was still very much in control of the situation.  So I wadded up the paper again and … Whop!  Once more.  What?!  He’s still able to run from me!  Well, that’s it mister … FWAP!  There you go.  All balled up, with pointy legs curled around you.  Away to the toilet you go!

And that, I suspect is not the end of the story.  Because now he’s pissed off and I’m going to have to lift the toilet seat each and every time just to make sure Mr. Spider didn’t wait until he’d grown even bigger and swim his way back up to wait for me.  Mmmm hmmm… the spider won.

I want a peaceful weekend because the weeks are so chaotic, but it’s rare I get a whole weekend to relax and while I thought I’d get a couple of days by myself, I am seeing a trip to the office this weekend, once again.

So, rather than scramble to get something photographed, written and posted on another Saturday morning, I’m writing this up on a Friday night.  Not the end of the world.

 

Rice

I made a whole lot of carbs last Sunday morning.  I had a craving for peanut noodles and there was a container of leftover basmati rice calling out for attention.

Noodles-in-a-Bowl

The bowls are pretty darn cute, don’t you think?  I’m going to have to figure out how to get them back to the US when it’s time to pack up and go home but for now I’ll just enjoy them

Rice-in-a-Bowl

Neither of these carb-loaded dishes are difficult to make and they are perfect sides or can star as the main attraction.  I think I’m most fond of the rice though.  It’s easy to build up for a main course by adding shrimp or chicken or pork.  It takes a little bit of time because you need to chill the rice, but that’s where the beauty of the dish comes in.  Make a little extra rice one night and store the leftovers in the fridge or the freezer and you can have fried rice on the table in minutes.

Lots-of-Noodles

So, give this a try and let me know what you think and while you’re bundled up and wishing the cold weather away, think about how you don’t have to worry about spiders and lizards and mosquitoes making their way into your bedroom for a few more months.  I look out the windows everyday and wonder what more scary creature I may find creeping around in my bedroom tomorrow.

Print
Fried Rice

Calories per serving: 300

As with all carbohydrates, this is a costly side dish, but if you pair it with a salad or other fresh vegetables, it can be a satisfying lunch

Ingredients

1 teaspoon Sesame Oil

1 cups cold Rice

1 knob fresh Ginger, grated

1 Green Onion, sliced

1 clove Garlic, smashed

2 rashers (strips) of Bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 stems of Cilantro leaves, torn

1 medium Egg

2 teaspoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce

Instructions

Heat oil in a small skillet or wok

Add rice and cook, stirring gently for 1 minute, or until all grains have been heated

Add the Ginger, Onion and Garlic, stir to combine and heat through

Add the bacon and cook for 30 seconds

Crack the egg into the pan, step back for 15 seconds to let it scramble just a bit and then stir to combine

Add the soy sauce, stir and remove from the heat

Serve

Notes

Add mushroom slices for added texture and bulk. After the rice has been heated in the oil, 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid before adding the green onion and garlic.

3.1
http://thinrecipes.com/2012/02/18/fried-rice-recipe-with-a-side-of-spider/
http://thinrecipes.com

 

Filed Under: All Tagged With: Asia, Cook, Food, Fried Rice, Honduras, Noodles, Peanut Noodles, Rice, Sunday, Weekend, Weight Watchers, Work

Have You Ever Had a Steamed Egg?

June 30, 2011 By Fran 4 Comments
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Somehow, I developed a craving for steamed eggs a few days ago.  I don’t know where the sudden desire to have this custard-like dish came from, but as you’ve seen happen around here and on Frantasticfood, when a dish or a type of food gets under my skin, it takes a whole lot of scratching before I get rid of the itch.  And that’s what happened with Steamed Eggs last week.

I have only had these smooth, creamy eggs in Japanese restaurants and frankly, I don’t remember when I last had the dish, so craving it is a conundrum.

But that didn’t stop me.  I was bound and determined to make this dish properly so I set about looking up recipes, pulling my Asian cookbooks off the shelf and surfing FoodGawker and Tastespotting for the perfect recipe and set about making it happen.

Right, easier said than done.  It’s a basic recipe.  Nothing more than whisking eggs with water (or stock in my case), a bit of Mirin (sweet Japanese cooking wine) and Soy Sauce and pouring into a ramekin.  The ramekins go into a steamer for a while and voila!  Steamed Eggs.

Not so fast!

Yes, it’s steamed, has green onions, and tastes like Asia — whatever Asia tastes like, but the texture was wrong.  It was too fluffy — bubbly.  I was after that silky smooth consistency and this wasn’t it.

Nor was this.  I would not be defeated.  Although I had a steamed egg for dinner the night before, I HAD to get it right and tried again for breakfast the next morning.

Darn!  Still bubbly.  So I did more research and learned that when they’re talking about steaming the eggs, they mean at the lowest heat possible and not anywhere near water.

I tried it in a steamer, a few inches above the boiling water.  That didn’t work.

Then I tried it in the water, like a bain marie, (water bath) with simmering water, taking care to ensure that the water would not sputter and find its way into the ramekins.

So clearly, it wasn’t where I was steaming the eggs.  It didn’t work above water or in water.  I was getting to desperation time — I was about to pick up the phone to call Jeff Potter — the Cooking for Geeks guy!  Yeah, I wouldn’t know where to get his number, but I did give it considerable thought.  Even if I sent mail to his publisher and they were kind enough to give me his number, I wanted smooth, silky steamed eggs — NOW!   And frankly, while I love the book, I didn’t want to have to run my eggs through the scientific testing process.  It takes too long.  Requires too much documentation.  And this, my friends, is why I am not a scientist.  How I birthed a scientist is beyond me and although I am pretty sure Josh would have a blast putting these eggs through their paces, there was no way I could get my son here in time for dinner and this egg craving wouldn’t wait.

Eating-Steamed-Egg

Now, before you get all wrapped up in the — OMG!  She’s fallen off the weight loss wagon eating all those eggs, and getting all kinds of worried about me, and I do appreciate the concern, let me just tell you that an egg only costs 2 points and it’s filling and packed with protein and the only other caloric ingredient to this dish is 1/2 a teaspoon of sesame oil, so no need to worry about me.   Oh, and … I weighed in with another 1.2 lb. weight loss this weekend!  YES!  See, I did this on purpose.  The dish is so rich it required nothing more than pickled cucumbers and half a cup of steamed rice.  I don’t think I could have gone much lighter before a weigh-in.

Eggs-Mushroom-Green-Onion

Now that we’ve got that off our chests, let me tell you how I made the creamiest, smoothest, silkiest, richest steamed eggs I’ve ever had.

It was about steaming them above the water on a flame that was barely, and I mean barely lit.  Had I turned it down any more, the flame would have gone out.

I took the cover off a couple of times to check and was happy with what I was seeing and after about 25 minutes I placed a thin mushroom slice and a couple of edamame beans on top and continued steaming for about 5 more minutes, just to heat the mushrooms and beans.

And in case you’re wondering, I’m over my steamed egg craving.  I couldn’t even finish the final product.  It was that rich.  Think custard.  Custard with only the faintest hint of sweet and the right balance of salty, without a crust to nestle it into.  Just one egg, chicken stock, soy sauce and mirin with a few slices of green onion, mushroom and edamame.  The next time I venture into steamed egg world I am going to add a couple of shrimp to the bowl and maybe a little bok choy.

Oh no!  I need to stop this steamed egg talk — I’m starting to edit my steamed egg perfection and have a feeling I know what I’ll be having for dinner tonight.

Steamed Eggs
#ratingval# from #reviews# reviews
Print
Recipe Type: Main
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 1
Steamed Eggs are a filling and tasty dish for any time of day
Ingredients
  • 1 Egg
  • 4 tablespoons Chicken Stock or Water
  • 1/2 teaspoon Toasted Sesame Seed Oil
  • 2 teaspoons Mirin (Sweet Japanese Cooking Wine)
  • 1 teaspoon Soy Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sliced Green Onion
  • 1 thin slice Mushroom (Button, Shitake, Cremini — any will work)
  • Small Pinch of Sesame Seeds
Instructions
  1. In a steamer, or a saucepan in which a smaller bowl will fit securely on top, fill with water, leaving at least 2 inches between the water and the bottom of the steamer and bring to a boil.
  2. While the water is coming to a boil, in a small bowl, whisk all ingredients excluding the mushroom, taking care not to introduce too much air into the bowl by whisking too briskly.
  3. When the water reaches the boiling point, turn to the lowest flame or lowest temperature on an electric stove. You don’t want the water to bubble.
  4. Steam for 20 minutes, checking once or twice to ensure the egg sets.
  5. At 20 minutes, set the mushroom slice on top of the egg with a sprinkling of a few more slices of green onion, cover and cook.
  6. Carefully remove from the water, sprinkle the sesame seeds on top and serve.
Notes

If you’d prefer, you can chill the egg, although I prefer the comfort of a warm steamed egg.

This dish will cost you 2 Weight Watchers Points.

Google Recipe View Microformatting by Easy Recipe
1.2.4

 

Filed Under: All Posts, From Asia, From the Coop Tagged With: Asia, Cook, Custard, Eggs, Food, Weight Watchers
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