Day 340: Nectar of the Gods

The focus of tonight's dinner was wine.  You've gotta love that!

Pey-Marin, a Marin County winery that we discovered a few months ago was hosting an evening at our favorite neighborhood wine bar, Nectar.  On offer was a 4-wine flight:  sauvignon blanc, pinot noir, merlot, and syrah.

To go along with the wine, we ordered several small plates of food:

> Phyllo dough triangles stuffed with blue cheese and spinach

> A mixed green salad with beets, almonds, and a minty dressing

> Tuna tartar (pictured)

> Ricotta gnocchi

> Charcuterie and cheese plate

All of it was delicious, but the highlight was the prosciutto on the charcuterie plate.  It was so soft and savory - among the best prosciutto I've ever had.

In terms of the wine, surprisingly my favorite was the merlot.  This is normally a grape I do not much care for but this one was so tasty that we bought 3 bottles!  Yum, yum, wine is fun!  

Day 313: Cleaning Out the Veggie Drawer

This one will be short and sweet.  I got home at around 8:15 and wanted a quick dinner, so I used up all of the remaining items from my veggie drawer:  half a bag on lettuce, a carrot, 2 celery ribs, and a red bell pepper.  I sprinkled in some sliced almonds, a can of tuna (packed in water, of course!), and some salad dressing and voila!  Dinner is served!

Day 306: Three Phases of Dinner

I'm not sure if tonight's "dinner" was really a meal or just several hours of grazing.

It all started in the Burbank airport, where some colleagues and I awaited a flight home from a business day trip.  In the bar, I satisfied a Baked Lays craving I'd been having all afternoon, pairing the chips with a beer and several Twizzlers.  Dinner Phase 1.

Once I got home, I felt the need to establish some balance in my food universe and so I made a salad.  It included baby lettuce, red bell pepper, celery, a carrot, and some tuna fish.  The tomatoes you see in the photo were removed after I ate a couple and realized that they were just kind of gross.  Dinner Phase 2.

Later on, believe it or not, I felt I needed a little something more.  So, I heated up a bowl of leftover chicken barley soup.  Dinner Phase 3.

A strange "meal" indeed.  I'll just blame it on the business travel and Baked Lays!

Day 301: Little Bit of This, Little Bit of That

One reason I love Isa is that no matter what you're craving, they can deliver it.  The plates there are smaller and are meant to be shared so you can have a little bit of this, a little bit of that.

There are a couple of items that we order 100% of the time:  baked goat cheese with tomatoes, basil, and pine nuts and sea scallops with asparagus (or brussels sprouts, depending on the season) and mashed potatoes.  From there, we choose another couple of things to suit our mood.

Tonight I had a mild craving for carbs, so we had a bowl of spaghetti with truffles and cheese.  We rarely order the pasta at Isa so this was a nice change and a great treat.  We also had spicy tuna tartar with avocado and roasted duck with braised cabbage.  Like I said...a little bit of this, a little bit of that.  And all of it delicious!

Day 287: Sharing at Isa

For my husband and me, Friday night calls for good food and a nice bottle of wine and this week we enjoyed both at Isa.

Diners at Isa are encouraged to share all plates, which is what we always do.  There are several small dishes that we always order:  the seasonal salad (right now it's arugula with apple, fennel, and shaved parmesan cheese), baked goat cheese with tomato, basil, and pine nuts, and seared scallops with mashed potatoes & asparagus (or brussels sprouts, depending on the season).  The rest of our order varies, depending on the menu and our mood.  Tonight we also had tuna tartar and duck with huckleberries, bacon & cabbage (pictured).

As always, we brought our own bottle of wine but the restaurant comped each of us a glass of dessert wine to thanks us for our loyal patronage.  Free wine or not, we will definitely return to Isa again and again because it's just plain good!

Day 284: Tuna Tuesday

According to Anthony Bourdain, Tuesday is one of the best days to buy fish so off I went to the market today to see what looked fresh.  I walked out with a couple of pieces of great looking ahi, two nice sized bok choys, and some prepared "Greek style roasted tomatoes".

I sliced the bok choy crosswise, thinly at the end where it's thicker and wider through the leafy part, since those thinner pieces would cook more quickly.  Then I was sure to clean the pieces thoroughly.  Bok choy is like celery - it collects lots of dirt between the layers, so you really need to clean it carefully.

I took the tuna, cut it into 1 inch cubes, and tossed it in a Ziploc bag with the juice of a lemon, 2 T olive oil, and a good dose of S&P.  

After heating up some olive oil, I added 3 cloves of minced garlic and a thinly sliced shallot to the pan and sauteed them over low heat until they were softened up (but not browned).  Then I added the bok choy and 2 T white wine, turned up the heat to medium high, and covered the pot.  After about 5 minutes, the bok choy was softened but still had a little crunch.

I removed the bok choy from the pan and set it aside in a large bowl.  After pouring the liquid from the pan into the sink, I drizzled some olive oil into the pan and heated it on medium-high heat.  Once hot, I added the tuna and sauteed for about 4-55 minutes, stirring the cubes every minute or two.  Once cooked, I tossed the tuna into the bowl with the bok choy and some of the diced Greek style roasted tomatoes.

Assuming I can find those tomatoes again, I will definitely make this meal again.  They added a really nice salty, acidic note to the dish.  And as Anthony said, buying seafood on Tuesday almost always assures the freshest most flavorful fish.

Day 250: This Dish Has it All

I had a craving for swordfish tonight, but there was none to be had at the store, so I bought ahi tuna instead.  I was also craving carbs, so I decided to cook up some whole grain pasta and mix in the fish and some veggies.

I boiled the pasta in salted, oiled water until it was al dente and then drained it, keeping about 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid aside.

While the pasta was cooking, I roasted a yellow bell pepper.  Of course, you can buy a jar of roasted peppers, but it's so easy to do it yourself.  Just cut a pepper into quarters, removing the seeds and white tissue, and place skin side up under your broiler.  Once the skins are black, toss the pepper into a paper bag  or a covered bowl and set aside for a few minutes.  Then you can easily peel the skin off and slice up the peppers.

While waiting for the water to boil and the pasta to cook, I slowly sauteed 3 minced cloves of garlic, 1 large sliced shallot bulb, and a tsp of red pepper flakes in olive oil over medium low flame.  I also defrosted about a cup of sweet baby peas.  You can do this quickly by placing them in a bowl of cool water.

All of these ingredients, including the pasta water you set aside, back into the pot in which you boiled the pasta.  Add some olive oil and fresh thyme leaves and gently mix everything together.

Begin to sear your tuna steak(s) in hot olive oil and slowly reheat the stuff in the pot, stirring occasionally.  When the tuna is cooked to taste, cut it up into bite sized pieces and add it to the pot.

This dish has it all:  lean protein (tuna), good fat (olive oil), fiber (whole wheat pasta), and veggies.  It takes a little time to put together, but it's worth it.  Enjoy!

Day 245: Urban Adventure

Despite having lived in SF for over two years, we still live our lives like New Yorkers.  This means that we walk everywhere and rarely leave our neighborhood.  We actually chose to live where we did because it was conducive to that type of lifestyle - tons of restaurants and everything you need within just a few blocks from home.

Once in awhile we decide to venture out of our comfort zone and try someplace new.  It's our idea of an urban adventure.

Tonight was one of those nights.  We hailed a cab and went over to Hayes Valley to try out Indigo.  We had a good meal, the stars being the appetizers, but as usual I was left with the feeling that we could have eaten just as well if not better at one of the stellar restaurants in the 'hood.

We started with two appetizers, which we shared.  The tuna tartar with mango was delicious, especially when scooped up into a homemade waffled potato chip.  The grilled shrimp over risotto was amazing as well.

I continued with the fish theme as I moved into the next course, with salmon over soba noodles.  The soba salad with scallions and julienned carrots was the best part of this dish.  I adore the flavor and mild sweetness of soba and because they are made with buckwheat, I think they're more wholesome than a lot of other types of noodles.

I'm always glad when we leave the borders of our neighborhood but usually, it just makes me even gladder that I live in an area with such great and diverse food options.  Three cheers for Cow Hollow!

Day 234: Celebrating a Milestone

My car has been approaching the 100,000 miles.  I hardly ever drive, but my husband drives it to/from work each day, so I've missed nearly every other major milestone.  I was determined to watch this one happen!

Based on the distance my husband travels each day, we new that tonight was the night.  We figured that by the time he got home, the car will be just 20 to 25 miles away from the target.  So, we decided to do something that we have never done before - leave the city for dinner on a school night.  We decided to try out the Buckeye Roadhouse, a popular and well regarded restaurant in Marin County.  By our calculations, the roundtrip should be the perfect distance to allow me to witness the big event. 

The Buckeye Roadhouse doesn't look like much from the outside, but inside it's quite nice and the menu is full of gourmet dishes (with upscale prices - corkage was $25!!).  We shared two appetizers:  the seared tuna with crunchy cabbage, bell peppers, and crispy noodles and the calamari with tomatillo salsa.  Both were excellent.

Next, I had seared scallops with lemon risotto and chanterelle mushrooms.  YUMS!!  I loved every bite, although I didn't quite finish every bite.  That's probably because we also shared a side order of maple mashed yams - so good I could hardly control myself.

After all this great food, we hit the road and it turns out, we timed this night perfectly.  When we were just a mile from home, the odometer made the much awaited spin.  100,000 miles!!  It looks like my little Honda is all grown up!

Day 228: Soup & Salad

It's been raining for days here in SF and that kind of weather always makes me crave soup.  

On Sunday, I made some beef barley soup with mushrooms, intending to eat it later in the week.  Soup, chili, and stew are always better when they've had a chance to sit for a day or two.

Tonight we paired a bowl of that soup with ahi tuna salad, which I quickly whipped up when I got home tonight.  For the recipe, check out entry #158 (Pretty Enough for Christmas?).

To be honest, the soup was okay, but not great.  I used a recipe from an old Food & Wine cookbook that had provided lots of great recipes to me over the years.  Here it is, with my suggestions for enhancing it:

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil

1 lb boneless beef chuck, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 large onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lb shitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps chopped

1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, chopped

1/2 cup red wine

6 cups low sodium beef broth (cookbook recipe calls for water)

1.5 tsp salt

1/2 cup barley

1 tsp (not packed) freshly chopped rosemary

1 jalapeno, scored 3-4 times from top to bottom (cookbook recipe doesn't include this)

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the meat and brown well (approx. 8 minutes).  Remove meat and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium-low and add onions, celery, and garlic.  Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.  Increase heat to medium, add mushrooms and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the wine and simmer 2 minutes.

Return meat to the pot with any juice that has accumulated.  Add broth and salt and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Reduce the heat and cook at a bare simmer for 30 minutes.

Add barley, rosemary, and jalapeno and cover pot.  Cook until barley is tender, about 1 hour longer and then stir in pepper.

This soup is easy and healthy but I wouldn't say it's the tastiest thing I've ever made.  Any thoughts for improvement?  Please share!

Day 200: Bi-Centennial Entry

I guess I should have done more tonight to celebrate day #200, but I was on my own and it's hard to get motivated to cook something ornate for yourself.  So, I had a salad.

I love loading my salads with lots of different things - it makes every bite interesting.  My salad tonight included:

Baby romaine

A carrot

2 small beets

2 artichoke hearts

1/2 a yellow bell pepper

2 T sliced almonds

1 can of tuna in water

1/2 an apple

Newman's Own Sesame Soy Dressing

I love salads so even though this wasn't a fancy dinner, it made me happy.  I'll try to kick it up a notch on day #300, though!

Day 188: The Best Part is What You Don't See

My husband had a work dinner tonight.  For me, that usually means dinner will be one of two things:  a can of soup and some edamame or a can of tuna with whatever fresh veggies I can drum up from the fridge.  You can see which won out tonight.

We also had a huge container of blueberries, purchased at Costco over the weekend.  We are nowhere near blueberry season, but these guys came from Chile and I couldn't resist so they were my dessert.

However, after eating all of this, I wasn't feeling quite satisfied enough so I cracked open a can of artichoke hearts.  I LOVE artichokes and can literally just eat them from the can - which is just what I did.  I know it's strange, but it makes me happy, so there!

Day 185: An Old Dog Learns New Tricks!

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that I absolutely suck at plating.  It's a bummer because normally my food is quite good but you'd never know it by looking at it.

Last week I went through my blog photo album with a friend, who offered up some keen observations about the differences between my plates from the ones eaten at restaurants:

1.  Restaurants often slice the protein into large chunks, which they then stack

2.  Sauces or other ingredients are offered drizzled or sprinkled about the plate

Tonight I incorporated both strategies into my dish and voila!  One of my best plated dishes yet!!

As you can see, our meal featured seared tuna.  All I did was pat it dry, season it on both sides with S&P, and lay it down in hot olive oil in a stainless steel pan.  After a few minutes, I used tongs to pick the steaks up and turn them over.  Remember - proteins like tuna, chicken, and pork chops will always let you know when they are ready for flipping.  They should lift easily from the pan.  If they don't they aren't ready and you shouldn't force them.  If you do, you risk losing a good chunk of them as part stays with the pan when the rest gets forced out.

Once the tuna was ready, you can see that I followed the first part of my friend's advice and cut it into two pieces, which I stacked.  Beautiful.

The bok choy side dish I prepared was based on a Gourmet recipe that I tweaked:

1 lb. bok choy, trimmed and cut horizontally into 1/2 inch slices

1 orange (or red or yellow) bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 T low sodium soy sauce

1 T fish sauce

2 T water

1 T unsalted butter

2 T canola oil

Heat canola oil on medium-high flame until hot.  Add bok choy and pepper and saute for 3 minutes.

Mix soy sauce, fish sauce, and water in a small bowl.  Add the mixture and the butter to the vegetables and saute for another 5 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the veggies and continue to fast simmer the sauce until reduced to half.  Pour sauce over veggies when it's at the desired consistency.

I'll be honest - my husband did not care for the sauce at all.  So, he doused it in hot sauce and then everything seemed to be okay.  I, on the other hand, quite liked it.  Try it and decide for yourself.

Once the side was done and plated, I followed my friend's second piece of advice and scattered toasted sesame seeds about the food and the plate.  They added some visual pizzazz and tasted great, too.  Sesame seeds are good but are even better once toasted - just sprinkle them into a pan, place over medium-low heat, and watch carefully and toss often.

As you can see, I am open to advice and can learn from my mistakes so please feel free to leave any plating or other related topics as a comment!

Day 158: Pretty Enough for Christmas?

When I was growing up, every Valentine's Day my mother would make a meal focused on the color red.  I remember having things like meat loaf with ribbons of ketchup baked on top, tomato salad, and cherry Jell-O.  

As our dinner came together tonight, just a couple of weeks ahead of Christmas, I was reminded of that tradition and thought that with its red and greens, this meal could serve as a nice appetizer before Christmas dinner.

I made this recipe up as I went, based on lots of other similar recipes I had followed in the past - so the ingredient list below is an estimation.  It's important to taste as you go to identify whether you need more of anything.

Ingredients:

2 cups of 2-inch pieces of fresh green beans

12 pear (or cherry) tomatoes, halved vertically

1 ripe avocado, diced

1 shallot bulb, sliced thin

Juice of 1 large lime

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp peanut oil

1 T olive oil

20 shakes of Frank's Red Hot sauce

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp soy sauce

Approx. 1 lb of high quality (searing grade) ahi tuna

Boil a pot of salted water and add green beans.  Boil until fork tender but still bright green.  Drain and set aside.

Add ingredients lime through soy sauce in a large bowl and whisk.  Taste to ensure that you like the balance of oil to acidity and make any adjustments you find necessary.

Add beans, tomatoes, shallot, and avocado to the mixture and gently stir together.

Coat a stainless steel pan with olive oil and turn burner to medium-high.  Pat tuna dry with a paper towel and season both sides with S&P.  Once oil is hot, sear tuna on both sides - this should only take 3-5 minutes per side depending on how thick the steak is and how well done you like your tuna.

Allow the tuna to cool just a bit.  Then, cut it into large chunks and add to the rest of the salad.  Mix gently and serve!

This was SO yum and incorporated lots of fresh ingredients.  We will definitely be having this again - probably not on Christmas, but soon!

Day 109: Tuna, Take 2

It may sounds odd, but I was craving soy sauce tonight so I found a recipe for ginger soy sauce and tweaked it a little.  The original recipe comes from a great book called "Brilliant Food Tips & Cooking Tricks", which has lots of the basics covered.  

Unfortunately, the original recipe was way too oily, but the addition of the juice from half a lemon really balanced it out:

Sauce:

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine 2 tsp sesame oil, 1 T each of soy sauce and dry sherry (I used mirin in place of the sherry), 1 tsp each grated fresh ginger and honey, and a pinch of ground red pepper (cayenne).  Like I said, I added the juice of half a lemon - and two minced cloves of garlic, too.

I let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes or so, and then drizzled it over the tuna, which I coated in sesame seeds prior to searing in hot olive oil.

If you've been reading this blog awhile, you know that I cook a lot of tuna at home.  Making a sauce is a great way to change it up a little bit.  If you have any favorite sauce recipes, please share!

Day 108: Back in the 'Hood

After a long weekend away with girlfriends and a late flight home, tonight I was really looking forward to some low key bonding time with my husband.  So, we went to dinner at Bistro Aix, one of our favorite neighborhood destinations when we're seeking such a vibe.

The menu is updated daily to allow the restaurant to take advantage of seasonal ingredients.  The dish I chose tonight, however, has been a fairly regular item over the past several months - seared tuna with shitake mushrooms, garlic mashed potatoes and fried spinach.  I've had this dish many times and it never fails to please.  They will even happily replace one off the sides with something else if you ask them to - usually I trade out the potatoes and replace them with green beans or some other healthier option.  Tonight, however, I splurged and enjoyed every bite!

I love to travel but I also love coming home!