Don Angie, New York

When I go to New York, I try to get together with my busy friend Daisy for at least one  meal, maybe two. Our most recent visit coincided with the first day of school, but she made time for us at the end of a crazy day of classes. We had chosen Don Angie, a modern Italian restaurant in the West Village for our late evening repast.

It was a great choice.

We started off with a selection of cocktails, Mr Minx with the Scotch and Amaretto concoction called Uncle Jimmy and me with the Pignoli Colada. I can't remember what Daisy got and I'm too lazy to ask her. In any case, I felt they were all ok. A bit heavy on the ice, which made them seem watered down.

The food was much better.

This is the bbq calamari with pepperoni fried rice and herbed labne. I proclaim that all fried rice should have pepperoni in it. And chunks of tender squid. Fab.

My favorite app was the tonatto vitello. I've always been curious to try the traditional version of veal with a tuna sauce, but it can't possibly hold a candle to Don Angie's crudo version. A membrane-thin blanket of tuna carpaccio covered a lightly spicy veal tartare with crunchy bits of celery and something that I think could have been bread crumbs? In any case, it was fan-fucking-tastic. A must-try. We also had the cheese-tastic stuffed garlic flatbread, which can be seen lurking in the background.

Each of us ordered pasta. TBH, Mr Minx and I had eaten a lot already that day and weren't super hungry, but we didn't have any problem scarfing up our meals. He had the gorgeous caramelle (a stuffed pasta shaped like a cellophane-wrapped candy) with buffalo milk ricotta, served in a brothy sauce with cubes of pickled cantaloupe. It was a smaller serving, but just right for him (for once!)

I had the smoked paprika and tomato-flavored sopressini (vaguely shaped like fortune cookies) with smoked mussels in a sauce made with Peroni beer, topped with cilantro bread crumbs and lime butter. Daisy had the garganelli giganti with a broken meatball ragu, guanciale, and pecorino. Her dish was delish, but mine was indescribably good. The pasta was silky, the mussels (not actually smoked, just heated in a smoked paprika oil) were tender, and the lime and cilantro brought everything together. If the recipe wasn't so complicated, I'd try to make it at home myself.

We skipped dessert because we were so full, but happily so. Don Angie is going into my NY dining rotation for sure.

Don Angie
103 Greenwich Ave
New York, NY 10014
http://donangie.com

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Flashback Friday - Green Tomato Relish

This post originally appeared on Minxeats.com on July 23, 2013.

We've planted tomatoes in containers for several years now. The smaller, miniature varieties grow like gangbusters, but the full-sized fruits are always a disappointment. This year, we put in a raised bed garden and planted it with several types of large tomatoes. They're growing well - yay! But not wanting to have more ripe tomatoes than we can handle at one time, I've been culling them while green. There's only so many times one feels like fussing with fried green tomatoes, so I wanted to do something different. Easier. I thought maybe a green tomato relish could be interesting, but when I looked for recipes on the Web, all I found were supersweet versions that would be best used on a hot dog. I wanted something far more subtle, something slightly sweet, slightly tangy, and not at all pickle-tasting.

Basically, I chopped my green tomatoes, added a bare minimum of seasoning, and was pretty satisfied with that. I served it over pan-seared salmon and barley "Alfredo." (Prepare a package of quick cooking barley, drain and add a big blob of butter, a couple tablespoons of heavy cream, and a handful of grated Parmesan cheese. Stir well, season to taste.)

Green Tomato Relish

olive oil
3 green tomatoes, cut in small dice
1 tablespoon diced onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
salt, pepper, hot sauce to taste

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add tomatoes and onion. Cook for a minute or so, then add the garlic. Stir frequently for another minute, then add the brown sugar and vinegar. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and hot sauce (I like Tabasco's green jalapeno sauce for this) to taste. If you feel the tomatoes need more sugar or vinegar, then add to taste. Cook for another minute or so. The tomatoes should still be somewhat crisp.

Store in the refrigerator in a covered jar until ready to use.



Posted on Minxeats.com.




Posted on Minxeats.com.

Maiwand Grill

Maiwand Grill, which bills itself as a restaurant serving authentic Afghan cuisine, opened on West Baltimore Street in 2015. It's just down the street from work, so I've popped in a couple of times to try various menu items.

The first time, I decided to sample three of the appetizers. The kaddo borawni, or sweet baby pumpkin topped with a garlicky yogurt sauce (with or without ground beef sauce) seemed sweeter than the same dish served at the Helmand (the restaurant that introduced the cuisine of Afghanistan to Baltimore), but it was tasty nonetheless. I also tried the aushak, ravioli filled with scallions, topped with more of that garlicky yogurt sauce, plus ground beef and mint. It was a little sloppy to eat out of a pound-sized plastic tub but it was also pretty good. Finally, the eggplant with tomatoes and peppers (and more garlic yogurt sauce) had too many green peppers for my taste (but that is my particular prejudice). All three apps felt slightly oily, which may not be the case if they are served on a plate.

Left: kaddo borawni. Top: eggplant. Bottom: aushak with meat.

And perhaps it was a bit of yogurt sauce overload for one meal (however, I ended up eating the leftovers for two additional days), but all three dishes worked nicely with the supplied flatbreads, which mopped up all of the sauce and juices quite nicely.

The next time I went, I tried one of the kabob dishes. Maiwand Grill has a couple styles of chicken kabobs, like the tikka kabobs (marinated with tandoori flavoring) and the malai kabobs (with a sour cream butter sauce--the one I tried), plus lamb, beef, kofta, and salmon kabobs. All come with salad, cilantro yogurt sauce, a naan-style bread, and a pile of cinnamon- and cardamom-scented rice. The chunks of white meat chicken in my dish were tender and moist, and everything else was well-seasoned.

Chicken malai kabob.

It was also a large portion, so I was able to enjoy it for two lunches. Not bad for $10.

Maiwand Grill's entree selection also includes lamb chops, shrimp, and a beef or chicken burger seasoned with Afghan spices. Baklava, rice pudding, and Afghan ice cream serve as desserts.

I would imagine they get the most business at lunchtime from the University and hospital down the street, but Maiwand Grill is a place to consider for lunch or dinner before or after an Orioles game--Camden Yards is just a few blocks away.

Maiwand Grill
324 W Baltimore St
Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 685-0208

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Authentic Italian Pasta Chips

For too many years, snack foods promised more than they could deliver. The bag might say, "spicy salsa flavor" or "rich caramel goodness," but they would usually end up being a giant salt bomb or sugar bomb with little actual flavor. Recently, however, a growing number of entrepreneurs have been putting some real effort into creating snack foods with unique flavors that taste exactly like what they're supposed to taste like. One such product is Authentic Italian Pasta Chips.

Made with Durum wheat semolina flour like real pasta, these thin, square crackers look like dried out pieces of ravioli dough. But don't worry, it doesn't taste like dried pasta. The crackers are light and crisp. Pasta Chips come in six flavors all classically Italian in origin: Mediterranean Sea Salt, Garlic Olive Oil, Spicy Tomato Herb, Marinara, Alfredo, Spinach-Broccoli-Kale and Sea Salt. Okay, the last one might be a little New American, but they're all quite tasty.

If you're looking for a good dipping  chip, I would recommend the mildly flavored Mediterranean Sea Salt, Garlic Olive Oil, or Spinach-Broccoli-Kale and Sea Salt. Since they taste exactly like the flavors they purport to be, you can match each one to the flavor of dip you have so they will compliment each other. The other flavors are best eaten on their own. Although I didn't think the Marinara tasted much like marinara sauce, it does have a really addictive flavor, like a low salt version of Doritos (I mean that in a good way). Spicy Tomato Herb actually reminded me more of a tomato-based pasta sauce and was really delicious. Parmesan and Romano cheese are the primary flavors of the Alfredo chips with a hint of parsley in the background.

All six flavors of Authentic Italian Pasta Chips are well worth trying, and since they are made with non-GMO ingredients, you can feel good about eating them.    

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!



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Asian BBQ Chicken

It doesn't seem (to me) that I cook chicken very often. I'm not sure why, since its probably my favorite meat. Maybe it's just boring, I don't know. But I got it in my head that not only did I need to make chicken, but it needed to be basted in a thick bbq-style sauce with Asian flavors. I had this picture in my head of a beautiful brown chicken leg, glistening with sauce. Just like in that photo above. Isn't it gorgeous?

Most chicken recipes direct cooks to make sure the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. While that's fine for chicken breasts, I really prefer dark meat to be cooked to closer to 180°F. Dark meat is more moist, and at the lower temperature it still seems vaguely raw to me. It's fairly hard to overcook (unless you burn it), so I tend to leave the chicken on the heat for a bit longer than usual. Your mileage may vary, of course. If you like your dark meat less-cooked than I do, then by all means, cook it to 165°F.

If you're a regular Minxeats reader, you might have noticed that Mr Minx and I are absolutely in love with the rich, slightly-burnt, caramelly flavor and aroma of Chinese black vinegar. It's one ingredient that needs to be purchased in an Asian grocery, so if you don't want to make the trip, then use balsamic vinegar instead. It won't be exactly the same, but it will still taste good.

Asian BBQ Chicken

For sauce:
1 cup onion, chopped
Oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
4 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon black vinegar
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1-2 teaspoons sambal oelek or sriracha
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

For chicken:
2 tablespoons black vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 skin-on, bone-in chicken leg quarters, or 4 legs and 4 thighs
1 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 green onions, chopped

To make sauce: Saute onion in a bit of oil until translucent. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute or so. Add the soy, hoisin, brown sugar, vinegars, ginger, and sambal. Bring to a boil. Once boiled, remove from heat and puree mixture with a stick blender. Stir in toasted sesame oil.

To make chicken: Combine black vinegar, soy, and garlic in a large zip-top plastic bag. Prick the chicken all over with the tip of a knife and add to the bag. Press out the air, seal the bag, and shake to coat the chicken. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Add the oil to a large oven-safe skillet or casserole and heat over high heat. Add the butter, and once melted, add the chicken, skin side-down, and any juices from the marinade bag. Cook 3-4 minutes, until chicken is browned on skin side, then turn the chicken pieces skin side-up. Place pan in preheated oven and cook for 8 minutes. Remove pan from oven and brush tops of chicken with some of the bbq sauce. Return to oven for another 8 minutes. At that time, reapply the bbq sauce and return to oven. Roast for 30-40 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F (or 180°F, if you're like me and want slightly drier meat). Apply another coating of sauce and sprinkle with green onions before serving.

Serves 4.



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Green Tomato Relish

We've planted tomatoes in containers for several years now. The smaller, miniature varieties grow like gangbusters, but the full-sized fruits are always a disappointment. This year, we put in a raised bed garden and planted it with several types of large tomatoes. They're growing well - yay! But not wanting to have more ripe tomatoes than we can handle at one time, I've been culling them while green. There's only so many times one feels like fussing with fried green tomatoes, so I wanted to do something different. Easier. I thought maybe a green tomato relish could be interesting, but when I looked for recipes on the Web, all I found were supersweet versions that would be best used on a hot dog. I wanted something far more subtle, something slightly sweet, slightly tangy, and not at all pickle-tasting.

Basically, I chopped my green tomatoes, added a bare minimum of seasoning, and was pretty satisfied with that. I served it over pan-seared salmon and barley "Alfredo." (Prepare a package of quick cooking barley, drain and add a big blob of butter, a couple tablespoons of heavy cream, and a handful of grated Parmesan cheese. Stir well, season to taste.)

Green Tomato Relish

olive oil
3 green tomatoes, cut in small dice
1 tablespoon diced onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
salt, pepper, hot sauce to taste

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add tomatoes and onion. Cook for a minute or so, then add the garlic. Stir frequently for another minute, then add the brown sugar and vinegar. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and hot sauce (I like Tabasco's green jalapeno sauce for this) to taste. If you feel the tomatoes need more sugar or vinegar, then add to taste. Cook for another minute or so. The tomatoes should still be somewhat crisp.

Store in the refrigerator in a covered jar until ready to use.



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Rajma Masala - Sorta

I was looking for something vegetarian to make for dinner, something easy, with beans. I hadn't eaten Indian food in a while, so a recipe for rajma masala struck me. Only that dish is made with kidney beans. Kidney beans aren't my friend, so I decided to use my favorite bean instead - black beans.

The dish is pretty simple, despite the number of spices. It came together in a flash and was very tasty. As a plus, the spices made the house smell great for the rest of the evening.

Rajma Masala

1 cup chopped onion
oil
pinch salt
1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
pinch cinnamon
pinch cloves
1 15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15oz can of chopped tomatoes and their juices
1/2 teaspoon amchor powder (dried green mango) or 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
salt to taste
chopped green onion or cilantro

In a medium saucepan, saute the onion over medium heat in a bit of oil and a pinch of salt until softened and just beginning to brown. Stir in the garlic and jalapeno, then add the turmeric, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir constantly for about a minute until the spices are well-incorporated with the onions, then add the beans and tomatoes.

Cook for 15-20 minutes over low heat until the beans have softened, stirring occasionally. Add the amchor powder or lemon juice and salt to taste.

Serve with basmati rice.



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Oven-roasted Asparagus

My new favorite way to cook asparagus - oven roasting.

I do the same thing with broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts.

Preheat the oven to 450F.

Trim and rinse asparagus. Pat dry. Place asparagus on a foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and a healthy pinch of salt. Slice a couple of garlic cloves thinly and scatter the slices on the asparagus. Toss with your hands so everything gets a nice coating of the olive oil.

Roast for 5-6 minutes, turn spears with tongs, and roast another 5-6 minutes. Serve as is, or with a drizzle of lemon mayonnaise or hollandaise.

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Roasted Broccoli

We had some broccoli in the fridge that needed to be cooked before it went bad, and I wanted to do something other than the usual blanch and quick sauté. I remembered reading a recipe for broccoli "cooked forever" somewhere on the Internets--I know, it sounds disgusting, but it's supposed to taste terrific. Possibly as good as my grandmother's green beans, cooked for hours, which turned out sweet and mellow and buttery. I used to eat them by the bowlful for dinner.

I see you--yes you--over there, sneering. You just go on ahead and continue eating your under-cooked beans that make squeaking sounds when you chew. Not particularly tasty, are they? Just...squeaky.

Harrumph.

Back to broccoli. I'm just going to have to take the recipe creator's word that long-cooking the stuff makes for deliciousness. When I found the recipe, I saw that it required 1 cup of olive oil. Sorry, but I'd rather spend that $5 on something less-wasteful (I am, after all, one of the 99%).

Instead, I decided to oven-roast my broccoli. The Amateur Gourmet raved over Ina Garten's recipe, so I did a similar riff, tossing the broccoli florets with salt, a few tablespoons of olive oil, a fat clove of sliced garlic, and a pinch of red pepper flakes before popping it into a 425F oven for about 25 minutes. (On a foil-lined baking sheet. I did not just throw the broccoli into the oven like that.) When the broccoli was done, I topped it with a squeeze of lemon juice and a handful of grated Parm.

The result: perfectly tender-crisp vegetables with nice caramelized bits, and a house that reeked of roasted garlic (not necessarily a bad thing). It was pretty terrific, and I'm betting that cauliflower would be just as good, if not better.

Once the weather gets cooler, I see myself roasting vegetables in this manner more often.

Posted on Minxeats.com.

A Foodie Pet Peeve

It really drives me nuts to hear so many professional cooks calling variously flavored mayonnaises "aioli." Aioli is not just a fancy French word for mayonnaise (the fancy French word for mayonnaise is...wait for it...mayonnaise), but rather a sauce unto itself, made with garlic.

I'm not just being bitchy. The "ai" part of the word comes from the French word for garlic, ail. So if your sauce doesn't contain garlic, it's not an aioli. For instance, mayo with chipotle (please note the proper placement of the "l" and the "t" in that word) or blood orange or saffron is not chipotle aioli or blood orange aioli or Saffron aioli - it's a variously flavored mayonnaise.

To make things more confusing...aioli is also a mayonnaise. A garlic mayonnaise. If you start out making a nice garlic mayonnaise (with real, fresh garlic, not garlic powder) and flavor it with chipotle or saffron, then - and only then - is it a chipotle aioli.

Here's a nice simple recipe for aioli. Notice that it has garlic in it. Because it is an aioli.

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Flashback Friday 9.30.2011

This post is from February 18, 2007

------------------
Steak Continental

This was my mother's most-used cookbook. As a young wife and mother, she consulted this venerable tome for all of her American-style cooking needs - meatloaf, pot roast, fried chicken. (The authority for Polish cooking was my grandmother, of course, who lived downstairs.) Over time, she added recipes that she found elsewhere, like this one for "Steak Continental." (See it typed out on the pages pictured?) It was one of my favorite meals, and I would often beg Mom to make "flank steak." God, it was good.

2 lb flank steak or 3/4" thick round steak
1 clove garlic, quartered
1 tablespoons salt
2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves

Score flank steak or trim all fat from round steak. Mash garlic with salt; add soy sauce, tomato paste, oil, pepper, and oregano. Mix well and rub into steak. Wrap in waxed paper and let stand in refrigerator 6 hours or overnight. Broil 5 to 8 minutes each side. 4 to 6 servings.

---

I found the recipe printed in various places on the Internet, no credit given, often with ketchup replacing tomato paste, but otherwise verbatim. Where did this recipe come from originally? Who deserves credit for this simple and delicious method of meat preparation?

I made this last night, without the oil and oregano (it's not enough oregano to make a difference, and who needs the extra oil?) and using 3 cloves of garlic. (Yeah, you wusses probably will want to stick to the recommended 1 clove, but 3 or 4 makes for a far superior flavor.) Despite Tony Bourdain's aversion to the gadget, I love my Pampered Chef garlic squoosher, so omitted the whole garlic/salt mashing mess (it's not so great for a knitter's hands to smell garlicky). And six hours really isn't enough time to allow the marinade to penetrate the meat - I recommend a good 24-hour period (take flank steak out of the freezer on Friday, marinate on Saturday, cook and serve on Sunday).

The meat is garlicky, with a nice char on the edges, and tender within (if cooked to medium-rare). It's a versatile dish, that if made for two, gives up lots of tasty leftovers. The flavor profile is one that goes equally well with a mound of mashed potatoes or a pile of Asian-style sesame noodles. Sliced cold, it's tasty on a salad. And it works just as well on the grill as in the broiler, so it's perfect for summertime entertaining.

Take it from me, it's great. Go make some.
Parenthetically Yours,
Kathy

Posted by theminx on Minxeats.com.

Bread Salad

June has just begun and it's already HOT. When the weather is steamy, I want to eat food that is cool or room-temperature, salady stuff. But interesting salady stuff - a bowl of lettuce and cucumbers with dressing just doesn't cut it most of the time. This weekend, I found myself with about a third of a loaf of Atwater's olive bread and decided it would be perfect in a bit of panzanella. Typically a combination of tomatoes, bread, cucumbers, and onions, this Italian bread salad can also involve more savory elements like olives, capers, and fresh basil. Our basil (five types) is growing like gangbusters, so I used three different varieties, along with some fresh radishes and a bed of baby spinach. And of course there's a man in the house, which meant it was imperative that I add a protein. A handful of frozen shrimp from the omni-present bag in the freezer did the trick.

The result was colorful, refreshing, and full of summertime flavor. The various textures were also quite pleasing - the crunch of the bread, the snap of the shrimp, the soft cheese. This salad is something I want to eat on a regular basis.

Shrimp Panzanella

2 cups bread cubes
6 ounces of medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 small zucchini sliced into thin ribbons with a vegetable peeler
handful of radishes, thinly sliced
half a cucumber, peeled, quartered, seeds removed, diced
1 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 teaspoon drained capers
4 ounces fresh mozzarella or similar soft-curd cheese (feta would work, too!)
2 tablespoons torn fresh basil
balsamic vinegar
honey
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
handful of baby spinach leaves

Heat large saute pan. Add a splash of olive oil and the minced garlic. Stir garlic into oil and toss in croutons, tossing to coat with the garlic oil. Continue to toss until cubes start to brown slightly and garlic is fragrant. Remove to a bowl and set aside.

Add another splash of olive oil to the hot pan and add the shrimp. Cook until shrimp are opaque. Remove to a bowl to cool.

In a large bowl, toss zucchini, radish, cucumber, tomato, red onion, and capers.

Make a vinegar-heavy vinaigrette with about 2 tablespoons of balsamic, 1 teaspoon of honey, and 1 tablespoon of EVOO. Add a dash of salt and pepper and emulsify (beat well) with a fork. Pour over vegetables in bowl. Add bread cubes and shrimp and toss well. Stir in cheese and basil.

Serves 2-4.

Posted by theminx on Minxeats.com.

Havana Road

On a recent weekend, Mr Minx and I decided to check out the new Cuban restaurant in Towson, Havana Road. Who would have thought that such a cute little restaurant existed in one of the fairly small and otherwise generic storefronts on Pennsylvania Avenue? The decor is somehow both homey and modern, with mismatched tables and chairs in a cozy room with dark red walls adorned with posters and photos of Cuba, a black-painted ceiling strung with tiny lights to mimic a night sky, and bark-shaded pendant lamps. Each table is decorated with an old cigar box and a single fresh flower in a simple glass vase. We immediately felt at home, except that we chose the wrong chairs in which to sit - beware the high-backed straw-seated ones that are not meant for lingering.

For those who are unfamiliar with Cuban cuisine, it derives from a melange of Spanish, African, and Caribbean influences. The Spanish influence was apparent in the shrimp and garlic sauce appetizer from the specials menu; we also sampled the black bean soup.

Havana Road's rendition of the former was fairly simple: perfectly cooked shrimp relaxing in a bowl of warm, very garlicky oil, with lightly toasted bread on the side. I liked the way that the garlic was skillfully cooked so it was toasty and brown but not burnt, giving the oil a rich mellow flavor.

The black bean soup was even more simple, at least in appearance. Mr Minx says it resembled a bowl of very well-used motor oil. Although unattractive, the soup was quite nice; somehow hearty and delicate at the same time, mostly smooth-textured, and well-seasoned with a hint of cumin.

For our entrées, we tried the classic Cubano sandwich, made with slow-roasted Cuban pork, ham, Swiss cheese, mustard, and pickle, pressed on traditional Cuban bread, with a container of mojo sauce and plantain chips on the side. The combination of ingredients in a Cubano may seem ordinary, but the result was anything but - it's melty hot, gooey, but not greasy, and the onion/garlic/lime kick of the mojo gave the sandwich a bright kick.

The ropa vieja--a dish of beef cooked so long and slow the meat falls into rope-like strands--was rich and hearty, and came accompanied by caramelized sweet plaintains, a bowl of black beans that was much like a solid version of the soup, and some plain (rather uninteresting) rice. The portion was so large, most of it was relegated to a doggie bag to be eaten later in the week.

We also tried an order of the yuca fries - fingers of cassava fried until crisp on the outside and fluffy yet chewy on the inside - much better than most restaurant French fries I've had and definitely worth getting - and glasses of their fruit tea, a refreshing quaff that tasted mostly of citrus.

Overall, we were quite happy with our meal, but then we are big fans of garlic. If you are, too, you won't be disappointed with Havana Road.

Havana Road
8 W Pennsylvania Avenue
Towson, MD 21204
(410) 494-8222

Pork with Cambodian Flavors

A good while back, I tasted a Cambodian dish prepared by fellow food blogger John, of the very excellent Baltimore Snacker. It was called "Nataing" and contained ground pork, fish sauce, sugar, coconut milk, and tons of garlic - a simple but delicious combination. I was happy to find that the recipe was available in an online version of the Elephant Walk Cookbook and bookmarked it. It took a good year before I got around to adapting it for my personal use, although it was always somewhere on the back of my mind.

Because the Ravens/Steelers NFL Playoff debacle game was on during dinnertime, I whipped up some nachos to choke nosh on while we tore out our hair and screamed at the television watched the game. I had tucked about a pound and a half of pork shoulder left over from the Christmas taco party into the freezer and used a bit of it, along with some chorizo, for the nachos. That left me with more than a pound of defrosted pork shoulder to play with for Sunday's (much calmer) dinner.

While the textures in my version are very different from that of the original, it shares the same rich and savory flavor profile and was delightful over leftover basmati rice.

Cambodian Pork

1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 lb cooked pork, chopped roughly (shoulder, tenderloin, roast, etc.)
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 scallions, chopped
1/4 chopped roasted unsalted peanuts
rice

Cook onion in oil until just softened. Stir in pork, garlic, peanut butter and mix until well-combined. Stir in coconut milk, sugar, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer until much of the liquid has evaporated, about an hour. Taste for seasoning; add more fish sauce if necessary. Serve over rice, garnished with cilantro, scallions, and peanuts. Serves 4.

Shrimp with Black Bean Sauce

My little brother was born in September of 1970, two months short of my 5th birthday. I suppose that taking care of an infant and an annoying pre-schooler (that would be me) was a bit much for my mom, even though her mother lived downstairs and was always more than happy to keep an eye on one or both of us. To get a little bit of a break from two kids hanging on her, Date Night was instituted. Not between Mom and Dad, but between me and Dad. Once every other week or so, Mom would dress me up and ship me out of the house as soon as Dad got home. He worked late in those days and was seldom around for dinner, so getting together, just the two of us, was kinda special.

So what did we do on our nights out? See Disney movies and eat fast food? Of course not! We went out someplace nice to eat, like the grown-ups we were. Keep in mind that this was nearly 40 years ago now so I don't remember every excursion, but one in particular sticks out in my mind: a visit to Mee Jun Lo. Mee Jun Lo was a Chinese restaurant on Mulberry Street, near Baltimore's minuscule Chinatown. It was a bit of a hole in the wall, up a dark flight of stairs into a dark room full of interesting smells. We usually went to Jimmy Wu's, up on Charles Street, so Mee Jun Lo seemed...exotic somehow.

I remember that one of us ordered shrimp with black bean sauce, something I had never before tried. The flavors of shrimp and garlic exploded on my palate, with the salty beans adding an earthy quality. I was plenty used to garlic as I had been exposed to fresh Polish kielbasa in the womb, and one of my maternal aunts had married an Italian man whose father taught her a vast repertoire of Sicilian dishes. But the combination of shrimp and garlic and those funny black things - that was new to me.

I'm not sure I ever ordered shrimp in black bean sauce ever again. But the flavor of that first-ever dish still lingers in my mind.

Shrimp in Black Bean Sauce

1 pound peeled and deveined medium to large shrimp

Marinade:
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon corn starch
2 cloves garlic, minced

Sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine

Stir-fry
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons black bean sauce with garlic
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup sliced onion
1/2 roasted red bell pepper, sliced (you may use raw green pepper)
2 green onions, shredded

Rinse the shrimp and pat dry. Place the shrimp in a bowl and stir in the marinade ingredients and marinade the shrimp for at least 15 minutes.

Heat the wok and add oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and cook until it begins to wilt. Then add the black bean sauce and fresh ginger, stirring it together for a few seconds until aromatic. Add the shrimp. Stir-fry briefly until shrimp turn pink and opaque.

Stir in the green onion. Serve hot over rice.