October Events - and a Giveaway

Foodie events going on in and around Baltimore this month. If you make it to the bottom of the post, you'll find details on a very cool giveaway.

RA Sushi brings back ONEHOPE:
In support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, RA Sushi Bar Restaurant in Harbor East will be offering a wine and sushi special to benefit the National Breast Cancer Foundation® (NBCF). From Saturday, Oct. 1 to Monday, Oct. 31, RA Sushi will donate 100 percent of the profits from the sale of the ONEHOPE Wine and Pink Roll combination to the Foundation. For more information, visit RA Sushi online at www.RAsushi.com

Baltimore Beer Week
Starts today and runs through the 16th. There are several events during the course of the "week," including an Oktoberfest celebration at the Timonium Fairgrounds on the 8th and the Chesapeake Real Ale Festival at the Pratt Street Ale House on the 15th. For more information, go to http://www.baltimorebeerweek.com.

Gino Marchetti and Friends at Gino's
Meet former Baltimore Colts Gino Marchetti, Artie Donovan, Jim Mutscheller, and Tony Lenhart! They'll be on hand Sunday, October 9th, at the new Gino's at 8600 LaSalle Rd (corner of Joppa and LaSalle Rds.) in Towson, from 11-3 to sign autographs and memorabilia.

Taste of the Nation
On October 15th, Baltimore is participating in Taste of the Nation for the very first time. All proceeds go to end child hunger in the US. Tickets are available for purchase by calling 1-877-26-TASTE or visiting TasteOfTheNation.org.

VOLT ink
On Tuesday, October 18th, Top Chefs Bryan and Michael Voltaggio will be hosting an early release party for their book, VOLT ink.: Recipes, Stories, Brothers, at Harry Grove Stadium in Frederick. There will be concession food provided by the Voltaggios, music by The Regal Beagles Yacht Rock Club Band and Blatant 80s, and a FACKA double header (adult co-ed kickball). Tickets are $8 for adults; children 12 and under can attend for free. For tickets, click here.

Speaking of Volt ink...Minxeats has one AUTOGRAPHED copy of the Voltaggio Brothers brand-spanking-new cookbook to GIVE AWAY to one lucky Minxeats reader. All you need to do is to leave a comment on this post. One winner will be chosen by random drawing.

Of course there are rules:

• The winner will be contacted via e-mail, so make sure to include a valid e-mail address in your comment. If I can't contact you, you can't win.
• Winners must be US residents and over 18 years of age.
• Contest ends Tuesday, October 18th, at midnight.
• The odds of winning are dependent on the number of entries received.

Good luck!

Posted by theminx on Minxeats.com.

A Little Korean, A Little Not

One day last week, I lunched on something that was billed as "Korean BBQ tacos." With that description, I hoped to chomp down on some toothsome beef that was both spicy and sweet and seasoned with garlic and sesame oil. Imagine my disappointment when instead I ended up with a mouthful of pot-roast-like meat seasoned with a ton of thyme. (I hate when that happens. The thyme part. I think thyme - especially dried thyme - when used in excess, tastes like something that would be better used to clean floors.) Turns out that the person who assembled my lunch used the wrong beef and the tacos weren't supposed to taste so bizarre. Still - a huge disappointment that left me wiping my tongue in disgust.

I made up for the experience by making Korean-style food at home over the weekend. Rather than duplicating the taco idea, I made a sandwich with marinated flank steak topped with vegetables including a Korean spinach salad known as sigumchi namul (a popular banchan dish), and a spicy mayonnaise.

After a couple of bites, Mr Minx said, "this is one of those things that tastes so good, you just want to keep eating more and more." Words I looove to hear. And I gotta admit - it was damn good. The meat was garlicky, sweet, and sesame-y, just like Korean short ribs, aka kalbi. The assortment of veggies added a variety of textures, and the mayo added some heat. While I'm not a huge fan the bizarre hair-like texture of sprouts, I felt they added a nice earthy flavor to the sandwich. If you don't like them, feel free to leave them out; ditto for the pepperjack cheese.

Korean-style Flank Steak Sandwich

Flank Steak
1/2 cup light soy
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon kochukaru (Korean red chile flakes)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 bunch scallions, root end removed, chopped into 2" sections
1 1.5 lb flank steak

Place flank steak in a zip-top plastic bag and add the remaining ingredients. Marinate for at least one hour up to overnight. (The longer, the better!)

Preheat broiler and move oven rack to the highest position. Place the marinated steak and scallions on a foil-covered shallow baking pan and broil for 3-4 minutes on one side. Flip steak and broil for an additional 3 minutes or until desired doneness. (Use a digital thermometer to access internal temperature. Ideally, 130-140 is medium-rare). Allow meat to rest at room temperature for about 10 minutes before slicing thinly on a diagonal against the grain.

Sigumchi Namul
1/2 lb fresh spinach
1.5 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon vinegar
black pepper

Blanch spinach in rapidly boiling water for 30 seconds. Transfer to a bowl of ice water to retain the green color. When cooled, carefully squeeze out all of the water. Chop the spinach coarsely and mix with the remaining ingredients.

Spicy Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (I like Kewpie)
2 teaspoons gochujang
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger

Mix together in a small bowl.

Zucchini Pickles
1 lb small zucchini, peeled and cut into coins
1 tablespoon agave syrup
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
large pinch of kosher salt

Mix everything in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate a couple of hours before using.

To assemble sandwiches:
Radish sprouts
thinly sliced pepperjack cheese
baguettes or crisp-crusted hoagie rolls

Split roll horizontally. Spread both sides with mayo. Top with broiled scallions, sprouts, steak slices, cheese, spinach, and zucchini. Serve with your favorite chips. (I used Garden of Eatin' Sesame Blues, figuring the sesame accent would work well with the sesame in the sandwich.)

Makes 4-6 sandwiches, depending on how generous you are with the toppings. There will be zucchini pickles left over - refrigerate, and enjoy them within the week.

Posted by theminx on Minxeats.com.

Fumetto #17 - Sugar Ho

Posted by theminx on Minxeats.com.

Mon Petit Chou

Brussels sprouts with mushrooms and bacon

Regular readers have probably already figured out that we love Brussels sprouts. And we're not just fair-weather fans who enjoy them cooked in one specific way (say, roasted) - we like them every way, including mushy and overcooked. I grew up eating long-cooked cabbage and I always thought of Brussels sprouts as a nuttier-flavored, creamier-textured cabbage (even if they do turn a rather unappetizing grey after a while).

Are you a hater? Have you actually tried eating Brussel sprouts in any way other than boiled by Grandma? How about some roasted sprouts with fish sauce and mint, a la David Chang? (We loved them!) Bobby Flay's sprouts are less-roasty and topped with tangy pomegranate seeds. The little cabbages are even tasty when given a vaguely-Indian-style treatment, as in this variation of a Monica Bhide recipe. Or mix them with potatoes and make "bubble and squeak."

Our favorite method of cooking Brussels sprouts even made a lover out of my brother. The prep takes a bit more time, but cooking is a snap.

Steamed Brussels Sprouts

As many sprouts as you want to cook
flavored oil (for example, lemon- or garlic-infused olive oil, walnut oil)
salt and pepper

Prep the sprouts by cutting off the stem end and removing and discarding the outermost leaves. Peel off remaining leaves as if the sprouts were tiny heads of lettuce. Cut off as much of the stem as necessary to make this task easier (the smaller the leaves, the tighter they are packed together).

Place loose leaves in a large bowl and rinse under cold water. Drain.

Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add sprout leaves and cover pan. (There should be enough water left on the leaves to steam them.) Stir occasionally. When leaves are bright chartreuse green (about 3-5 minutes, depending on how many leaves you have/how large a pan you use), turn heat down to low and drizzle with a bit of flavored oil and salt and pepper. Toss well to coat with oil, remove from heat, and serve.

Posted by theminx on Minxeats.com.