Kumquat Braised Oxtail

You people are just killing me. I swear, I need to find someone quickly, because there are too many good recipes being posted these days, and I truly want someone to share them with! But I'm single, and my cat really isn't into people food. (Except yogurt.) So unless I decide to throw a banquet and invite all my friends, there's no way I'm going to get to taste these divine meals you guys are turning out. Is there a way to do a virtual pot luck?

But sometimes a recipe just hits you between the eyes and launches that "Gotta Have It!" thing. That's what happened to me when I read Danielle's kumquat braised oxtail with chestnut stracci recipe over at Habeas Brulee. I hadn't even thought of oxtail since I lived in New Mexico. My husband used to make it from time to time. In fact, he used to experiment with all kinds of odd cuts of meat, turning them into fabulous meals. But I'm not sure that was why I had to have this. I think it was the thought of chestnut stracci. The combination of a hint of chestnut playing off a rich, dense combination of beef and citrusy kumquat was more than I could stand, and I rarely eat beef! But alas, I was unable to find chestnut flour. Does anyone know where to get this magical stuff? I must have gone to 4 different places. From Little Italy, to Whole Foods to Henry's, no one had it. I suspect it's only available online, and I couldn't wait that long. After all, it just might decide to turn summery again, and then I'd be off on one of my long walks. My favorite walks these days take me down to Little Italy, usually for a latte at my favorite Cafe Italia. I bring a book, read a chapter, and then take a stroll around downtown...But I digress........Today we're having bipolar weather. One minute it's sunny, the next it looks like the heavens will open up and drown you if you even think of walking anywhere. Still perfect weather for this oxtail, though. I'll give you the recipe just as Danielle wrote it. Then I'll tell you what happened to me while trying to make this. It was one hilarious kitchen fiasco after another. Never in my culinary history have I burned 2 pots in one day. Is there an Olympic event for this? I'd qualify in a heartbeat! A friend of mine told me that Mercury was in retrograde. Maybe that explains it. Anyway, here's the recipe:

Kumquat Braised Oxtail
3 lbs oxtail, in 2″ (or so) thick slices
Oil for browning
1/2 lb kumquats, sliced into 1/4″ thick rounds and deseeded (don’t stress too much, since they’ll be strained out and discarded in the end)
6 shallots, thinly sliced
1 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 C water

Brown the oxtail in little oil. Stir in all other ingredients except for the balsamic vinegar. Pressure cook at high pressure for 50 minutes (or braise over low heat for probably about 4 hours or so, or until tender).

Remove the oxtail and let cool a bit.

In the meantime, strain the sauce and stir in the balsamic. You can reduce it at this point if necessary, but it really should be thick and lusciously flavorful enough already with no need for reduction.

Pull the meat off the bones, saving the fat, bone, and connective tissue in the freezer for the next time you make beef stock.

Shred the meat and stir it into the sauce.

Refrigerate overnight, and skim off the solidified fat the next day before serving.

Chestnut Stracci
3 C all-purpose flour
1 C chestnut flour
6 eggs
1-2 tbsp olive oil
A big pinch of salt

Knead the ingredients together until they form a dough, then continue kneading for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Let it rest at room temperature wrapped in plastic wrap for 15-30 minutes.

Roll it out as thin as you can - at least as thin as a dime! It will double in thickness when it cooks.

Let it rest another 15 minutes before cutting it into irregular shapes with a fluted pastry wheel.

Cook in salted boiling water for just a few minutes, then strain and serve with the sauce.Kitchen Tales: OK, so I told you that I couldn't find the chestnut flour, so I didn't make that pasta. (Sniff!) I put all the ingredients into the pressure cooker, fired it up and when it started hissing at me, I turned it down enough so that it would still hiss from time to time, but didn't threaten to detonate. I went to my office and began answering emails. Big mistake. Next thing I knew, I was smelling the meat. I ran back to the kitchen, turned off the pot and tweaked the pressure valve on top so that it would let off steam quickly. When it was safe to open the pot, I discovered that yes, all the liquid had boiled away, and the meat was kinda stuck to the bottom of the pan. Glued, actually. After prying as much loose as I could, I saved the bones. I was bound and determined to make this puppy turn out, or I was going to hand in my apron.

After prying, scraping and scrubbing my pot so that it was back to it's glistening stainless steel self, I put some chopped onions, kumquats, spices, oil and the bones in the pan, along with both water and beef broth. (In fact, I used some beef broth in the first go-round.) I fired up that pot and let 'er rip for about 15 minutes, at which time I turned it off, let off the steam, opened it up and saw the most luscious looking sauce staring back at me! Yessss!! Things were looking up!

So I put on a pot of water to boil those fascinating circles of pasta I found, covered it and went back to answering a few emails. WHAT WAS I THINKING??? I'm reminded of the lyrics to the Bob Dylan song, "What's the price you gotta pay, to keep from goin' through all of this twice? But yes, that pot was stainless as well, so it returned to it's gleaming self after another bout of scrubbing. Pasta was boiled, without incident, and the whole thing turned out to be a lyrical success.

Now, as for kumquats. They're only available in the winter. Mostly people eat them raw, and pop the whole thing into their mouths, as the rind is sweeter than the flesh. In China, they have a way of preserving them in salt, and after a while they get a dark brown brine from this process. A few teaspoons of this brine in hot water will cure a sore throat. If you're of a mind to, you can macerate them in vodka or another clear alcohol and get a lucious kumquat liqueur. In Vietnam, kumquat trees are used as decoration during the Tet holiday, which happens to coincide with Chinese New Year.

And the reason for all this info on kumquats? Because I'm entering this into this week's Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted by Lia over at Swirling Notions. If I had known about her Braisy Chain event, I probably would have entered this into it. But we grow our online community through events, and learn about other fabulous bloggers this way.

Asian Slaw

We had flip-flop weather 3 days ago. Seriously. It was summer for about 24 hours, then we went back to our version of winter - rain. And yes, it makes it much colder - er - cooler. I was going to do a take-off on Terry B's beef stew over at Blue Kitchen, but then it turned hot again, and I was suddenly overcome with visions of summer eats - fruit and smoothies and yes, even coleslaw. It didn't seem too far off the mark, what with the fact that my patients were coming in with tee shirts and large water bottles and sleeveless attire. Hell, I was even considering hot dogs! (After reading Lisa's recipe over at Homesick Texan, I wish I had!)

But it's still Chinese New Year. So I decided I'd try something a little different. After all, this is the year of the Rat, and apparently that means we're supposed to try things that are different. Not really a chore for this Aquarian. Different? Where do I sign up??

Not too long ago, I was reading posts from people who were turning out intriguing dishes using celery root. Rachael over at Fresh Approach Cooking posted this delightful recipe, and there were a few others whose posts inspired me to try this odd looking root. Actually, I had never even noticed celery root before that. Or if I had, I didn't know what I was looking at. And frankly, it's not the kind of thing that would inspire me by it's looks. It looks waaay too.....complicated. Kind of like Jerusalem artichokes. They're not quite as layered and gnarled, but still, they're no fun to peel. So I bought one of these complicated gnarley things, brought it home and tried to figure out what to do with it.

Celery root is a particular kind of celery grown for it's root rather than it's stalk. It turns out to be a good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Potassium and phosphorous. Because it's a vegetable, it contains no cholesterol. It also happens to be good if you want to lose weight, as it has no fat, has a nice water content so it can fill you up with practically no calories - only 42 of them per cup, in fact.

Now, I don't have a clue what happened next. I could have sworn I turned to epicurious and found a recipe that called for celery root and green apple to make a slaw, using apple cider vinegar. I'm sure I found that recipe somewhere, because I went out and bought a granny smith apple and apple cider vinegar. There was a reason for that, and it wasn't just my imagination. But to this day I cannot find that recipe. Instead, I found this other one, which called for Asian pears. How did they know that they were going to be on sale?Ingredients:

2 celery ribs
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
2 firm Asian pears, cut into 1/4-inch-thick matchsticks
2 scallions, thinly sliced diagonally
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh hot red chile, or to taste

Preparation:

Peel strings from celery with a Y-shaped vegetable peeler and cut celery into 1/4-inch-thick matchsticks.

Whisk together juice, vinegar, and ginger and stir in celery and remaining ingredients with salt and pepper to taste. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.I hate to toot my own horn, but this was terrific! Just the right bite coupled with the smoothness of the Asian pears. But I still had about half the celery root left over, already cut into matchsticks. And then there was that green apple. And the cider vinegar. And no recipe. So what's a gal to do but wing it?

I combined the celery root with the green apple and some carrots - all cut into matchstick pieces. Mixed some cider vinegar, sugar, a little dijon mustard and some salt, and adjusted them to taste. I wasn't in the mood for a mayonnaise based slaw, so I opted to leave it out. I suspect it would have worked OK with the ingredients if that's more to your taste. A little chopped parsley thrown in for color, and because I didn't want it to go bad in the fridge. Now I'm left with the question: Which one do I prefer? I honestly can't say. Perhaps if you decide to try these, you'll let me know your favorite?

This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, being hosted this month by Erin over at The Skinny Gourmet.

For health news, visit Mission Valley Acupuncture
For a place to share what natural remedies work for you and which don't, visit Second Opinion

Valentine's Pears Poached in Wine

Hello young lovers, wherever you are........I hope your troubles are few.....

I don't remember all the words. I think it was from "South Pacific", or some other musical, dating from way back. Anyway, it started running through my mind for some reason. Not a modern love song, but an older one. And so when it came time to take the photo of these pears I had poached, I took out one of my mom's dishes. She and my dad had a 60 year honeymoon. Every day was Valentine's day for them. And yesterday would have been her 98th birthday.

So I dedicate this recipe to my mom and dad. Two soul mates who were lucky enough to have found each other.

Ingredients:

1 750-ml bottle dry red wine
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups water
1/2 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cinnamon stick
4 firm but ripe pears, peeled, stems left intact

1 pint vanilla ice cream
1 plain or almond biscotti, crumbled
Orange peel strips (optional)

Preparation:

Combine first 7 ingredients in heavy large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to simmer. Add pears and return mixture to simmer. Reduce heat and simmer slowly until pears are tender when pierced with knife, about 25 minutes. Transfer pears to plate. Boil liquid in saucepan until reduced to 3 cups, about 20 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill pears in poaching liquid. Before serving, rewarm over medium-low heat until pears are heated through.)

Arrange 1 warm pear and 1 scoop of ice cream on each of 4 plates. Drizzle some poaching liquid over. Sprinkle with biscotti crumbs. Garnish with orange peel strips, if desired, and serve.

Kitchen Notes: I obviously skipped the ice cream and biscotti. Well, actually, I didn't skip the biscotti. I just ate them all before I took the photo.

Couscous and Garbanzos renewed, yet again

I had intended to publish several posts in the next 2 weeks containing dishes with an Asian flair, as this is the time of Chinese New Year. But somewhere in the back of my mind was this nagging thought: I was forgetting something. There was something I meant to do. What was it?

Then it hit me: OMG! It's time for the Legume Love Affair, hosted by the talented Susan over at The Well Seasoned Cook! I knew I was going to enter this event, as I'm a great fan of legumes, both from a gardening as well as an eating perspective. Legumes add nitrogen to the soil and fiber and nutrients galore to the body. They are among the most perfect of all foods. But all of that would be meaningless unless they tasted good. Because when it comes to food, it seems that all the health claims in the world will always take second place to taste.

So I've pushed the "pause" button on my Chinese New Year theme in order to post something with legumes. I had intended to make a lentil and celery root salad for this event, but the celery root went to two different slaws instead. Stay tuned - they will be posted! But in the meantime, in order to dash in under the wire for this event, I've decided to drag out an old post of mine, which originally appeared last June. It was two posts, actually. The first one had osso bucco. This next one is the direction I took with the leftovers.
Ah, the osso bucco was delicious to the last bite. But that last bite was well before the end of the couscous and garbanzo mixture I made to go with it. And that lovely covered dish in the fridge just begged for a second chance. A new dress..........some new accessories............Well....you know what I mean. So I pulled it out, sat it on the counter and uncovered it for a while. We looked at each other, searching for a point of reference.

Perhaps it was the music I was listening to at that moment - Claudia Montes - a Spanish singer with a lyrical voice. I heard the Arabic influences in the music of Spain, and my mind wandered to that region of the world. Once there, it became obvious what my next step would be. I walked to Whole Foods and bought an eggplant, some tomato and a large yellow onion. Got home and fired up the grill. While it was heating up I peeled and sliced the eggplant, laid it out on a large dish and sprinkled some kosher salt on it. While the salt drew the juices out, I cut the onion in quarters, and sliced the tomatoes thickly. I then made an olive oil balsamic vinegar mixture and added a little ground black pepper and some more kosher salt. I patted the eggplant dry, poured the mixture over the veggies and headed out to the grill.

I find grilling veggies to be an exercise in focus. At least with my grill it is. It's an old grill and the flames aren't even -- one part gets a high flame and the rest is hit or miss. So I stand there, tongs in hand and spatula at the ready. I am constantly peering under the slices, watching them anxiously, waiting for that moment when they are toasty with those lovely grill lines across them, but not burnt. Flipping them over is a challenge, too, because I never know if they will slip through the grill and into the flame or actually land on the metal and stay there. I was lucky this time - only lost one tomato slice.

Headed in with my pile of grilled veggies. The couscous went into the micro, the cotes du rhone went into a glass, and when the grains were heated, I pulled them out, added the veggies, stirred, checked and corrected the seasonings and sat down to one of the best meals I had eaten in ages. I don't generally pat myself on the back in public, but folks, this one was a winner! Those grilled vegetables added a depth and complexity that even the osso bucco couldn't compete with. I lifted my glass and toasted the chef, and when I was done, I gave myself a standing ovation (much to my cat's disgust!)For health news, visit Mission Valley Acupuncture
For a place to share what natural remedies work for you and which don't, visit my other blog Second Opinion

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Happy Chinese New Year! It's now the year of the Rat. According to Wikipedia, the Rat "was welcomed in ancient times as a protector and bringer of material prosperity." I have no idea how they decided that Rats brought material prosperity. Frankly, they give me the creeps. But then again, when you read about them from a Chinese astrological viewpoint, it makes you think maybe they're not so bad after all: "Being the first sign of the Chinese zodiacs, rats are leaders, pioneers and conquerors. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hardworking. Rat people are endowed with great leadership skills and are the most highly organized, meticulous, and systematic of the twelve signs. Intelligent and cunning at the same time, rats are highly ambitious and strong-willed people who are keen and unapologetic promoters of their own agendas, which often include money and power. They are energetic and versatile and can usually find their way around obstacles, and adapt to various environments easily. A rat's natural charm and sharp demeanor make it an appealing friend for almost anyone, but rats are usually highly exclusive and selective when choosing friends and so often have only a few very close friends whom they trust."

Hmmmm....I wonder if any of them are running for President now?

When I moved to San Diego to study Oriental medicine, I didn't know much about Chinese New Year. I had just come from 12 years of living in New Mexico. What did Chinese New Year have to do with enchiladas? I didn't even know that I was born in the year of the Rooster. I had a Rooster named Napoleon in New Mexico, but to this day I don't see any resemblance between his behavior and mine. So Chinese New Year took a little more getting used to than Chinese food. But once you start getting used to the colors and the symbols of it, it starts to be fun. I'm looking forward to having Dim Sum with some friends this coming Sunday, and going downtown for a Chinese New Year celebration next weekend. After all, who doesn't love the idea of another new beginning?

During the Chinese New Year, which begins on the first day of the first lunar month of the Chinese calendar (this year, that's Feb. 7th), and lasts till the 15th day, it is a custom to decorate with red, wear red, and give red envelopes with money in them. Red is a good luck color. Fortunately, it's a color I can wear. The house is cleaned in order to ensure a clean, new beginning. However, cleaning the house after New Year's day is considered bad luck! (2 weeks off!!!) Opening windows and/or doors as well as switching on lights at night is considered good luck. Here in San Diego, that isn't a real problem during the day. Of course, if you live in the northeastern U.S. these days, it would be quite a challenge to be opening your windows and/or doors, considering the temperatures. Um...maybe for a second?

Various foods are traditionally served as well, including fish, noodles, manderin oranges and sweets. I didn't even look this one up before I decided it was time for salmon. It had just been too long since my last one, and I felt the necessity. Besides, when I was at the Fancy Food Show a few weeks ago, I scored a tube of something called "berbere". I hadn't heard of it before (provincial!), but now that I have some, I don't want to be without! I've made 2 different dishes with it so far, but let's start with my good luck Chinese New Year salmon... No recipe. Just sprinkle some berbere* (See Kitchen Notes below) on some salmon and plop it in a pan with some canola oil. I started this on the top of the stove and finished it under the broiler. Half of it was eaten tonite with some garlic mashed potatoes and a salad. The other half will be my lunch tomorrow, topping another salad. And you wonder why I don't post more often? But fear not. I have more recipes with foods from Asia coming soon. In the meantime, I mentioned that I'm a rooster - what's your year?Berbere is a combination of spices. Mine is sold under the label "Afrikya", by Marcus Samuelsson. It contains paprika, chipotle chile, fenugreek, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, garlic, and...spices?

And, as usual, if you want more health news, visit Mission Valley Acupuncture
If you want to share which natural remedies work for you and which don't, visit Second Opinion

Risotto, Funghi e Tartufi, Cara Mia

My sister and I went to Paris and Rome together back in April, 1994. We flew from Paris to Rome, then took a train to the Trastevere district, and from there we got a taxi to our hotel on the Campo de Fiori. The taxi driver knew enough English to ask us "Where are you from?" My sister said "New York." I said "California." "California?" he repeated. Yes. At that point, he burst into song - his own tune, his own lyrics. I didn't understand a word he was singing, but judging from the expression on his face, I knew he was brimming with enthusiasm over the idea of California.

We left our tenor at the front door of the hotel and dragged our suitcases down a long, narrow hall to the front desk. Oh. My. God. What was waiting for us at the end of that hallway was worth the long flight, the dragging of bags, and any hint of confusion as to how best to get to this little hotel. Leonardo was his name, and judging from his over 6' frame, blond hair, chiseled features and long, thin fingers, I guessed him to be originally from the north. But at that moment, all I could do was to silently thank the Universe that he had migrated to Rome, and was there at that front desk.

After we signed all the necessary papers, he informed us that our room was 4 flights up - no elevator. "You're kidding....." "No." Then he flashed us a knee-weakening smile, grabbed our bags and lept up the stairs ahead of us. We tried. God knows, we tried to keep up with him. But even his sculpted beauty wasn't enough to jet us up those stairs at gazelle speed. When we arrived huffing and puffing at the door to our room, he stood there, smiling as he handed us our key. "Grazie", we wheezed.

I remember us flinging ourselves on the beds of our high ceilinged room, as ecstatic as any teenager over a heart throb. We were in ROME! The men in this city were GORGEOUS! Could we just stay here? Like, forever? I had never been to Rome before. I never wanted to leave this place. And that was before dinner! We composed ourselves before we trooped down the stairs to ask Leonardo to suggest a restaurant. He made us the first of many maps, showing us how to get from our hotel to a little trattoria a couple of blocks away. We thanked him and walked towards the restaurant in the gathering darkness.

I have never had the sense of time that I experienced in Rome. Rome wears it's history as casually as a teenager wears a watch. We turned a corner and there was a Corinthian column, sticking up by the side of the street. On the wall of the building behind it was a faded painting. Around the column were about 5 or 6 cars, all parked at crazy angles. There was no tag on the column. No label on the wall. No dates. No way of knowing exactly what this fragment of history used to be attached to. It was just a place to park, if you were lucky. I looked at that column, that painted wall and those cars, and realized that if this was your daily backdrop, there was no way you could see the world the same way as someone who was born and raised, say, in San Diego.

We pushed through the wooden double doors of the restaurant and instantly fell in love with this choice. The floors were small white tiles. The tables were old and wooden. Everyone was engaged in animated conversation. The waiters shouted orders into the kitchen. Our maitre d' greeted us like long lost cousins and showed us to a table. As soon as we saw the risotto with truffles, our choice was made.

I will never forget the look on my sister's face as she took her first bite of that risotto. Ecstasy describes it best. Of course I couldn't see my own face as I tasted truffles for the first time. The combination of creamy and earthy, with subtle hints of herbs made me forget that I had ever eaten anything good in my life. I thought I would never have anything like it again. Ever.

And then at the end of the Fancy Food Show last weekend, I managed to score TWO jars of truffle sauce. Admittedly, the sauce contained things other than truffles - things such as capers and olives - but it DID contain truffles. I decided to look for a recipe for risotto which might approximate that heavenly meal so many years ago. Memory is tricky, for sure. I have no idea if the recipe I found is even close. I do know that I didn't follow it precisely - of course. And I also know that it yielded a creamy, complex, subtle risotto, as well as a longing to return to Rome.

Ingredients:

Leeks:
2 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved, thinly sliced crosswise (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup whipping cream

Mushrooms:
1 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, cut into 1/4- to 1/3-inch-thick slices
1 large onion, halved, thinly sliced lengthwise
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
1 tablespoon white truffle oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

Risotto:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, divided
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
5 cups (or more) hot vegetable broth
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons shaved or chopped black truffle (optional)
Chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

For leeks:
Bring leeks and cream to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until leeks are tender and cream is thick, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm before continuing.

For mushrooms:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss all ingredients on rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until mushrooms are tender and light brown around edges, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

For risotto:
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Add wine and stir until almost all liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup hot broth. Simmer until broth is almost absorbed, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add more broth, 1 cup at a time, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding next and stirring often, until rice is tender and mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes longer. Stir in leek mixture, mushroom mixture, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, cheese, and truffle. Transfer to large bowl, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

Market Tip
White truffle oil is sold at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Italian markets. Black truffles are available at specialty foods stores and from igourmet.com. A flavorful substitute for the shaved truffles is the Truffle Gatherers Sauce ($19), which can be ordered from fungusamongus.com.

Kitchen Notes:

I did not have leeks, so I just used onion, and no cream. I also had run out of truffle oil (NOOOO!!!), so I just used olive oil. And instead of vegetable broth, I substituted chicken broth. I used dried shitakes softened in hot water, and added the liquid as well. If I were to make this again, I would definitely use truffle oil because it is magical, not because I felt that the risotto was bland without it. I'd also consider adding asparagus tips to it. Again, not because I felt it was bland, but just because.
I am entering this post in Chris' "Kitchen of Love" event over at Mele Cotte. The ingredient I used which is considered an aphrodisiac is the wine, of course! At least, that's the official version. As far as I'm concerned, this entire dish could be considered an aphrodisiac!
For health news, visit Mission Valley Acupuncture
For a place to share which natural remedies work for you and which don't, visit Second Opinion

Fancy Food Show in San Diego

Have you ever been to a Fancy Food Show? This was my first experience, and OH....MY....GOD! I thought I had died and gone to heaven! But no - this was at the convention center in downtown San Diego.
I have a friend who started Dufour Pastry Kitchens, a high-end, gourmet line of hors d'oevres that are quite simply out of this world. She got me the badge to get into this show, and told me that she thought I'd like it. It was all about food, so I figured I was in for a good afternoon, right? Understatement. Like, major understatement. Her husband's greeting set the tone for the rest of the afternoon.
As I walked through the aisles at the convention center, I discovered the international section. How can you not love a show that has about 6 aisles devoted to Italian foods?
God bless the Italians! They were all dressed beautifully, and stood around drinking wine out of glasses, not plastic. They weren't selling wine, mind you. They were just drinking it. Because....... well....... because! I mean, what else would a civilized person do to pass the hours during a food show? They had booths in which they cooked and served pasta. Others just had displays that just made you wish you had a nonna instead of a grandma - one who simmered her own secret sauce for hours on a Sunday.I never could quite figure out what the Chileans were selling. I expected seafood and wine, but didn't see either one. Still, their business seemed brisk.
And, of course, the Spanish aisle was filled with men slicing jamon. Amazing how the jamon in one booth was decidedly different from the jamon 2 booths down. In one case, the first thing to hit the tongue was salt, and in the other, the first thing to hit the tongue was the flavor of the jamon. And then I discovered this booth. My knees went weak. It was all I could do to keep from moving in. Before this, I confess I hadn't heard of Marcus Samuelsson, his restaurant Aquavit, or Jennifer English. But I live in San Diego, not New York, so perhaps I can be forgiven? At any rate, I have become a fan. A devotee, if you will. The next time I visit New York, I will have to eat in his restaurant. Not only are these spices to die for, but Jennifer and her business partner Patricia were 2 of the nicest, most generous women you could hope to meet. They were kind enough to give me a sample of his harissa, and another mixture he calls berbere, as well as several of those amazingly long sticks of cinnamon you see in the photo above. I haven't been able to wipe the smile off my face since! This shot was taken the first day of the show, when Jennifer was doing an interview for a radio show.....And thanks to my friend, who gave me 2 ginormous boxes of her frozen pastries to take home with me! She was getting on a plane and heading back to New York, so she had no use for them. Well, I certainly did! I went to a friend's birthday party on Friday nite, which was a pot luck. "Luck" was the operative word for those who attended. These little puppies were scarfed down in a heartbeat! There were a few left in the box, as we didn't have enough cookie sheets to heat all of them at once. When I asked the birthday girl if she wanted the rest of them, you'd have thought I had just offered her an original Van Gogh!As for the other box? Well, that will be for my birthday party this coming weekend. ;-) Oh, and just in case any of you want to order any of these, you can visit her website Dufour Pastry Kitchens. They make heavenly gifts!

For information on health, visit Mission Valley Acupuncture