Sweet and Spicy Tuna Cake

Let me just start by saying: my sister-in-law makes to die for tuna burgers. Like, I am 100% not sure how she does it, but she elevates canned tuna to actual deliciousness in a way that I didn't really know was possible.  This recipe is mostly an homage to that.

This recipe also costs about $1 per serving to make, meaning it fits well into the grad school budget.

I'm calling this a tuna cake because, as opposed to putting it on a bun and calling it a burger, I chose to eat it with a fork...and it's pretty similar in composition to a crab cake.

You'll need:
- about 1-2 small sweet red peppers, finely chopped
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp of cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp of garlic powder (not pictured)
- 1 tsp of onion powder (not pictured)
- 1 can of tuna, drained*
- 1 cup of bread crumbs
- 1 tbsp of vegetable or olive oil

You're going to want to begin by finely chopping your red peppers.  Depending on your personal preference when it comes to chunks in things, you may want to make the pieces larger or smaller.

Now that you've chopped your peppers and hopefully drained* your tuna, add both to a mixing bowl, along with your egg.

Add your spices and mix together with a fork until the mixture is wet and the egg is clearly combined.

Add breadcrumbs a few tablespoons at a time, mixing until the mixture becomes firm and sticks together.

Next, add your oil to the pan and heat your pan to medium-high heat.  Form your mixture into a patty and introduce to the heat.

Cook 2-3 minutes on each side or until brown and crispy.

Serve on its own or with toppings.  Since this runs a little spicy, I added a little ranch on the side, but you could use tartar sauce or anything you feel comfortable with.  Guacamole would probably be tasty.


* I've noticed that the best way to drain tuna, unless you have a tuna strainer (hey, my sister does), is to open the lid about 2/3 of the way and press until juice stops coming out of the can.

An Ode to a Cocktail

I'm in love. With a cocktail.

Barcelona Wine Bar recently opened a location in the Northwest of the city near the cathedral, and we stopped in for drinks and desserts the other night. Though their churros with hot chocolate sauce and crepas (crepe-like desserts filled with whipped cream and drizzled with a spicy chocolate sauce) were fabulous, the real star was the Bourbon Spice Rack, a whiskey cocktail. 

Bourbon, lemon juice and cardamom and lavender bitters served over ice.  Floral and balanced, but without outshining the bourbon.  The whiskey was definitely still the main player in this cocktail.  It'll run you $11, which disappointed me a bit given the size of the drink, and it certainly isn't winning any presentation awards, but it might have been the most well-balanced drink I've ever had.

9/10, would definitely order again.

White Cake

White cake is a little less sweet than your typical vanilla cake, but it's a great jumping-off point for angel food cake, your standard vanilla cake if you substitute whole eggs for egg whites, shortcakes, and more!  For example, adding eggs will help with rising, but adding too many (not realizing, for example, that two egg whites are the same ass one whole egg) can make your batter too runny so it won't set up right.

My favorite white cake recipe is a tweaked version of the Betty Crocker recipe, made slightly sweeter for my own tastes.

To start:

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 egg whites

1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Always. This is, unless otherwise noted, the temperature you bake at.
2. Grease and flour your baking pan.
3. Add all your ingredients (except the egg whites) to a large mixing bowl and beat for 2 minutes on high speed (though maybe start slow if you don't want to wind up covered in flour). Add your egg whites and beat for another 2 minutes.
4. Pour your batter into the pans and bake for 30-35 minutes (or 17 minutes for cupcakes).

Then cool your stuff if you want to frost it.  Really cool it to room temperature, not just like five minutes.

A Break from Breaks

Before I begin, I'd just like to send a huge shout-out to Simply Banh Mi in Georgetown for checking us out and commenting! 

"Grad Student Eats" has spent the summer transitioning to "Grad Student Eats (And Works A Lot)," which has led to a bit of a lull in posting.  

In all of this chaos, I've been reminded of a great love of mine, and something that always makes me feel better: baking.  Now, baking gets a bad rap, because a lot of people find it daunting.  I, for one, find it induces a pseudo-zen state where the only concerns I have are measurements, my oven, and my mixer.

There are two things that most people won't tell you about baking. The first is that baking is chemistry, plain and simple.  You take ingredients (reactants), and excite them with heat to create a chemical change that leads to the difference between cake and glue (both of which contain flour and water).  This means that baking, like chemistry, requires focus and precise work to insure the reaction works properly.  I like this because it removes the ability to get distracted.  I recognize not everyone shares this belief.  To learn to tweak your recipes, you need to understand the way different agents react and the way adjusting them impacts your output. 

The other secret is that baking, once you master some basic recipes, is really easy. Most cakes, for example, are just variations on the same chocolate and vanilla base cakes, adjusted to change the texture or bring out new flavors.  

In the spirit of these two secrets, I will endeavor to share with you, over the next three weeks, some of my base baking recipes, along with some of the underlying food science, as a way to share some of my love with you.

Hope you enjoy!

Review: Nando's Tenleytown

Reviewing Nando's feels a bit like reviewing T. G. I. Friday's.  Reviewing American Nando's feels like uprooting T. G. I. Friday's, shipping it to France, and then passing over local places to review it.

But I ate at Nando's for the first time and so you're getting a review of it.  For those of you who don't know, Nando's is a chain restaurant staple of British city life, made famous for their Peri-Peri Chicken. Peri-Peri spice, for those of you who don't know, is a Portuguese-by-way-of-African spice mix - hot but smoky.

So, I ate at a British chain restaurant selling Portuguese chicken with African spices in DC.  It's so far removed from the real thing that it feels almost like a bastardization -- but it was delicious.

I got their Mango-Lime Peri-Peri Chicken Breast and Peri-Peri Chips (seasoned fries). Everything was refreshingly flavored without being overly spicy, though the Mango-lime is one of their more mild flavors.  It was a pretty decent sized portion for $8. 

Being a little hungry and trapped inside due to a downpour, my boyfriend and I opted to split a slice of their Chocolate Spoon Cake, which was fudgey and unbearably decadent.

Don't expect much in the way of atmosphere. You seat yourself, order at the counter, and refill your own drinks.  But for the price, the quality was stellar.

Overall rating: 8/10

Review: Melt Shop

Those of you who know anything about me know that I love grilled cheese and mac & cheese, and am on a lifelong quest to have the best of both. I also love tator tots. So when the Melt Shop chain set up shop in DC, I was more than a bit excited. 

I got their classic melt (grilled cheese) with bacon. It wasn't amazing, but the homemade melt sauce/cheese sauce was pretty excellently flavored.  The sandwich as a whole lacked the gooey cohesion I expect from a perfect grilled cheese.

Their tots come either plain (with this Parmesan-parsley sprinkle) or topped with the same cheese sauce. In hindsight, I wish I'd gone the cheesy  route.

Ultimately, if you're feeling up to good old comfort food, it's probably worth the trek down to L Street for a cheap and tasty meal.

8/10

Balsamic Glazed Salmon

The last superfood for our challenge is salmon. Salmon, like other fatty fish, is rich with Omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for heart health.

This salmon is simply glazed and baked, because sweet flavors work well with salmon.

You'll need:

- one salmon filet

- one tablespoon of honey

- one tablespoon of soy sauce

- 1/2 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

- parchment paper

- garlic, minced

- pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 425, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together your minced garlic, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and honey.

Lightly drizzle or brush glaze over salmon.

Bake at 425 for 15-20 minutes, or until warm and pink on the inside. Serve with rice and vegetables, or anything!

Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Chickpeas

Today's Superfood is my buddy the chickpea -- it's an essential ingredient in hummus and a staple of Middle Eastern cuisines.  It also is packed with protein and fiber, and, like most legumes, it's full of vitamins and minerals, as well as many essential amino acids.  Plus, chickpeas (or garbanzo beans, depending on who you're asking) can help keep you full all day with complex carbs and proteins.

Now, I'd be lying if I said this recipe was not heavily inspired by the work of a DC-based snack food company called 2 Armadillos, which makes these amazing crispy chickpea snacks.  But they're hard to find and tend to run a little pricey, so I thought I'd make something similar at home.  This recipe is inspired by their Cinnamon Toast flavor.

You'll need:

• 1 can of chickpeas
• Oil (I used my Smart Balance oil, but you can use any kind)
• 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 tablespoon of sugar
• a pinch of salt

Set your oven to 425 degrees to pre-heat.

Drain your chickpeas in a strainer and rinse them to remove the canning liquid.  Put them on a baking sheet, and pat dry with a paper towel.

Toss with oil and sprinkle with salt, then place in hot oven.  Roast for 35 minutes, until brown and crispy.  You might wind up with some burnt (like when you make popcorn), but most will be perfect.

Sprinkle with your cinnamon and sugar, allow to cool, and enjoy!

Ranch Turkey Burger with Tomato-Avocado Salsa

We're back, and, as promised, Super Foods are on the agenda!

Now, there are two schools of thought surrounding Super Foods -- the kind talked up by the anti-GMO crowd as cure-alls, and the idea that certain foods carry unique concentrations of certain nutrients or nutrients not provided by many other foods.  We're going to look at things through the latter lens -- foods that provide high concentrations of vitamins, good fats, protein, and more, making them extremely effective ways of meeting your dietary needs!

Today's recipe revolves around a few of my favorite foods: ground turkey, tomatoes, and avocados.  Ground turkey is a good source of protein, with relatively low fat content relative to other ground meats.  Tomatoes are one of the only foods containing lycopene, which may be linked to a decrease in the likelihood of cancer, and are also a good source of Vitamin C.  Finally, our superfood is the avocado!

Avocados contain potassium, which is fairly rare in large quantities and helps to regulate blood pressure, as well as nearly 20 essential vitamins and minerals.  They're also high in good fats, which can help with cholesterol and heart health (at least, that's what WebMD tells me).  Be warned, avocados ARE high in calories, so they may not be the best choice for people aiming to lose weight, but their health benefits are numerous!

On to the recipe!

For two burgers, you're gonna want:

• 1/2 pound of ground turkey
• 1 egg
• 1 packet of ranch mix
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 Avocado, pitted
• 1 plum tomato (or a portion of a larger tomato)
• A little bit of oil (for the pan)
• Pepperjack cheese would be awesome on this, but we're skipping it here

In a bowl, mix your ground turkey, egg, and ranch mix.  I did it by hand, but you can use a spoon or something if you'd like.  Add your bread crumbs, adding more until the mixture sticks together.  Form into small patties.

Now, if you've got a grill or grill pan, that would be a great option here, but if not, you can use a regular pan.  Turn your pan to medium heat, and put about 2 teaspoons of oil into the pan to lubricate it.  Place your burger patty in the pan, and let it cook 4 minutes on both sides.

While your burger is cooking, dice your avocado and your tomato, stirring them together.  For extra freshness, consider adding salt and lemon or lime to the mix, to brighten the flavors of the fruit (yes, these are both actually fruit).

Finish your burger by topping with the avocado-tomato salsa on a bun!  Then eat and enjoy.

Conflict Cuisines @ AU

I think Anita McBride pretty well captured the mood this morning when she said, "It's a great day for food."  Johanna Mendelson Forman, a scholar-in-residence at American, and her class put on a day-long conference on gastrodiplomacy, or "people-to-people eating."

The general aim of gastrodiplomacy is to establish common ground between groups, to use food and the practices surrounding it as insight into larger questions of culture, and to humanize the other through interaction with their cuisines and the people who make them.  It's about more than the food itself, but the ways in which food is prepared, served, and shared, as well as about the people making it, the ingredients they use, and the experiences they bring forward with food.  Food transcends language barriers, and the act of eating something which a stranger has served you requires trust and the willingness to transcend cultural barriers.

The event, called "Conflict Cuisines: The Kitchen as the New Venue for Foreign Policy," hosted several panels on the intersection of diplomacy, peacebuilding, culture, conflict, and food, as well as featuring a fantastic lunch composed of selections from displaced diaspora chefs in the DC area, tying the visceral act of eating to the ability to understand culture and come together.  There's apparently a running joke in DC that you can tell which countries we're at war with by looking at which new restaurants open in the city, but the joke has some element of truth.  Conflict displaces people, and many times those displaced need to use food as a means to make money, which panelist Manolia Charlotin noted about the role of immigrant street vendors in New York.

Overall, the themes of the day broke down into three categories: culinary diplomacy, food as a tool of war and peacebuilding, and the role of culinary tourism and nation-branding.  Stories were shared by panelists about their experiences with food as a uniting or dividing experience, and insights into the lives of others were highlighted.  The politics surrounding food, because food and the acquisition of food is political, as well as the history of food and the role that colonialism can play in food came up.

One of the most interesting things raised, for me, was the idea that the language of food and the language of diplomacy are extremely similar.  We talk about "breaking bread," "breaking the ice," and "getting people to the table," demonstrating the deep relationship that food has with sharing experiences and coming together.

The darker sides of conflict cuisines were raised as well: as the former Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Tara Sonenshine noted, food is "at times, a weapon," used to further the aims of the powerful at the expense of those in need.  Access is not always even, and while Yael Luttwak talked about the promise of weight-loss groups in bringing women in conflict areas together, Kimberly Reed from the International Food Information Council discussed the question of food security as the world's population heads toward 9 million.  Questions of food imperialism, food authenticity, and undermining indigenous food practices were raised.

I'd also be remiss if I didn't talk a bit about the food: Syrian shawarma, Israeli chickpea salads, hummus (of questionable origin, which is apparently a hotly contested debate), Peruvian marinated chicken over rice, Vietnamese rice paper rolls, Salvadorian pupusas... I didn't love everything (in fact, I really need to lay off the chickpeas before I become an actual chickpea), but the pupusas were absolutely delicious, and the experience of eating food and interacting with those who made it and sharing insights with others (like the man behind me in line who had no idea what shawarma was) got to the heart of the importance of food as a shared experience.

Also, I took some pictures when I remembered to, so enjoy!

AI and the Love of Food

I know I'm technically on hiatus, but we'll go ahead and say that's a recipe hiatus, which is in part because I tend to eat just shy of awfully while working on finals.  But this blog is about more than just recipes: it's also about reviews, food news, food science, and interesting developments in the world of food.  And I couldn't not post about Chef Watson.

Watson, as you may know, is an IBM-designed Artificial Intelligence computer system.  Watson has been on Jeopardy, has solved countless problems, and uses the combination of the power of the internet, massive computing power, and access to data systems, combined with the ability to observe and interpret that data, to learn the way that humans do (or at least a complex model designed to simulate that process).

And last week, in conjunction with the Institute of Culinary Education, Watson released a cookbook.  Cognitive Cooking with Chef Watson is the joint effort of Watson's ability to learn and problem-solve, combined with the human knowledge of chefs from the ICE, to test the ability of the process to solve problems in ways that humans alone may not have considered.  Watson, given input on the recipe to create, generated an ingredient list, and the ICE chefs attempted to turn the ingredient list into a cohesive dish.

The human element here is important.  While I see vast potential for the role of AI in problem-solving for engineering, medicine, and other hard-science based processes, a machine might be able to understand flavor pairings, but the aspect of turning "list of flavors" into "recipe" requires imagination and love.  Until you can create an AI that dreams (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, anyone?), that element will inherently be lacking in problem-solving, which is part of why IBM designs Watson's projects to function in conjunction with the human element.

As for reviews of the cookbook?  Early reviews are mixed.  Many praise the innovation of the process, while others point to failures to either take an ingredient list and get the recipe right, or to create a well-balanced ingredient list in the first place.  Others praise the inventive rethinking of dishes, like an Indian-inspired paella, which transcend the traditional boundaries of food cultures.  In all?  It seems like the reviews consistent with many cookbooks -- every one has its all-star dishes and a couple duds.

What does this say about the future of AI or the future of food?  In terms of food, I think Chef Watson's recipes may help chefs rethink traditional pairings, just by generating a new way of thinking about flavors, but I'm not sure AI-generated recipes will ever transcend the human element of lovingly crafting a recipe.  As for AI?  I'd say the future looks delicious.

Hiatus and Superfood Challenge

I'm going to be taking the next couple weeks off for finals, but as an attempt to off-set this, I will try and do a challenge week when I come back.

Like my freezer chicken week, I will aim to post 3 recipes in 7 days surrounding a theme!

The theme will be Miracle or Super Foods, where every recipe will incorporate a superfood and talk a bit about why that food is so super for you!

Shrimp in Spicy Tomato Cream Sauce

I had frozen shrimp, I had tomatoes. I was craving them. This was born.

It's a jambalaya-inspired Italian-Asian fusion dish.  Begin by preparing your rice, according to package instructions. This also works great with leftover rice - the stickier and softer, the better.

If you have fresh shrimp, peel and devein them.  If you've got frozen shrimp, thaw them under cold water until soft, then peel and set aside.  I used 6 large shrimp for one serving.

Start your sauce by adding two tablespoons of olive oil to a pan over medium heat.  When it starts to shimmer, add a clove of garlic, chopped.  Dice one medium tomato (I used a plum tomato), and add it to the pan.  Once your tomatoes soften, add one cup of chicken broth, half a cup of white wine, and increase your heat.  

Once the sauce has reduced by about 1/2, add a tablespoon of butter and a splash of milk, as well as a tablespoon of sweet chili sauce, and stir to incorporate.  Add your shrimp and cook about 2 minutes per side, or until pink and opaque.

Spoon your finished mixture over your rice and serve!

Fresh and Frozen: A Quick Guide to Produce

Maybe when I have more time and graphics skills, I'll turn this into an infographic, but I promised a few weeks ago that I would talk to you about frozen veggies (and maybe also some fruits), and what you absolutely should not buy frozen.

First and foremost, the big thing with frozen produce is how you're going to prepare it -- frozen produce is often boiled or steamed, because it helps with the de-frozening (yes, I know it's defrosting, but I like mine better), which means that it may not work well for veggies that get bitter when boiled, like asparagus or brussels sprouts!  Otherwise, if you're planning on working with them frozen (like frozen fruit for a smoothie), this may not be an issue, and the freezing process actually seals in some of the sweetness.

There's also some chemical/food sciencey things to keep in mind when deciding the fresh or frozen question.  Is this produce in season?  Often, frozen fruits and vegetables are frozen at the peak of their season to maintain the perfect ripeness.  Out of season, good corn can be really hard to find, and a frozen variety is a great way to go.  Some people actually think that, out of season, frozen peas are really preferable to their fresh counterparts, because the freezing process keeps them nice and sweet.  This rule, however, does not apply to tomatoes -- out of season, these should be bought canned, not frozen, because while out of season tomatoes lack their perfect sweetness, exposure to cold can cut that sweetness even more.

As for CHOOSING your fresh produce, the How to Adult team has this handy guide to selecting fresh produce:


Hope this helps with future produce-buying needs.

Northwest Deli Life: Wagshal's

So Wagshal's (an AU staple) has started doing an actual dinner service, with apparently happy hour and dessert happy hour specials coming soon.  I had mixed feelings when I ducked in for a sandwich and learned this news, since, last Friday, this was not the case.

Their sandwich menu is pretty restricted for the dinner service, though the full deli menu is still available for carry out, but the weather was nice and I wanted to eat on the patio. 

I got the TBLT sandwich, which came with salad, fries, or a side cup of soup.  I got the chicken rice, which was tasty and full of big chunks of chicken and carrot, but was not especially spectacular.

The TBLT, on the other hand, is their Tilapia BLT sandwich, with cheddar and onions and a spicy lime mayo.

Look at that gorgeous sandwich. The mayo was spicy and bright, and I surprisingly loved the cheese and fish together.  My only real complaint is that on a sandwich that's already so full of flavor, the red onion was a little overpowering.  I would definitely eat it again, but maybe ask for them to go light on the onions.

Reasonably priced, flavorful, and super convenient for any American student.  Overall: 7/10

Eat-In Takeout

If you're like me, you probably have a huge weakness for takeout.  It's easy, (relatively) fast, and it means you don't have to cook.  Plus, I'm sucker for Chinese takeout, and I crave some of those flavors like crazy.  But takeout on a regular basis adds up quickly, and money spent on takeout is money that can't be spent experiencing the rest of the amazing food scene this city has to offer.

So before I get into sharing some "Better Than Takeout" recipes I've found (Rachel tested, Rachel approved), we're gonna talk a bit about why it's SO GOOD, so you can get at the heart of that craving and hopefully replicate the flavors at home.  That requires talking a little bit of food science and food history, so bear with me.

Umami is a Japanese term used to describe an often-forgotten flavor category (like bitter, sweet, salty, and sour).  Umami is a full, almost meaty flavor found in a lot of Asian cuisine.  Typically derived from dashi (a kind of seaweed which has been used as a flavor additive for centuries) and glutamic acid, umami is also present in soy sauce and, most notably, monosodium glutamate.  Monosodium glutamate, also known as MSG, is a salty, delicious compound that has an incredibly bad reputation because it's not great for your health.  Considering it's a form of salt, however, that's not entirely surprising.  High sodium levels can lead to weight gain, headaches, and more.  But MSG is not the be-all-end-all of bad foods: proper water consumption and a healthy diet can mitigate its effects.

Assuming you don't have a bottle of MSG sitting in your kitchen, the best way I've found to imitate its umami-full goodness is combining salty, meaty soy sauce with a little bit of butter to create a sauce or marinade that turns chicken, seafood, fish, and veggies into Asian-inspired mouth-watering goodness.  Add a little garlic and pepper to take the flavor in a different, still tasty direction.

Now, onto some recipes.  I would feel awful trying to take credit for these epic recipes, since I haven't done much of altering them and they're just awesome the way they are.

• This Soy Sauce Butter Pasta with Shrimp and Shiitakes from The Woks of Life is just absolute perfection, and you know everything that goes into it!
• Turn any leftover rice into fried rice by tossing them with some butter, fresh chopped veggies, garlic, onion, and egg.  Top with soy sauce and pepper and serve!  There's an example of this idea here, but really I don't even really work from a recipe when I do this, since it's really easy and mostly up to what I have around.
• Crab rangoon is definitely a food I should avoid, because it's fried and heavy and full of cheese...but I can't help it.  I often find myself choosing my Chinese restaurants based on whether they have this (not the least bit authentic) appetizer on the menu.  While I haven't actually tried I Breathe I'm Hungry's Crab Rangoon recipe, I know other people who swear by it!

I hope this list encourages you to seek out some better-than-takeout and cheaper-than-takeout Asian-style food options, or at least to incorporate soy sauce and butter into your seasoning repertoire.  You will 500% thank me for that one.

Mmm...Donuts: Zombie Coffee and Donuts

Two reviews in one week?! Am I suddenly made of money?  No, definitely not.  But I couldn't resist sticking my head into Zombie Coffee and Donuts while running errands in Columbia Heights.  I mean, really.  It's got "zombie" in the name and I'm a complete sucker for good coffee and baked/fried dough.

The first thing I noticed is that regardless of how many donuts you're getting, they give you a little card to fill out where you can specify coatings (like glaze, frosting, cinnamon sugar, or powdered sugar) and toppings.  I'm a big fan of anything that lets me really build and personalize my order. 

I think the best way to tell the quality of a place's donuts is to eat one plain -- no frills, just donut.  While the yellow color wasn't super appealing, the flavor was sweet and doughy, and the texture was perfect: crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside.

The coffee wasn't much to write home about, but considering that you can get out with a donut and self-serve coffee for less than $5, I'm gonna give it a thumbs up.

8/10 - would recommend

Garlic Marinated Steak 'N Eggs

I love breakfast.  But, if you're at all like me, you're not always awake in time to make breakfast at what society considers an acceptable time to make breakfast.  For a quick, protein-rich breakfast, or any meal if you pair it with some sides, steak and eggs are hard to resist.  This is a quick pan-seared steak and fried egg.

Trying to make things Pinterest-friendly.  Snazzy, eh?

Anyway, this is a pretty quick recipe.  You'll need a small steak (I'm just using a strip steak), a clove of garlic, soy sauce (or Worcestershire), balsamic vinegar, one egg, oil, salt and pepper.

Peel a clove of garlic and smash it roughly, just enough to release the oils.  Add the smashed garlic to a bowl, and add about two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and two tablespoons of soy sauce.  Stir in half a cup of water.

You're then going to marinate your steak in this mixture for 5-10 minutes, heating two pans on the stove.  Heat one to low-to-medium heat (for your egg) and the other at high heat (for your steak).

When you're ready, add about a tablespoon of oil to the pan for the egg.  Add your egg to the pan, seasoning with salt and pepper, and cooking for about 2 minutes before flipping.  Season your steak with salt and pepper and add to the pan, watching for any flare-ups when the fat and marinade hit the hot pan (I say this because I had a bit of an incident).

Cook your steak for about 3 minutes a side, until seared on the outside and still medium-rare on the inside.  Plate with the egg on top and a bit of the marinade over the whole plate.

You're going to want to slice right into that fried egg so the yolk creates a sauce for the steak.  Trust me on this.

Better Than No Thai: Basil Thai

On my way back from Foggy Bottom today, I decided to hop off in Georgetown for some lunch.  I'm a huge sucker for Thai food, so I tried out Basil Thai.  The place is bright and pretty big, though it was completely empty when I got there.  Their prices were a bit high, about in line with what I expected in Georgetown.

I got started with a lemonade that was both the color and flavor of green Gatorade (less than ideal) and a bowl of wonton soup. 

Thai wonton soup bears some pretty distinctive differences from Chinese wonton soup.  The dumplings tend to be a bit more delicate and filled with chicken and shrimp rather than pork.  Also, they look like brains.  The broth is also usually a bit more aromatic and often has peanuts in it.  This bowl was huge -- spicy and salty with big pieces of cabbage and whole parsley leaves.  Lots of black pepper, absolutely delicious.

I also got the Pad See Ew, which was pretty tasty, though a bit pricey at $10 for the lunch sized serving.  

Pad see ew (phat si-io) is an egg noodle based dish with dark, sweet soy sauce.  I usually expect pad see ew to be full of bright, flavorful vegetables on top of the chicken and egg and noodles, but his was pretty one-note.  That note was solidly tasty, but still.  Portion was big enough for leftovers, which is always a plus.

Overall, 6/10, considering price and quality.

Quick Bites: Quick Lunch

For a quick, tasty lunch, I like combining deli ham, provolone, prosciutto, and Dijon mustard on a wrap!  Healthy, tasty and fast!

Meatless Monday: Red Pepper and Portobello Mushroom Pasta in White Wine Sauce

Temporary or long-term, there are a lot of reasons you might want to go meatless.  It helps cut back on the impacts of global warming.  You might be giving up meat once a week or entirely for Lent.  You could be full-on vegetarian or vegan for personal or moral reasons.  I know some of my readers do the veg thing or practice clean eating, and I've personally found that going meatless sometimes just feels good, and I don't always miss the meat.  Don't get me wrong: I am a serious carnivore, and this blog will contain a lot of meaty recipes.  But, for those of you looking for a meatless alternative, I'll try to update those too.

For this recipe, you'll need: dry white wine (I'm using chardonnay), extra virgin olive oil, one whole portobello mushroom, half a red bell pepper, one clove of garlic, half a lemon, and pasta.  If you're going gluten-free or completely vegan, you can substitute spaghetti squash or a vegan (non-egg based) or gluten-free pasta.

Begin by cubing your bell pepper and your mushroom into roughly 1 inch pieces and finely chopping your garlic clove.   Place a pan on the stove over low heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to your pan.  Add your garlic and let cook approximately one minute.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper to your vegetables.

Then, add your mushrooms and peppers to the pan, increasing the heat to medium-high, and let them saute until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Once they have softened, add one cup of white wine, and turn the heat to high.  Let this cook until the amount of liquid in the pan has reduced by more than half.  Once your liquid has reduced, add two tablespoons of olive oil (or butter) to the pan, as well as the juice of half a lemon.

Prepare your pasta according to directions on the box and toss with the finished sauce.

Cold Days, Hot Chocolate

It's gross outside in DC today.  Sleet, rain, and snow.  On a day like this, there are two things that I really want: hot chocolate and soup.

Making hot chocolate from scratch is really not difficult at all.  If you have chocolate syrup, it CAN be as easy as warming up milk and stirring in the syrup.

I don't, so we're gonna work slightly more from scratch.  What I do have is milk, Hershey kisses, Nutella, coffee, and vanilla.  And this is how we're going to do this.

You're going to start by building a double boiler.  This just means putting one pot or bowl over the top of a pot with a small amount of boiling water, making sure the bottom does not touch the water, so only the steam melts your chocolate and warms your mixture.

You're going to add, to the top pot/bowl, one tablespoon of Nutella and two kisses (or a small handful of other chocolate chips or chocolates that you might have).  Whisk this until it melts to an even consistency.

To this mix, add one teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/4 cup of hot coffee.

Whisk until these are evenly combined, then add 3/4 cup of milk.

Continue whisking and heating until it is warm but not boiling.  Pour into your favorite mug.

Optional: finish with a dollop of whipped cream, a sprinkle of cinnamon, or a big spoonful of Nutella.