20 Dec 2011
by scolgin
in Eating Out, On the Road, Recipes
Tags: Borobudur, gado gado, Indonesia, java, kecap manis, nasi goreng, peanut sauce, San Francisco, satay, Simpang Asia
When I was a kid, we had an Indonesian exchange student live with us for awhile. His name was Radi. He was a skinny, excitable chap with thick glasses who was eager to introduce his American hosts to Indonesian culture. This included ferreting out an Indonesian market and restaurant deep in an Asian pocket of the San Fernando Valley.
Borobudur in San Francisco
My parents were travelers and adventurous eaters. So even in the comparatively dismal dining scene of my childhood neighborhood, ours were regular faces at the nearest Chinese, Japanese and Thai restaurants. But here was something completely new. More
16 Dec 2011
by scolgin
in Observations, Recipes
Tags: Central America, chicken, illegal aliens, lunch, Mexico, pozolé, recipe, tortilla soup
Like most reasonably well-off white Americans, I’ve hired aliens. Most have been Mexican or Central American. Some have been legal, some have not. All have been good people with families and hopes and dreams, with warm smiles and senses of humor, with dignity.
One of the small but important joys in my life over the years has been serving the help, usually in the form of lunch. They honor me with their time and services; I honor them with a home-cooked meal.
Homemade chicken, tarragon and tortilla soup
For seven years, three to five days a week, I made lunch for our nanny, Karina. She came from a Oaxacan Mexican family and had never eaten much other than Mexican fare or fast food. More
29 Nov 2011
by scolgin
in Markets & Stores, Observations, Recipes
Tags: chili peppers, garlic, Los Agaves, Lotería Grill, Poquito Mas, salsa, Sanchez Carniceria, Scoville, tomatillo, tomato
I think I’ve got salsa running through my veins. My two oldest brothers — twins, twenty years my elders — both married Mexican women. At my childhood home, our brick worker — Cisco — was practically a part of the family. I have formative memories of large, festive gatherings with mariachi and piñatas, huge bowls of crispy tortilla chips and dishes of smoky, addictive and dangerously hot salsa.
(l to r) Chipotle caramelized onion salsa, tomatillo arbol salsa, pan-roasted tomato garlic salsa
I would bravely dip a chip into the salsa — just a corner at first. Then half the chip, and eventually I would actually scoop. I would thrill at both the uncomfortable blazing tingle in my mouth, and at my increasing ability to handle it. And the abuelas would marvel at the Scoville heat tolerance of the little gringo. More
21 Nov 2011
by scolgin
in Recipes, Video
Tags: Alaska king crab, bisque, blue crab, crab, Dungeness, Fisherman's Wharf, Old Bay, San Francisco, Shark Week, softshell crab
If the Discovery Channel can have “Shark Week,” why can’t Skinny Girls & Mayonnaise have “Crab Week”! It’s kinda the same except less terrifying and more delicious!
Dungeness crabs — Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco
Shelve your shrimp and save the lobster for the nouveau riche — crab is, hands down, my favorite crustacean. Even scampi scurry in comparison. I find myself revisiting the subject of crab on my blog often because it is one of my favorite things. I have fond childhood memories of navigating through the crowded walkways of Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, where large pots belched steam into the cold Bay air and Dungeness crabs were displayed in imposing piles taller than my head. That a creature so menacing looking could have such sweet, snowy white flesh was one of the wonders of the universe. More
11 Nov 2011
by scolgin
in Recipes, Video
Tags: beef, Dear Leader, kalbi, kim chee, Korea, Korean food, Pirco, recipes, short ribs, video
Something happens to me when there are Korean short ribs around. I don’t like the man I become.
The Dear Leader, upset to find no short ribs
Our friend Pirco is from Berlin, his wife Jean is Korean. Every summer they have a party for Pirco’s birthday, and Jean makes short ribs — “kalbi”, in Korean. This year, Pirco was manning the grill. I bet he’s dynamite with a steamed bratwurst. But when it came to the short ribs, he looked in over his head. “Sean, do you think these coals look correct?” he asked. I was giving him tips, and next thing I knew it was I who was manning the grill. Which I could not have planned better — I was now in control of the short ribs. More
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