Phomidable Vegetarian Phở for Phour

Hogtown has no shortage of Vietnamese restaurants; when I lived in Riverside my favourite of which was the adorably decorated Hanoi 3 Seasons (named after the city that invented this delicious noodle-centric soup). Their Cha Ca– grouper prepared in a dill and shrimp paste–is absolutely fantastic. But, seeing as it’s winter and we’re all hibernating (read: lazy) I thought I might share my take on an easy phở recipe that takes about twenty minutes from peeling onions to degustation. And best of all: It’s pretty healthy too! (Despite the Hoisin sauce, which packs a mean 100 cal/2 tbs.)

Necessary Foodstuffs for the Main Event

•     3 cloves of garlic
•     2 small onions
•     1 tbs licorice root (this is just what I had, it can be substituted for star anise or regular anise or tarragon)
•     3 sticks of cinnamon
•     1 tsp of grated ginger
•     6 cups of veggie broth
•     1/2 block medium-firm tofu
•     1/2 pack of vermicelli noodles (I used the red package of Banh Pho noodles from Thailand)
•     A medley of veggies (a.k.a. cleaning out the back of the produce drawer): 1/2 green pepper diced, one medium carrot julienned, 6 mushrooms sliced, 1 broccoli head chopped into florets

Garnish

•     Beansprouts
•     Red chili peppers
•     Lime
•     Basil (preferably Thai)
•     Mint
•     Green onions

Lezz Git Cookin’

1. Dry fry the licorice root, cinnamon.
2. Add diced onions, crushed garlic and ginger. Sauté until silken.
3. Add veggie broth.
4. Bring to a boil.
5. Throw in ALL THE VEGETABLES! (And the tofu.)
6. Wait until the boil resumes.
7. Throw in the noodles.
8. Wait 6 minutes.
9. Dish ‘er up.
10. Serve with a plate of  garnishes and let everyone doctor up their dish.
11. Don’t forget the Hoisin and Sriracha (chili paste of the gods)!

    

    

    

    
    

    

    

    

    
    

A Daughter her father and the great corn shortage of 1990

A 30-Minute Home-Made Pizza that’ll Arrive Faster than Dominos and Taste Thrice as Delicious

Most Canadian pizza chains are the pits. Dominos went through this whole makeover in the US because their crust tasted like cardboard and their sauce was both too bland and too sickeningly sweet, but in Canada we’ve had no such luck. The pizza chain owned by the vehemently pro-life Tom Monaghan hasn’t changed a lick north of the border. (Although they do have a half-assed new app that makes ordering pizzas…fun?) I have the same criticisms for Pizza Pizza: awful crust, awful sauce, awful toppings. So, here at casa Marmaduke (what we’ve nicknamed our new digs) we’ve decided to boycott the big chains and make our own pizza. But seeing as we’re all busy people, we don’t always have time to make our own crust. (Although Yves does have a great recipe that substitutes beer for yeast, which I promise to share.)

What You’ll Need:

$2.00 pre-made dough from No Frills
1 onion (mere ¢ents!)
3 cloves of garlic ¢
1 handful of kalamata olives, half for the sauce and half to garnish the pizza
1 tbs of capers  ¢
1 can of crushed tomatoes ($1.00)
2 tbs oregano
1 tbs thyme
1 ball of mozzarella ($2.50)

What We Used to Garnish:

Eggplant, cut into slices, brushed with olive oil, salted and baked at 375· for 15 mins, flipping once ($1.00)
4 mushrooms ¢
1 banana pepper ($0.25)
1 tomato sliced ($0.35)

The Steps

1. In a deep pan sauté diced onions & crushed garlic until silken.
2. Throw in half of the olives, the capers, the crushed tomatoes, and 1 tbs of thyme, 1 tbs of oregano and let simmer for 15 minutes on low.
3. Decant sauce into a bowl, and with a hand blender, and blend away!
4. Oil your pizza tray (we used olive oil), then stretch out the dough, and sprinkle with 1 tbs of oregano.
5. Sauce up the pizza!
6. Grate the cheese and sprinkle!
7. Adorn with garnishes!
8. Baked our delicious disc of molten-cheesy goodness at 375· for 20 minutes, and then we broiled it for 5, but you should watch your pizza like a hawk while it broils.

Enjoy!

Lady Lazarus and Cooking with Wine

Happy New Year everyone!

Today’s recipes are a triple wine threat of deliciousness. We threw a New Year’s bash chez nous and found a number of half-full wine bottles in the morning. This is how we wasted not and wanted not. What we’ve got for you today: red wine-stewed apricots for a special punchy manhattan, mussels apocalypse with subtle anise undertones & we-cleaned-the-fridge risotto, to, of course, accompany the mussels.

Let’s start off the feast with a Mad-Men approved aperitif, inspired the lovely folks at The Ace on Roncesvalles.

• 1 Package of dried apricots $5.00
• 1 cup white sugar
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 3 star anise stars

Enough red wine to drown your deliciousness.

1. Put everything listed above in a pot. Put ‘er on the stove and boil down.
2. Now that your apricots are plump with wine and spices, throw one in a lowball glass.
3. In a shaker make your typical manhattan (we do 2 shots of Bullet, 1/2 shot of red vermouth, 3 dashes of bitters, and a table spoon of that reduced wine mixture, shaken over ice).
4. Yum! And, if you’re feeling sassy, adorn with a cinnamon stick.

(Recipe thanks to our household mixologist, Darcy Streitenfeld.)

Mussels Apocalypse

• 2 lbs of fresh mussels at $2.50/lb
• 1 head of fennel at $1.50
• 2 onions at mere cents!
• 4 cloves of garlic, for price see above
• a half can of stewed tomatoes $1
• a fist of of curly parsley $1.50
• a half bottle of white zinfandel

1. Heat some olive oil in a tall broad frying pan (make sure you have a lid lying around somewhere), throw in the onions and garlic and saute until silken.
2. Cut Fennel tops off and reserve. Cut off the knotty bottom and toss. Cut width wise, and then lengthwise. Then cut into thin (0.5 cm) strips.
3. Throw fennel, tomatoes & wine in and let simmer, lid on to ensure minimal liquid loss.
4. After 25 minutes of simmering throw in the mussels, throw that lid back on and shake the pot while on the burner to ensure every last mussel gets a blast of heat and decides to yawn nice and wide for easy mange-ing later.
5. Try to time it all so that the mussels are the last dish you prepare, they get a little leathery if forced to sit out.

We-cleaned-the-fridge Risotto
(No prices included because this dish was the result of a fridge and pantry clean.)

• 2 onions
• 3 garlic cloves
• a half of a buttercup squash
• a half of a fennel bulb
• 2.5 cups of arborio rise
• 3 cups of veggie stalk
• 1 cup of white whine
• butter, olive oil (to coat pan)
• 1 tbs of sage
• 1 tsp of saffron

1. Onions, garlic butter, olive oil and action!
2. Add buttercup squash, peeled and diced.
3. Add diced fennel bulb. (And the spices.)
4. Saute for 10 mins.
5. Add arborio rice.
6. Add the wine and stir.
   
7. Once the wine has been absorbed start adding (one ladle at a time) the stalk, stirring until the liquid is absorbed and then adding more liquid. Keep the dish on a medium-low heat. After 20 minutes start tasting the risotto as you go; it’s done when the rice is soft and delish.

For platting:
In a broad bowl put down a bed of risotto, then a handful of mussels with some sauce and fennel. Finally, garnish with the fennel fronds & a sprinkle of parmesan & a crack of pepper.

We added shrimp because we had to stretch the dish to accomodate some unexpected dinner guests.

Guilty Pleasures

I am not a big box type of gal, nor am I a chain type. I tend to gravitate towards mom & pop shops and independent cafes. If in desperate need of caffeination I’ll grab a guilty Starbucks coffee, but frankly I don’t really like their coffee or the overall Starbucks experience.

I find the coffee often tastes burned and the service often so overeager that it’s off putting. Maybe I would feel less encumbered by the whole experience if I spoke “Starbucks,” but the contrarian in me just won’t sit down and learn the idiosyncratic Stabucks jive. I think I like being frustrated with SB. Frustration ensures a safe buffer zone between my palate and the coffee giant.

So, you’ll understand that it’s surprising to me that Starbucks has managed to bait me into coming in. Their salted caramel hot chocolate is out of control. Especially with a touch of whipped cream. It’s a very rich drink, so a small, or in SB jargon, a tall, is more than enough to sate your sweet tooth.

Here’s an easy copy cat recipe devised from the folks at Blisstree:

 

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt (the best you can afford)
• 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar crystals
• 1/4 cup whipped cream
• 2 tablespoons caramel syrup divided

1. Bring the milk, sugar, and cream to a simmer.  Keep it just under a boil and stir in the chocolate until melted completely.
2. Add one tablespoon of the caramel syrup to a warm mug and swish it to coat the inside of the mug.
3. Carefully pour in the chocolate.
4. Top with whipped cream, add a drizzle of caramel, a sprinkle of the salt and a dusting of the turbinado crystals.

Spadina Gardens: A Restaurant That Is Not On Spadina And Does Not Have A Garden

Ordering hot and sour soup is always a bit of a gamble. I’ve had brown hot and sour soup, red hot and sour soup, hot and sour soup with pork or with shrimp, some as viscous as honey. Often too sweet, or too sour, or not hot enough—it seems so rare to find the perfect bowl of hot and sour soup. Spadina Gardens, which is nowhere near Spadina, has been consistently serving perfect bowls of hot and sour soup for the past twenty six years.

Spadina Gardens is a family run restaurant specializing in Szechuan, Hunan, and Peking cuisine. But, don’t come in expecting disposable tablecloths and mystery meat. This hidden gem isn’t a diamond in the rough, but a brilliant diamond without any rough edges (well– sometimes it takes forever to get a bill). For prices comparable to those in Spadina enjoy, perhaps, the city’s best hot and sour soup in an elegant environment. Spadina Gardens is gracefully decorated with dark wood furniture, Chinese lantern inspired lighting, and selective splashes of red.

Not only is the ambience great, but the service is typically spot on. Servers are friendly, willing to answer your questions, and even chat a bit. Orders come quickly, although some times plates aren’t timed well leading to that all too familiar exchange of “o, please start, you can’t let it get cold”. “O, no I couldn’t, not with you drooling like that while I eat, it’s really unappetizing”.

The menu is large with over 200 different dishes. So far I haven’t tried one I didn’t like. Dishes of note are their fantastic general tso, which comes in both chicken ($10.95) and prawn ($13.95) manifestations. Their bean curd in black bean sauce ($8.95) is sure to fly with any vegetarian and most meat eaters will have to acknowledge that it’s pretty freakin’ delicious. Stepping away from the deep fried, the stir-fried chili squid ($11.50) was well cooked to perfection, in a spicy chili, green onion, and green pepper sauce.

In short: go here. Eat & enjoy, but don’t expect an epiphany catalyzing fortune cookie.

SERVICE 4/5
AMBIANCE 4/5
PRESENTATION 3/5
TASTE 4/5
PRICE $$
HOURS Monday to Thursday  11:30am – 9:30pm. Friday 11:30am-10:30pm. Saturday 12pm-10:30pm. Sunday 4pm-9:30pm.
LOCATION, LOCATION 116 Dundas Street West

Saving Grease & Forgetting Graces

When I moved to Toronto Dundas West was a desolate strip, with a few Portuguese bakeries, but few noteworthy restaurants. One of the few saving graces for the brunch inclined on a Sunday stroll was the salivation inducing Saving Grace. For the last ten years Saving Grace has been fostering line-ups so long that a waitlist needed to be implemented.

I vividly remember my first brunch experience there. Polenta waffles, served with a sweet and zesty lime sour cream and a pomegranate coulis. As far as brunch goes, I would definitely put myself down as a savory savourer– I typically find pancakes too flat, and waffles too cloying. But these waffles were perfect. Five years ago everything about Saving Grace seemed perfect—from the eclectic details such as the vintage collection of sugar spoons and salt & pepper shakers, to the small dining space that fostered an intimate environment and amplified the exotic aromas of India that mingled o so well with the smell of freshly fried eggs and bacon.

click to enlarge

I will not criticize a restaurant for their wait; popularity should never result in condemnation. I will, however, say that after a lengthy wait good service would remedy any ill feelings resulting from low blood sugar. Though the room was small the single server seemed incapable of effectively managing her tables. Coffee cups longed to be filled, and her attentions were very divided. Poor, overextended service has been a long-standing problem at Saving Grace. For a venue that is nearly constantly packed to the gills, it is about time that they step up their service. A customer should not feel as though asking for condiments or a refill is a burden.

Now maybe I’ve become jaded, or maybe just spoiled, but on my last visit to Saving Grace I felt as though they had lost their spark. Perhaps Saving Grace’s popularity has led to a bit of culinary laziness on their part. It seemed to me that Saving Grace was lacking grace and serving up grease.

The French toast with a coconut-walnut praline (9$) was tasty if a forkful managed to combine the dish’s different elements, but it was nothing to mmmm at. The presentation was lack luster; in fact, I would go as far as to say the presentation was unappetizing. The dish lacked colour and looked as though the chef poured some granola on some slices of well-greased baguette.

I would like to say that the under delivery on the French toast special was a one off, but their standard French toast with caramelized onions, apples, and emmental cheese was also lacking luster (8.75$). It had all the right ingredients, but failed in the delivery. The bread was under egged and over greased. The caramelized onions were more sautéed than caramelized, and the apple slices were undercooked and too thickly sliced. With a few tweaks this dish could have been fantastic.

The Rajistani eggs (9$) are a great Saving Grace classic that combines Indian flavours with a brunch classic: scrambled eggs. The scrambled eggs are served with spicy red onions, chickpea masala, and a spicy paratha (a flat bread similar to a chapatti). Similar to the coconut French toast, this dish finds its own when you manage to take a bite that combines all the flavours of the dish together. I would not recommend this the Rajistani eggs for a stomach that’s ailing from a hangover.

Ultimately, a decent brunch with innovative combinations inspired from unusual sources. A long wait. Poor service. Good ambience.

SERVICE 2½/5
AMBIANCE 4/5
PRESENTATION 3/5
TASTE 3½/5
PRICE $$
HOURS Monday to Friday  9:00am – 3:00pm. Closed Wednesdays.
Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00am – 3:00pm.
LOCATION, LOCATION 907 Dundas Street West

 

 

Christmas Break

Sorry for the hiatus!

We’ll be back with your regularly scheduled reviewing in the new year.

Expect posts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!

Great Eggspectations

Now that you know how to choose fresh from foul eggs, you need to learn the tricks of preparing the perfect egg.

boiling egg

Boiling eggs is a tried, tested, and true method of cooking eggs and perhaps the most elementary way to prepare proto-fowl, but even something as simple as boiling an egg can be complicated—eggs crack, they over cook, they undercook, and they get discoloured. This quick and elementary guide will provide you with tips and techniques for faultless eggs every time.

Soft-boiled

runny soft-boiled egg

Soft-boiled eggs are a difficult to time perfectly. This is complicated by the fact that not everybody’s idea of what exactly constitutes a soft-boiled egg synchs up.

Wait till the water comes to a boil, and then turn the water down to a simmer; too roaring a boil and your egg might get cracked on the bottom of the pan. Cradle your egg in a spoon and sink it down to the bottom of the pan. Just dropping your egg into the pan nearly guarantees a crack.

Generic soft boiling times

• For a medium sized egg: 3 minutes for runny; 5 minutes for a medium-boiled egg (the yolk runs a bit in the centre, but everything else is pretty much solid). For large eggs add one minute to these cooking times, and for extra large eggs add one more minute to the cooking times.

medium soft-boiled egg

Plunge the egg into cold water after removing it from the pan. This will stop the cooking process and keep the egg at your desired runniness.

Hard boiled

Unlike soft-boiled, the timing with hardboiled eggs is a little more flexible. Thus, if you are in a rush, you don’t have to wait for pot to come to a boil before plunging the egg into the watery depths (just add a 3 minutes to the cooking time). Once the water is boiling, reduce your heat to simmer, again insuring your precious cargo doesn’t crack.

• Boil your egg for 10-12 minutes (judge based on sized).

Once the eggs are boiled submerge them into a cold bath promptly. But why you ask? Boiled eggs can’t over cook can they? Well, not in the same way that soft-boiled eggs can overcook, but the eggs can develop dark green rings around the yolks if cooked on too high of a temperature or cooked for too long.

overcooked franken-egg

What are those dark green rings that appear around yolks? When eggs are overcooked, cooked at too high a temperature, or the cooking water is iron rich, then a green ring appears around the yolk. This green ring is a manifestation of the iron and sulfur compounds in the egg. It doesn’t affect the taste, but it’s unsightly for some egg dishes, and over cooking does compromise the integrity of the egg’s protein. Ultimately, it’s just not optimal.

So, what if my egg did crack, do I need to start over? Nope, if there’s a small crack on your egg just add a little vinegar to the cooking water. Vinegar prevents the egg white from seeping out of the egg. A common reason eggs crack is due to heat expansion. Rather than throwing your fridge cold eggs in a pot of boiling water, warm them up a bit! By placing your eggs in warm water for a few minutes while the water is coming to a boil you will insure crack free eggs (nearly) every time.

Is there ever a time I should crack my eggs? Some people like to put a small puncture with the tip of a knife into the air cell of the egg to reduce the likelihood of cracking. I think this is nonsense and leads to more cracked eggs and undesired omelets than necessary. There is one time that cracking your egg is essential: before allowing your hard boiled eggs to cool in a bath of cold water. Cracking the egg before cooling it will make future peeling a breeze.

young love

Since I was knee high to a grasshopper I loved to cook.