So, its been awhile since I have posted my cooking adventures, so I have a humorous and informative story to share with you!
I was making champagne chicken the other night, which requires you to brown chicken in a skillet, then deglaze with cognac. And flame it.
I had made this before but neglected to do the flaming part. This time I remembered, so, I browned my chicken, poured in the cognac, and took the lighter to it.....
WHOOOSH! A huge 2 second fireball erupted from my pan! Thank goodness I wasn't burned and there was no damage to our kitchen! Everything turned out fine after that, but it scared the bejeezus out of me for a second there!
Notes (lessons!) about flambe!
1) Stainless steel pans with copper core get HOT
2) REMOVE THE PAN FROM THE HEAT BEFORE YOU FLAME.
3) If you plan to do this, investment in a fire extinguisher is advisable!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Gardens of Salonica
Gardens of Salonica
19 5th St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
http://www.gardensofsalonica.com/
I have been to this restaurant a couple of times now, and I must say... GO. DROP WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING AND GO IMMEDIATELY.
I mean, yea... it's good.
The vibe of this place is really cool. Its got a minimal decor with lots of iron sculptures inside and out by a greek artist. The dining room is warm with lots of light as well. Also, both times I went it wasn't crazy busy, so I was able to enjoy the place.
The food here is also top rate and very reasonably priced overall. Some of the entrees and specials can get a little pricey though. However, the menu prices are more than fair.
My favorite thing about this restaurant is the pita. I know what you are thinking, "th PITA?!?!" Yes. The pita. I think it is made fresh in house and it comes out warm and soft and a little buttery tasting. When you eat it, it just melts in your mouth. I have never had pita that tasted quite like that, and I get cravings for it just thinking about it.
Over my two visits, I also tried some great appetizers. I has the Tyro, which is soft feta cheese that is combined with spices and peppers. Its salty and spicy and wonderful on the warm pita. I also tried the Skordalia, which is a potato and garlic puree with lemon juice, olive oil, and spices. Its really good and a nice cool contrast to the Tyro. I also tried the pipperies, which are roasted red peppers in olive oil. Very light and nice.
On the two times I have visited, I tried several things. The first time I went, I had chicken Sovlaki. This is skewer cooked chicken, de-skewered and put in a pita with tzatziki sauce and vegetables. Theirs also comes with homemade potato wedges. YUMMY.
Also, the last time I tried three different Boughatsa. These are essentially phyllo pockets. I had the spinach-feta, which is also called spanakopita, I had the leek-lemon-garlic, and the Feta ric, which has feta, ricotta, and kefalotyri cheeses in it. All were very good, but I think the leek one was my favorite. Very nicely spiced and cooked. Even the phyllo was spiced a bit. I liked it.
Pat has the lamb sovlaki and liked it, and this last time, he has a vegetarian special with eggplant, potaoes and otehr veggies in a tomato sauce, served with feta on the side. It was fairly good.
Finally, there is dessert. This is also worthwhile. I recommend the baklava. Very nicely spiced and flavored without being too sweet. Pat also had something called Kataifi, which is a lot like baklava, but it is covered with shredded wheat and honey. Its pretty good too. This last time, Pat has the rice pudding. I was not as fond of this. It was lightly spiced and I thought it could be a little sweeter and spicier. But this could be a taste issue. Pat liked it very much.
A last little note. The wine list here is all Greek. On my first visit, I had one of the house whites and it was very good. Sweet, but not overly sweet. It was light and refreshing.
19 5th St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
http://www.gardensofsalonica.com/
I have been to this restaurant a couple of times now, and I must say... GO. DROP WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING AND GO IMMEDIATELY.
I mean, yea... it's good.
The vibe of this place is really cool. Its got a minimal decor with lots of iron sculptures inside and out by a greek artist. The dining room is warm with lots of light as well. Also, both times I went it wasn't crazy busy, so I was able to enjoy the place.
The food here is also top rate and very reasonably priced overall. Some of the entrees and specials can get a little pricey though. However, the menu prices are more than fair.
My favorite thing about this restaurant is the pita. I know what you are thinking, "th PITA?!?!" Yes. The pita. I think it is made fresh in house and it comes out warm and soft and a little buttery tasting. When you eat it, it just melts in your mouth. I have never had pita that tasted quite like that, and I get cravings for it just thinking about it.
Over my two visits, I also tried some great appetizers. I has the Tyro, which is soft feta cheese that is combined with spices and peppers. Its salty and spicy and wonderful on the warm pita. I also tried the Skordalia, which is a potato and garlic puree with lemon juice, olive oil, and spices. Its really good and a nice cool contrast to the Tyro. I also tried the pipperies, which are roasted red peppers in olive oil. Very light and nice.
On the two times I have visited, I tried several things. The first time I went, I had chicken Sovlaki. This is skewer cooked chicken, de-skewered and put in a pita with tzatziki sauce and vegetables. Theirs also comes with homemade potato wedges. YUMMY.
Also, the last time I tried three different Boughatsa. These are essentially phyllo pockets. I had the spinach-feta, which is also called spanakopita, I had the leek-lemon-garlic, and the Feta ric, which has feta, ricotta, and kefalotyri cheeses in it. All were very good, but I think the leek one was my favorite. Very nicely spiced and cooked. Even the phyllo was spiced a bit. I liked it.
Pat has the lamb sovlaki and liked it, and this last time, he has a vegetarian special with eggplant, potaoes and otehr veggies in a tomato sauce, served with feta on the side. It was fairly good.
Finally, there is dessert. This is also worthwhile. I recommend the baklava. Very nicely spiced and flavored without being too sweet. Pat also had something called Kataifi, which is a lot like baklava, but it is covered with shredded wheat and honey. Its pretty good too. This last time, Pat has the rice pudding. I was not as fond of this. It was lightly spiced and I thought it could be a little sweeter and spicier. But this could be a taste issue. Pat liked it very much.
A last little note. The wine list here is all Greek. On my first visit, I had one of the house whites and it was very good. Sweet, but not overly sweet. It was light and refreshing.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Dal.... FAIL. Curried vegetables... WIN!
So I made my first attempt at making dal, an indian lentil curry tonight. I was leafing through a vegetarian cookbook I was given for my birthday, and saw what seemed like a fairly simple recipe for it, and attempted to make it. FAIL. MASSIVE FAIL. The lentils came out mushy and tasteless, with WAY too much water remaining after the cooking time was up! I hope to find a recipe from my Indian cookbook and try again. More on this later.
However, as another side dish, I cooked some leftover veggies I had in the fridge with some shallots and Penzey's Vindaloo seasoning. VERY YUMMY. These, over rice, with home made raita were very good. Try this!
However, as another side dish, I cooked some leftover veggies I had in the fridge with some shallots and Penzey's Vindaloo seasoning. VERY YUMMY. These, over rice, with home made raita were very good. Try this!
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