Pig Perfect

I kind of love this article from Time Out New York– the best of for every part of a pig: head, fatback, skin, shoulder, ears, loin, ham, ribs, liver, bacon, belly, feet, cheeks, caul fat (?) and blood (!).

Any weigh-ins for the DC’s Best of the Pig? 

Mio has ridiculously good headcheese, which I usually find weird and disturbing.  And Tallula’s guanciale, lardo and bacon are among my favorites. But then there’s the delicious work of Peter Smith at PS7’s and Dan Fisher’s at Restaurant Eve, of course.  I may have revisit soon for a tasting trip. 

 

Five on Food: Articles from the Wednesday Dining Pages

1) Wild Treasure Hunt. Washington Post. Where and how to find morels, ramps, and fiddleheads.

2) Cooking Videos Online: Recipes Like Mom Used to Teach. LA Times. Regina Schrambling cherry picks which websites are best for how-tos, with a side of cleverness.

3) Chicago’s Baggo Bars. Chicago Tribune.  I must not get out much. Bocce and shuffleboard bars were on my radar; beanbag toss– even the game itself– was not. Until last week’s Nascar escapade.  Apparently, there’s more than one Chicago bar that features the game.  Here’s the roundup.

4) The Refuge. San Francisco Chronicle.  Pastrami is the star of the show at this carnivore’s oasis.

5) Eggs and Bread. Atlanta Journal Constitution. In case you forgot, eggs love bread: an article celebrating bird’s nest and poached, and any other variation on the pairing.

 

Indian Mangoes

Ripe, luscious mangoes are nestled among tropical fruits at grocery stores all over town this week. At P Street Whole Foods, for example, an entire table is dedicated to the flat, green Haitian variety. 

But where are the Indian varieties now that they’re in season?  After all, President Bush vowed to lift a ban on the “king of mangoes”, they’re that good. Though last year, they created quite a stir, so far, demand is dormant.  At Wegman’s in Sterling, a produce manager said he would order them now, so customers can expect them on shelves in about a week.

If you’re too citybound to head to Sterling, you can also order them from Wegman’s source, Melissa’s Farm Fresh Produce, for quite the price.  

Perhaps more fun and less of an investment is a trip to Rasika, where through June, chef Vikram Sunderman will feature dishes such as Aam Murgh (chicken, mango and cashew nuts) and Fish Manga, a sea bass, red chili, tamarind, and pearl onion dish showcasing Alphonsos in the raw.

Recipe Roundup

In case you missed it, check out local chefs’ recipes featured on The Today Show’s “Steal This Recipe,” including: crab cakes with young arugula and roasted sweet peppers from Equinox’s Todd Gray; roasted monkfish with butternut squash quinoa risotto from Mio’s Stefano Frigerio; linguini with sea urchin from D’Acqua’s Enzo Febbraro; mushroom and chicken crepes with tarragon veloute from Ici’s Philippe Piel; braised short ribs from Butterfield 9’s Michael Harr; and lobster pot pie from Nage’s Kevin Reading.

 

Up This Week

Craving an appetizer?  Check out The Food Section this week, where I’ll be guest blogging for Josh Friedland.

Coppi’s Zabaglione

Coppi’s on U Street seems to make desserts that the ladies like. For the second time this year, someone asked me to find out how to make one– chocolate zabaglione.  It’s is super easy, there’s just a mystery flavor we couldn’t figure out.  Turns out, it’s creme de cassis.

Rough chop 12 or so strawberries and heat them over medium heat in a pan.  In the meantime, whisk 2 T lemon juice, six egg yolks, 2T creme de cassis, and 3T sugar in a mixing bowl over just simmering water. (I use a shallow pan filled with water.) Whisk constantly until the liquid triples in volume and reaches 140 degrees (about five minutes). Take it off the heat, then transfer to a mixer for about three minutes. 
 
As it’s mixing, using that same simmering water, place half a really good chocolate bar (dark, go to Biagio for one) in a separate mixing bowl and allow it to melt, stirring occasionally.  Once it’s melted, add it to the egg mixture in a steady stream.  
 
If you don’t have a mixer, you can do the egg yolks by hand in a copper bowl, which is sort of romantic, I guess. It just takes longer. I tend to get attention deficit so this very easy dessert would take me like an hour by hand.
 
Take two cocktail glasses and layer each with the strawberries from the pan.  Spoon zabaglione over strawberries.  If you’re really ambitious, roll a couple of strawberry halves in sugar for a garnish.

You can do this with any lovely berry, subbing brandy for creme de cassis, minus the chocolate. Tonight, I used bing cherries, inspired by this month’s La Cucina Italiana and Cookthink.

14th and U Farmers Market Reopens This Weekend

 Arugula, purple mizuna, asparagus, strawberries, rhubarb, tomatoes, pork, cheese, and flowers: No more waiting until Sunday’s Dupont Market if you’re lazy like me and live down the street.  Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm outside of the Reeves Center.

Five on Food: Articles from the Wednesday Dining Pages

                                                                                                        1) Who Needs Trendy? LA Times. Charles Perry writes on long forgotten food trends: weird ketchups, almond milk, and murri.

2) Food for Thought. San Francisco Chronicle. Brain food from Google.

3) Just Like Mom Use to Bake. Chicago Tribune.  Step away from the box.

4) A Taste of Charlottesville. Washington Post. Jane Black writes on one of my favorite local-ish towns.

5) Wine Pleasures. Are They All in Your Head? New York Times. And is it so bad if they are?

Rooftop Low Country

Having grown up in the North, I had never been enticed by a low country boil until I had talked to Metrocurean about it the same week my parents told me about theirs at a party down in Pawley’s Island, South Carolina.

I finally had one this past weekend at a Nascar tailgate–yes, Nascar– when hosts made a terrific version with red potatoes, corn on the cob, and shrimp, and sausage, minus crab.

Now I’m obsessed and have to have my own with help from the Lee Brothers. Though I don’t have an idyllic setting, round one is tonight on my roof for neighbors, with skillet cornbread on the side.  At least we’ll have terrific weather and a lovely 360 view of the city.

Don’t have time or incentive to make it? Check out the crawfish and shrimp boils at Acadiana, Fridays on the patio from 3:30 to 6:30.

Five on Food: Articles from the Wednesday Dining Pages

1) The Next Best Thing in Sliced Bread. New York Times.  Is it banh mi, a BLT, or uni panini?

2) In case you weren’t aware, LA is a Hot Dog Town.  Los Angeles Times.  And you can count on Regina Shrambling for a menage a trois opener.

3) Michael Mina’s Magic Touch. San Francisco Chronicle. Behind the scenes with the chef.

4) Help! What went Wrong? Chicago Tribune.  The Trib addresses eight cooking disasters.  And Taste of Chicago comes to Washington and they’re jealous.

5) Royal Red Shrimp: Hard to Catch, Easy to Eat. Washington Post. John Martin Taylor addresses what’s so great about these deep sea delights.