Smack that Easy Button

I have down-right bragged about my neighborhoold and the fact that it is close to a foodies paradise.  Imagine something you want to cook, smack the easy button and walk down the street. 

We have Lunds,  Kowalskie’s,  Trader Joes, The Cheese Chop, Mississippi Market, Coastal Sea Foods, The,  Olive Grove, Cooks on Crocus kill – to name a few.  We gave up about 1000, square feet of house, a large yard, a home built after the 1920’s, closet space, dry basement….let me think for a minute and I can come up with more – o ya the houses cost about twice as much as one three time the size in the burbs.  There is no 3^rd garage for you refurbishing trans-am project or a need for a riding lawn mower or snow blower but people will give up over half their yard for a rain-barrel, mulch bin and “organic” vegetable garden.  Leaving just enough room for their native plant garden. 

So you have to want to live in Highland/MacGroveland (or have a husband who has his real-estate license, broker’s license, no contingencies and creep into a double flipped foreclosure right across the street who’s general contractor is a drunk and blabs on and on about the previous foreclosure etc.,).  So given all of that it takes a special person to make the sacrifice to live here.  But the benefits outweigh the draw backs – we have like 100 (seriously) restaurants within 5 miles or us, we have quick simple access to all of the major highways.  We are smack between Mpls and St. Paul and a stone’s throw from the capital, Ordway, Wabasha Caves, Como area, Science Museum and have their own covered famers market where people actually grow their veg. and sell it instead of buying it from another state and selling it.  We can walk to two different vintage theatres and they have super strict rules on fast food restaurants.  We don’t have a McDonalds in our hood.  Noodles wanted to move into the space where the Italian Pie Shop used to be but they awarded the space to Brasa instead!  Whoot whoot!

We have a great shopping district on Grand Avenue, the neighborhood is bubbling over with private education and universities/colleges and for the most part the folks around here are good, honest, organic, love their trees, adopt children from 3^rd world country and the worst crime in the neighborhood is usually graffiti or some frat boy rockin’ down Summit naked on a tandem bike.  (this did happen!). 

Yesterday I learned that the owners of Morton’s Steak House, Tria and the Twin Cities grill opened up a restaurant just south of Randolph on Snelling.  It’s called Joan’s in The Park. They only do dinner and the average meal is around $30 per person.  I don’t know if that includes wine – they only have a wine and liquor license. I reviewed the menu and it looks pretty darn good and I am hoping they do some specials with ingredients that are seasonal. 

Now that I am done bragging I need to make room for a few other neighborhoods – like Mpls – there is no doubt a ton of these same amenities, just more spread out.  The restaurant Travail was named the 5^th best restaurant in the nation by bon appetite!  There are also some really great little joints in each general neighborhood.  Accept for Fridley j/k.  When I take a special trip to the boonies I am typically surprised because it takes a very special person with very special skills to take a risk and open up a nice restaurant (not necessarily $$$) in an area where people would probably opt for a BW3 or Olive Garden.

So check out Joan’s In the Park when you get a chance or take a day trip to Highland.  I promise you won’t be let down!

Something Smells Fishy in my Drawers

I won’t eat a anchovy out of a jar or a can or what ever.  I will however eat smoked oysters from a can and if someone is nice enough to de-bone mackerel I will eat that too.  I especially like these items on triscuits for some reason.  Add a little bit of honey spun goat cheese and you are really in business.  I am stating this with my head held tall and with no shame.  I have a bumber of cans in my can good drawer.
but, let’s face it – if your mom sent you to school with a can of kippered snacks to school you would be exiled from the rest of the kids and would be eating alone for the rest of your school career – probably the whole damn 12 grades.  Forever you would be called “fisheypants” and when you go to your reunions the first thing anyone will think when they see you is “there is fisheypants”. 

But secretly there are a lot of people to eat them.  Not just people from 3^rd world countries that have no other choice or outback hermits collecting them as part of their check list of things to do until the revolution.   I eat them from time to time but wouldn’t exactually want to eat them for an extended period of time – especially if I didn’t have my triscuits.

Here is my list of times when it would be embarrassing to eat canned preserved fish:

-          On the buss – what if it opended up?  What would I say?  Sorry that’s my kippered snack in my lunch bag?  Probably, not I would just give my neighbor a suspicious look

-          At work?  Can you imagine the looks if you heat it up?  The whole lunch room would smell like fish.  Then you put the container in the garbage and the custodian has to hold his nose when he takes the garbage out.  God forbit he not take it out for a few days and it sits around. 

-          Getting caught hiding one under your dip-shit boss’s bucket seat

-          When you check out at the grocery store – because the check-out folks are people – and like most they will judge and they do remember people… I know this for a fact because my neighbor works at lunds.  Then after all of that you have to deal with the bag-boy looking at you like you are a total freak of nature.

-          You share it with someone who actually asks what it tastes like and they throw it up into a napkin.

-          You feed some to your kid and then you later change their diaper and it makes a re appearance – strangly smelling like it was fresh out of the can.

Ok, maybe I am going a little bit over-board here.  But a home is a woman’s castle and I will proudly crack open my can of smoked oysters and eat them with pride.   Alone- at home – with the shades drawn.

On a side note – canned oysters and sardeens are EXTREEMLY popular and EXTREEMLY expensive in most European countries – espically in Spain and Italy where some of the most posh tapa bars sell some varities for as much as 500 eurios a can.  Most of the top checks in the world eat them, like them and use them in their cooking.  It’s also an incredibly common ingredient in Ceasar Salad.  If you ask the server first they will either say yes, or say no because they are TOTALLY WRONG. 

So, I have this wee little recipe that uses anchovy’s – it’s a gateway anchovy’s recipe because it doesn’t end up tasting anything like anchovy’s –but somehow imparts a deep salty savory flavor into the sauce that can’t be achieved in any other way.  Kind of like fish sauce in just about every single Thai dish you have ever eaten.  Ever.

If you like Italian food you will totally love this – I guarantee it.  I have made it tons of times for a variety of different people and everyone loves it.

Spaghetti Putenesca

3 Olive Oil

½ jar of Alesso brand oil packed anchovy’s (you can use other brands but I recommend this one)

5 cloves diced garlic

3 cans of *Chento brand stewed or whole tomatoes – the large can

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp dry oregano or ½ cup fresh oregano

1 jar of capers
1 jar of roasted sweet red peppers

1 cup of olives (I skip this because I don’t really like olives and it doesn’t matter green or white) leave them whole for a more rustic experience

1lb or Barilla brand noodles – NOT creamette or any other value brand

I like using a large shallow fry pan that has 90 degree angle sides – but a large sauce pan is fine too.

Sautee the anchovies in three tbsp. of oil.  The anchovy’s will totally disappear. I also like to put some of the anchovy oil into the pan.  Once they disappear put the garlic in and sauté till soft.  Add in the cans of tomatoes (along with the juice) and the peppers (not with the juice) and oregano.  Simmer for 45min.  Add the drained capers and the olives and simmer for another 15-30min. depending on how much time you have.  Serve of noodles!  Refer to my blog about noodles.

*I like Cento because they are San Marzano from the Marzano valley – this is what they use at Punch pizza and numerous Italian restaurants like Bucca’s.  It’s not hard to fine – they sell it at Lunds, Byerlys,, Kowalski’s  and of all places Walmart in Marhsall MN!!!  You don’t have to use this – but it really adds that extra something something.  You can also quick poach skin and dice up fresh tomatoes – about 2.4 lbs should do.   

Enjoy!

Just like Norm from Cheers only not an over weight alcoholic

I am not in the mood to have shame about being a total Diva when the fish guys at my local fish market knows my name when I walk in the door, announce they have my favorite Kumamoto Oysters and then gives me 15 instead of the 12 I actually paid for.  I will be honest… I totally love it and am fully aware that these feelings are at the peak or narcissistic behavior but I just can’t help myself…

I consider Kumamot’s a “gateway” oyster.  It’s not too fishy, not to briny, just enough body, no slime just enough sea/oyster water and is actually rather sweet.   If you were so so on other types of oysters give this kind a try the next time around and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.  I like them with ONE drop of red tobacco sauce and a liberal squeeze of FRESH lemon.  This is no time to use a lemon substitute for god’s sake. 

Is it work it?  I tend to cut, scrape or jab myself at least one time for each dozen oysters I chuck…. I use an oyster knife to open, I hold onto it with a towel and cover my hand with another towel, I clean the sand and junk out of the hinge crack so that doesn’t get in the way or slide into the oyster when you open it – thereby leaving a bunch of crap in your oyster when you go to eat it.  And, of course I open it at the hinge which can sometimes be challenging to find.  But is it worth it?  Hellzz yaaa it’s worth it.  But not every weekend.

I learned this technique when the fish buy let me back behind the counter and showed me how.  And this invitation had absolutely NOTHING to do with how low cut my shirt was, that a little bit of my bra was showing and I was wearing go-go pants with high see-through heals.  Just kidding.  But in all fairness – being a foodie does mean that I have respect for people in the food industry and some of those mongers are pretty easy on the eyes too ;-)