Free Lamb Cookbook
Luke | January 17, 2012 |
Are you envious of our Lamb Awesomeness? Was your New Year’s Resolution to get more Lean Protein in your diet? Or do you just like looking at nice food photos?
Well, you are in luck! The nice people at the Tri-Lamb Group who have been hooking us up with lamb, sent a bunch of extra copies of their Lamb Cookbook. If you would like a copy, and you live in the US, send me an email at: luke@cookography.com with your address. (Well those went quick! Thanks for all the interest. Apparently there are a lot of you out there even though you don’t leave comments :)
Live outside the US or are in too much suspense to wait? You are in luck! They have a PDF copy online you can download.
Culinary Christmas Treats
While I am always happy getting Christmas presents, I am extra happy when I can eat or cook with them. Our fun little condo is starting to get a little cramped with all of the stuff for Elena, so we don’t have much room for new toys for us. One of the great things about food and ingredients is that they generally don’t stick around too long.
For me, this year was the year of seasoning! I had recently run out of Smoked Paprika, luckily Santa brought me a sampler of smoked paprika. I am a big fan of Paprika and it is great in lots of dishes.
The only thing I love more than freshly popped popcorn, is popcorn topped with Kernel Season’s. I have only been able to find the White Cheddar flavor in stores near me. Sprinkling on popcorn you end up with fresh tasting Smart Food. This year Santa was extra good to me and brought a variety of flavors:
Taipei – Xiaolongbao
One dish which I really enjoyed in Taipei was xiaolongbao. They dumplings, but very much unlike dumplings you would usually find in the States. The filling in the dumpling is made with an aspic, gelatinous soup, that turn into liquid when cooked. The end results is a dumpling that is magically filled with soup.
Din Tai Fong is most the most well know place to get them in Taipei. It is also very popular and has turned into an international chain that even has locations in the US. I ended up going 3 times and managed to eat at a different location each time.
The dumplings are served in a bamboo steamer and come out piping hot. To eat a dumpling, you first dip it in a combo of black vinegar and ginger, then poke holes in it to vent the steam and finally slurp up the yummy soup before eating the dumpling.
If anyone knows a place to get xiaolongbao in the DC area, let me know!
Nova Scotia’s Finest: Alexander Keith’s
Luke | December 2, 2011 |
Exciting news readers! Alexander Keith’s is available in DC. This is big!
For those of you unaware, Keith’s is from Nova Scotia and is one the one of the oldest breweries in North America. According to wikipeida, they became distribution in the US back in April. While Keith’s may not be Nova Scotia’s best beer, they have a soft spot in my heart ever since Carolyn and I went on the brewery tour when we were in Nova Scotia.
To me, Keith’s is a lot like Yuengling. An old brewery that is still putting out some good beer. It is not as good as the craft beers coming out, but it is a lot better than the mass market varieties. It is a good beer, with an old tradition and it proves Canada brews more than Molson.
If you are looking for something a little fancier, Nova Scotia still has you covered. I really liked the beers from Garrison and Propeller. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen them stateside yet. Here’s to hoping, and I will keep on enjoying my Keats even if they do.
Taipei – Markets
I was in Taipei, Taiwan last week for a conference. I got to sneak away for a little to adventure and check out the food scene. While there are normal supermarkets and restaurant, it was more fun to check out the local Night Markets and Wet Markets. The night market near where I was staying, was long street with vendor stalls on either side. They prepared snack and meals right in front of you, some looked much more appetizing than others.
I stumbled across the local wet market while I was out wandering one day. It is in a long single story building and looks like it has the freshest meat, fish and vegetables you can find. A local cooking instructor has a good overview of the markets. I wanted to take a class from her, but didn’t have time.
It was amazing how much closer people were to their food in Taiwan. I think people wanted to see the meat cut right before them or the dish they were going to eat prepared in front of them. Maybe they are more concerned that they are getting what they paid for and that it is high quality, where as here we would rather be removed from the process and would prefer for everything to happen in the back in a supposedly sterile environment. It was really interesting seeing the preference for being involved rather than removed.
Tong Hua Night Market
Tong Hua Street, Taipei, Taiwan 106
Cheng Gong Market
成功市場 臺北市大安區四維路192巷內 上午7時30分至下午2時
Lane 192, SìWéi Rd, Da-an District, Taipei City
Near Far Eastern Hotel
7:30am – 2:00pm
Night Market
Wet Market
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