In the Kitchen

My little Spanish kitchen is very different from all the kitchens I'm used to using at home.  Oops... this is home.  I mean back in L.A.

First off, my mother was never much of a cook, so the kitchen tools are seriously lacking.  All of my accumulated bake ware, mixing bowls, ramekins, wooden spoons, measuring devices, etc. have been left behind... some I put in storage, some I gave on indefinite loan to friends, some I just gave away.

How many times have I cursed myself out saying "damnit!  I wish I had my ______"? 

Secondly, some of what I would consider to be "staple pantry" ingredients are hard to find.   Brown/molasses sugar?  took me 3 weeks to find it.  Now I know of 2 locations that sell it.  Vanilla extract?  I'm not picky - I find that imitation vanilla works just as fine as the pure vanilla extracts... but just finding any liquid form vanilla extract is a challenge in itself.  My local walking distance markets don't sell it.  That's why when I found this bottle, I had to buy it, no questions asked.

as if this little bottle will last me into 2012?  yes, i got in the habit of dating my spices

After I bought it, I asked myself - would a label like this be considered acceptable in the USA nowadays?  I'll file this under "lost in translation".

Baking now requires extra planning.  Do I have the right sized pan?  If not, what kind of substitute can I use to make it work.  Ingredients - what do I have, what do I need, what have I not found yet, what can I use as a substitute for what I can't find.

If I'm ever gonna want to enjoy food here, I'm just gonna have to learn how to cook with what's available.  Who knows, I might like the new version better?

This is what I made today:  Smitten Kitchen's Jacked-up Banana Bread.  I sorta did a hybrid of her recipe with a technique I'd read about in Cook's Illustrated - regarding using overripe bananas that have been stored in the freezer, then cooking down the watery liquid into some thick, flavorful reduction... Amazing!

well, it tasted much better than it looks... damned lighting.

 

not much better in the photo department... just look at smitten kitchen's pictures - she's a pro. i'm using an iphone

 Speaking of photographing in the kitchen.  Some of my friends might be wondering why I'm not photographing my food as much anymore.  Well, for one thing, the lighting's all wrong.  The backdrop is rather hideous as well.  My Ridgeley apartment had decent light.  The Windsor house had amazing lighting, and a great backdrop - everything looked better there.  Same with the Dahl house.  Of course I took tons of food pictures there.

But here?

60's era harvest gold with an 'updated' granite countertop.

I love old kitchens.  I also enjoy some modern kitchens.  Sometimes updated kitchens can be tastefully done.  But a "modern" black speckled granite countertop in a 60's harvest yellow kitchen?????  If you are only changing one aspect of a kitchen, don't fight against what you're given - work with it - install some countertop that doesn't stick out like a sore thumb... Mind the context, please!  Oy.  And with the unflattering fluorescent lighting, and no natural light... well, I hope I've made my case. 

Alas, my favorite cheerful red and white cherry patterned oven mitts also don't fit in this kitchen.  My old tendency toward all things green and orange will work, however.  Too bad they're all in California.

Will this rain ever stop?  It is chucking buckets right now!  Maybe this is why I'm writing:  I have a sore case of cabin fever.

At the Mercat Galvany

I don't quite "get" the point of these "Mercats" around town.  They are not quite supermarkets - as they only sell food items - but they aren't like the "Farmer's Markets" that I am accustomed to in Los Angeles.  They are open daily until around 1pm, and have their fixed stalls with their dedicated vendors... but they aren't Farm-to-Market vendors... they are all middlemen, and buy their produce from other wholesalers.  But they do have interesting things that you don't normally find in Los Angeles. 

In honor of Sabel (a co-intern at Ludobites) who taught me how to clean squid... no, i didn't buy any

Not sure what these are - but they look interesting - and I don't see these in LA

Frying fish?  Sardines? 

I usually avoid the center of the market - that's where all the fish are.  They look so menacing and bizarre.

Some knife!  She was actually the friendliest of the fish mongers... all the fish sold at her stand were from Galicia (to the north) or locally in the Mediterranean.  She was filleting Sole from the Galicia area.

escargots!  fresh live snails!

How would I describe this market to my Angeleno friends?  It's kinda like the Farmer's Market at 3rd & Fairfax, yet not... 

And you think you're gonna get organic and local stuff here?  Newp.  Not quite.  I did opt for Fuji apples from France over the Pink Lady apples imported from Chile.  Think either are organically grown?  Newp. 

When I asked about organic or biologica fruits and veggies - they tell me that it all looks ugly.  There is no such thing as gorgeous organic produce in Barcelona.  I think they just want me to give up, and buy from them. 

Be still my beating heart!

Found:  my favorite autumn fruit!  Persimmons (happy dance).  From Valencia.  These small ones seem to be the Hachiya variety... I didn't get them - I got a single giant Hachiya which I will enjoy tomorrow morning for breakfast.  Though I'm thrilled that I found these.  As for the Fuyu variety?  Well, I haven't seen them yet.  I'm not sure which I prefer - I love them both.  But a season without Fuyu Persimmons will not be autumn to me.  In LA, the Fuyus were always ripe in Autumn with the Hachiyas ready closer to winter. 

But you know what they call these fruits?  Kaki.  Doesn't have the same ring as purrr-si-mon.

A Day of Denial

I'm in a strange sort of limbo here. 

A job that occupied a large portion of my life for the past 6 weeks has ended... And I am one week away from my return to Spain. 

I've been hitting some hurdles...

How did I start off the day?  I re-visited "Doughville"

A single batch of the recipe is very easy to handle. 

I then caramelized some onions (following the instructions that Joon had shown me way back long ago during week 4 of LudoBites), made the mixture of creme fraiche and greek yogurt, and proceeded to make a tart for Lisa at lunchtime. 

Then off to my erranding.  The Spanish Consulate relaxed their rules about getting fingerprints cleared with the FBI since it takes 8-10 weeks... Now I just need to get proof with the State of California Department of Justice that I have an absence of a police record... which takes about 3 days... but just about every place I go - there are issues, and they can't do the LiveScan (come back with the proper form, the person isn't there, the computer crashed, the appointment window is closed, etc.) I had an easier time getting the FBI clearance back in February!  Too bad those are expired now. 

So what did I do when I returned to Lisa's?  Re-visited "Tartlandia"...

But I got a little creative.  Or rather, I wanted to combine a Smitten Kitchen recipe that I love with Ludo's recipe, which I know inside-out.

Yellow & Green Zucchini, with lemon, thyme and the creme melange

perfect crisp golden thin cracker-like crust... not dough-y like pizza.

But I didn't stop there... I then wanted to combine the 2 tarts I made during LudoBites - based on what I had. 

Caramelized onions, thinly sliced fingerling potato coins sauteed in clarified butter & pepperoni slices (we had no bacon)

Great color, perfect crust... but i preferred the zucchini one.

 I'll look for new topping combinations - and if anyone has any suggestions, please pass them on!  Lisa said put an egg on it - to make a breakfast pizza...

hmmmm - the last time I opened my mouth about making eggs - specifically an omelet, French Chef traumatized me (story for another day).

So I'm in denial that Ludobites is over, and I'm being denied on my attempts to get a temporary residency visa for Spain... I hate being in limbo.  and less than a week left.  gahhhh!

Back in L.A. - and what I miss about BCN

I made it "home" - back to Los Angeles, the city I love.  But I no longer have a home.  

My suitcases will be in full usage as I will be hopping all around town and road tripping throughout the summer.  Why return to Barcelona for August when everything is shut down?

Good morning dead battery!

Yep, after 7 weeks of sitting in the driveway, my car battery was dead.  Not just drained - but completely dead.  At least I had almost a half a tank of gas left... 

Ok, fine... I'll take a new battery, Mr. Triple A man.  

I just need to get to Beverly Hills from Westchester by 10 am.  

30 minutes? That should be fine.

Hello 405.  Thank you for reminding me why I hate you.  15 mph on a thursday at 9:30 am? why?

Santa Monica Blvd - that was my mistake - shoulda taken Wilshire.  I know better than that.

15 minutes late for my appointment.  How dare I blame traffic - but it was true... but, oh forget it. everyone else was late too.

Is everyone heading out of town today?  

I thought it was a 3-day weekend, not 4!  

405 wasn't bad enough, eh? the 10 East - crawling.  

stop... roll forward a bit... stop... repeat... agonizing.  

At least no one was heading south on the 110 or west on the 105 this afternoon.  

I miss not having to drive.

I miss how everything is fairly nearby in Barcelona.

I love their mass transit system.  

I miss my new friends.

I miss being able to eat a croissant with my coffee in the morning - and being able to justify it due to my daily 3-4 mile walks.  

I don't miss the food there.

I had the most kick-ass Ramen at lunch today with my dad.

And this sunday - that's right - we're having Carne Asada from Sanchez Carniceria.  (swoon)

Comfort Food: Seeking Noodle-y Soup

This is a new-ish comfort food for me.  Growing up, I was never much of a soup fan.  Never even cared for the Jewish standard, Matzo Ball soup.  But since I started cooking for myself, soup has crept up in the rankings of foods I love.  Especially soup with nice long slender noodles.  Like Ramen. Or Pho.  Yet these noodle-y soups that I am craving are nowhere in my personal repertoire.  Go figure. 

Last week, for Passover I made my first ever Matzo ball soup for our family Seder.

Well-executed - fluffy but not falling apart, round-ish Matzo balls cooking in salted water (to be married with the broth & veggies before serving)

Thanks Deb for the recipe & guidance.  These were great for my first attempt.  Still not a devotee of the MB

Lentil & Sweet Potato soup courtesy of Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc... this was a pretty f*ing amazing soup. I made this with Omgirlie back in L.A.

How awesome was this?  My soup almost looks exactly like the picture in SS@L - Suzanne Goin is my hero.

I make good soup.

I'm good at making a chicken stock & a veggie stock.

But when it comes to the stocks needed for asian soups - pho get it! I'll just go to the experts.

So in my yelp-less searching (thanks for not being here in Spain, yelp), I discovered that there is one (1) pho restaurant in BCN.  According to a couple of reviews I read, they don't have the standard condiments that accompany pho in the restaurants in L.A.  But pho is pho.  And I want some. Hopefully I'll have found my rooster sauce by then (b.y.o.b.?)

First, Pho.  Second. Ramen.