mb palaver

FoodPalaver: Got Yak Milk?

If you find yourself near the Mall between now and June 29 or July 2 through 6 and have a hankering  for nakey tshoem or ema datsi, you will be in luck.  The Smithsonian Folklife Festival this year honors Bhutan, a small country in the eastern Himalayas between India and China.  In addition to watching traditional arts and crafts demonstrations, visiting a Buddhist temple built in the middle of the Mall, and viewing monastic ritual dances, you can sample three traditional Bhutanese dishes.  The rice and peppers dish, ema datsi, is traditionally made with yak milk.  According to Emily Wax of The Washington Post, the director of Bhutan's department of culture originally planned to bring a yak to the United States for the festival, but gave that up upon learning the animal would have to be quarantined for two months, which "didn't seem like the Buddhist thing to do."  They ended up having the food prepared by Indique Heights.  No yak milk, I presume.

A friend and I sampled a couple of the dishes yesterday (fortunately for us, before the real heat descended).  The ema datsi -- made with rice, cheese, onions, and slivers of jalapeno-like chiles-- was hot hot hot.  The nakey tshoem -- chicken with fiddlehead ferns, cheese, chiles, onion, garlic, ginger, and special seasonings (with ginger the most prominent flavor) -- was also hot, but not Africa hot.  Both dishes were quite tasty, a bit different from the usual fare, and served very quickly, a rarity at festivals.  We did not try the pork and cheese filled dumplings, or momos, though I wish I had for the name alone.

Ms. Wax says that in Bhutan, "blistering-hot chilies are the essential ingredient, probably because they raise body temperatures in the cold Himalayan climate."  Raising body temperatures in the blistering heat of the Washington summer might not be as good an idea.  Make sure you also get a mango lassi to cool off.

If Bhutanese food doesn't grab you, the festival is also honoring Texas, so you can have everything from Tex-Mex fare like fajitas and quesadillas, to barbecued ribs, to Vietnamese-influenced dishes at the Texas Noodle House (who knew?).  Full food listings can be found here, and everything else you need to know to visit the festival here.

FoodPalaver: Dupont Farmers Market

Our plunge into August-like temperatures in the last couple of weeks could make you wish summer had held off a bit longer, but it's time to take advantage of one real joy of summer:  its abundant fruits and vegetables.  The Dupont Circle Freshfarm Market, like others markets around the area, is in full swing.  Dupont's market is held every Sunday from 9 to 1 on 20th Street between Massachusetts Ave. and Q  Street.  More than 30 farmers sell at the market, and you can find not only fruits and vegetables, but flowers, fresh baked goods, cheese, eggs, meat, fish, homemade soaps, herbs, crab cakes, goat cheese tarts, and Dolcezza gelato.  The Freshfarm website includes a chart of what's in season.  Last week strawberries galore were everywhere, plus asparagus and rhubarb and lots of other early summer produce.

The market sometimes hosts Chefs at Market, where a local chef cooks something up in the grassy area over by Mass. Ave.  This Sunday Peter Smith, of PS 7's, will be there from 11 to 12.  (Note to self: do a post about PS 7's.)  Check out the calendar of events here.

The Freshfarm website also includes a recipe section, so after picking up some good local produce you can make Pizzaria Paradiso's Pizza Margherita(thanks to chef Ruth Gresser), or Restaurant Eve chef Cathal Armstrong's Chicory Salad with Crisp Bacon.

If you haven't been to the Dupont market before, be sure to bring lots of cash.  (Last week I saw a bunch of carrots for $3.  The bunch was 3 carrots.  I don't know what I pay for carrots at the grocery store, but I'm guessing it's not $1 a piece.)  And bring a mellow attitude -- it gets absolutely packed, and is not for the impatient or rushed.  If you need to pick up a lemon or some other nonlocal item, nearby Marvelous Market can come through in a pinch (two weeks ago I found creme fraiche there, which saved me a trip to the supermarket, so made my day).

The Washington Post lists other markets around the DC area (though it seems to leave out my neighborhood one on Saturday mornings in Woodley Park).  Outside DC, check out the USDA site, which lists some information about markets by state.

RestaurantPalaver: Easter Goodies at ACKC

If you're looking for special treats for someone's Easter basket, Artfully Chocolate Kingsbury Confections, the chocolate shop/cafe/art gallery on 14th Street, has a tableful of dark and milk chocolate bunnies, ducks, eggs and other delights, wrapped up with Eastery ribbons.  An advantage of a chocolate shop that is also a cafe is that it opens early and closes late, making it easy to swing by on the way to or from work to pick up some goodies.  (ACKC isn't having a seasonal identity crisis; I took the above photo right after posting about the new shop in December.)

Artfully Chocolate Kingsbury Confections
1529c 14th Street, NW (at Church Street)
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 387-COCO

BarPalaver: Molly's Shebeen

Ten years ago or so on a wet November afternoon mysterywriter, Dubliner, and I ducked into the Union Square Barnes & Noble to get out of the rain and ended up frittering away a good three hours browsing books. (That was a record even for us.)  Afterward we wandered up Broadway and came upon a film shoot across from the Flatiron Building.  We waited an inordinately long time in the cold drizzle for what ended up being a disappointing payoff:  watching Vince Vaughn get into a limo and drive off (a scene, evidently, in "Return to Paradise").  Never linger at a film shoot with high hopes.

Fortunately, our dejected, aimless wandering afterward took us eastward to Third Avenue, where we happened upon Molly's Shebeen.  We couldn't see in and were dubious, but were so cold and wet that we figured we'd go in for a pint while we warmed up and figured out our dinner plans. Once in, we never wanted to leave (and didn't, for hours).  We found ourselves in a cozy, authentic, neighborhood Irish pub, with a fireplace, perfectly drawn Guinness, good Shepherd's pie, and an assortment of locals both behind and in front of the bar (including one patron with a little dog on his lap).  We've gone back many times.  One evening mysterywriter had to get up early for work the next day.  Every time the server came by and asked if we wanted another round mysterywriter would say "none for me, thanks," and the server would say, in her lovely, lilting accent, "how about a half pint?"  I don't remember how many half pints mw had that night.

I'm thinking of Molly's not just because it's St. Patrick's Day, but because it was featured in a New York Times article yesterday on Irish pubs in New York (including the photo above):

It is a place to have a pint by the fire or, even better, to have a meal in the back under the glow of warm orange lighting from chandelierlike fixtures, and walls with dusty memorabilia that the warm orange lighting doesn’t quite allow you to make out. Shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, chicken pot pie, lamb stew are all served in a homey style that even the most non-Irish person in the world (say, a Bangladeshi farmer) would recognize as comfort food.

RestaurantPalaver: Artfully Chocolate Kingsbury Confections

The strip of 14th Street, NW between P and U Streets seems to have sprung everything you could possibly need:  restaurants, bars, Go Mama Go!, the Studio Theatre.  But it was still missing something:  a chocolate shop/cafe/art gallery.  No more.  Rob Kingsbury of Kingsbury Chocolates in Old Town and Eric Nelson of Artfully Chocolate in Del Ray have teamed together to open a new venture on this side of the Potomac.  Artfully Chocolate Kingsbury Confections is a bit of a mouthful, though the website (which is under construction) is simply called The Cocoa Gallery.  I'm a bit confused.  But looking forward to trying it out.  Check out the great photos on local blog, Prince of Petworth.

I have a 15% off coupon.  If I were more technologically proficient I'd figure out a way to embed it in this post.  But I'm not and I can't, so if you would like the coupon just email me and I'll send it to you.  It expires December 31.

Artfully Chocolate Kingsbury Confections
1529c 14th Street, NW (at Church Street)
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 387-COCO

ShoppingPalaver: Chocolat sans S&H

Does anyone on your holiday gift list deserve some delicious French chocolates?  Maison du Chocolat is offering free shipping on orders placed through this Thursday, November 29.  Given that shipping usually starts at $27 (except within NYC, where delivery is only $12), this is one good deal.  The details are below, though it's more fun to go to the website to browse through the pretty pictures.  If in doubt, send truffles.

From November 23rd to November 29th, we are pleased to offer you complimentary shipping for any order of more than $50.00 placed on our online boutique.

You just have to type the code PEARL in the Advantage Code field on the page "summary of my order".

This offer is only available
for a delivery to the United-States.

FoodPalaver: Time to Spice Things Up

I recently had to clean out all my kitchen cabinets because I found unwelcome flying things in my flour.  On the upside, this forced me to sort through my spices and throw out the old stuff.  I kept anything that didn't look ancient and still smelled like the spice it was supposed to smell like.

Today while browsing a food blog called Serious Eats, I couldn't resist clicking on a McCormick ad that asked "Are your Spices Past Their Prime?" The McCormick "Spice Challenge" allows you to look up the date your McCormick spices were made.  I entered the number on the bottom of a bottle of cumin seed that passed my sniff test.  The result:  it was made on April 14, 1987. As if I didn't feel bad enough, it said "If your spices were around when you feathered your bangs, it's time to let them go."  Evidently I need to work on my sniff test.

Even my thyme, which I've used in the last week, dates back to 1997.  This information was delivered along with a snide reference to Titanic (the movie, that is; the spice isn't quite as old as the ship).

With Thanksgiving coming up, it would be wise to make sure you're not taking for granted that the spices in your cabinet are up to the task.  (I've got memories of some plastic-smelling nutmeg that nearly ruined Christmas -- or at least a cranberry side dish my sister and I were making -- a few years ago.)

The McCormick site says that if your spice is from Baltimore, rather than Hunt Valley, Maryland (which is printed on the label), or if it's in a tin (except for black pepper), it's at least 15 years old.  So with a quick look at your spice rack you can eliminate anything made before Bill Clinton was first elected President.

DCPalaver: It's Chic To Be Greek (don't blame me -- that's their slogan)

Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church is hosting its 47th annual Greek Festival this weekend, September 21 to 23.  Sample homemade Greek food during the day, and dance to live, traditional Greek music in the evening.  That'll be a great way to work off all that baklava.

Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church
4115 16th Street, NW (16th and Upshur)
Washington, DC  20011
(202) 829-2910

Friday & Saturday:  Noon to 9:30 pm
Sunday:  Noon to 8:00 pm

Friday:  11:30 am to 9:00 pm
Saturday and Sunday:  Noon to 9:00 pm

(These times are from the church's website.  Yesterday's Washington Post food section listed different times, though their website event listing is consistent with the church's website.)

Edited 9/21 to change times -- The Washington Post tells me they called the church and the paper was right, the church website was wrong. Go figure.

Admission and parking are free.
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Here's another tidbit from yesterday's food section:  Michel Richard, chef of Citronelle and Central, will demonstrate from and sign his book Happy in the Kitchen next Monday, September 24, at 7:30 pm, at the Friendship Heights Village Center, 4433 S. Park Ave., Chevy Chase.  The event is free, but Citronelle's website says "Please sign up in advance by calling 301-656-2797."

FoodPalaver: Quick Cobs

While fresh corn on the cob is still available at local farmers markets, here's a quick note about how to cook it quickly.  There's no need to boil a potful of water, which seems to take forever (thus the old saying about watched pots).  Mark Bittman, author of "The Minimalist" column in The New York Times, says that you should "[k]eep corn cool, shuck it at the last minute, cook it just long enough to heat it up, and you'll get the most out of it."  Specifically, in How to Cook Everything, Bittman recommends that you place the just-shucked corn in a pot with an inch or two of salted water (some corn may sit above the water), cover, and cook just until warm.  This can take as little as 3 minutes if the water is boiling before you add the corn (or as much as 10 if you don't).  I typically boil the water first and cook it just for 2 or 3 minutes.  The corn is crisp and tender, rather than soft and mushy.  Bittman also says that if left in its husk and refrigerated, corn "will not go bad, but will decline in sweetness as it ages."  So cook it quickly!

FoodPalaver: Mmmmmmmm . . . blueberries

Like blueberries?  If so, get thee to a farmers market, and get there soon and early.  I didn't get to the Twin Springs Fruit Farm market behind All Souls church in Woodley Park until nearly 11 this morning and all that was left was a half-depleted pint.  They told me they should be available for a week or two more, but I'd stock up as soon as possible.

At the height of the blueberry season (or, more accurately, just past the height when I realize I've nearly run out of time), I buy blueberries galore for freezing.  Here's the trick:  wash them and let them dry thoroughly.  Spread them out on a cookie sheet so that they are not touching each other (you don't have to be obsessive about the not touching), freeze them for an hour or more, then put them in freezer bags to enjoy through the fall and winter.  Flash freezing them on the cookie sheet will prevent them from glomming together in the freezer, and allow you to take out as many or as few as you like later on.  I'll grab a handful from the bag to stir into oatmeal for a taste of summer on a cold winter morning.

In the meantime, you can make pies, tarts, muffins, pancakes, cobblers, and hundreds of other recipes (see epicurious.com for ideas).  I enjoy them for breakfast, with cottage cheese or yogurt, and topped with Michele's Granola from Takoma Kitchens, available at the Woodley Park and other markets listed on their site.  In addition to being delicious, blueberries are one of the best sources of antioxidants, and, according to Dr. Andrew Weil, may even have anti-aging effects and enhance balance and coordination.  I will be an award-winning gymnast yet.

Here's a bonus if you buy your blueberries at the Dupont Circle market tomorrow.  According to the FreshFarm Markets calendar, at the Dupont market from 11 to 1, Faith Heller Willinger will be signing her new book, Adventures of an Italian Food Lover (which Olsson's will be selling), and from 11 to 12 Cesare Lanfranconi (of Ristorante Tosca) will be preparing a recipe from the book.

Looking for a farmers market near you?  Check out The Washington Post's list of markets in the DC area, or the USDA site for markets around the country.