The best thing about "Julie & Julia"

According to my Mom, her favorite part about the new movie was not the beautiful food, the wonderful writing, the spot-on acting, or the compelling parallel stories of two women finding joy in finding themselves through cooking*. Nope.

"What I loved most was seeing two people in committed relationships. You know, I've just started watching Judge Judy in the afternoons, and those people get into a fight over a piece of paper. Between that and Dr. Phil, I'm telling you the couples in that movie were just a breath of fresh air."

She may have a point**. Which would you rather see?



or



* All of which were my reasons for enjoying the movie, as well as the book.
** It is more likely, however, that this is a sly part of her campaign to get a new TV for her birthday. When I asked why in the world she was watching Judge Judy, she said, "Well, you know I have to watch the little TV since my other one broke, and I can't get the channel that I used to watch when I didn't want to watch Oprah at 3." Other recent salvos in this campaign have included putting the phone down for 5 minutes when my sister called her, coming back to the phone and saying, "Sorry about that. The little TV doesn't have a remote, so I had to walk over and turn it down by hand." As in, walk the 10 feet across the carpet of her studio apartment. This after asking if we could get her old TV repaired for her birthday. Sly like a fox, I tell you. She's getting the TV.

Madam's Ribs

I like to think of myself as a progressive, post modern type of gal. Marriage as a partnership of equals*. Bringing in my own paycheck, and paying my own bills. Go Sonia. Boo Sarah. Call me ma'am and I'll deck you. I am woman. Hear me roar. That sort of thing.

It's a lie.

When the cat brought the mouse into the bedroom, flung its mangled body on the carpet at the foot of our bed, and left, guess who was under the covers squealing, and who was in his bathrobe confronting the still writhing gift with a giant dustpan and a plastic bag?

When the telemarketers call, guess who says in a sweet trembling voice, "Gosh, my husband makes all of the financial decisions in our house. Can you call back later?**"

And guess who was convinced that barbecuing ribs was a "guy thing" and therefore required some y-chromosomal skill set that was far beyond my reach?

That's right. Me.

Or at least, it WAS me. In a small but critical step toward regaining my place among the pantheon of the liberated female class, I conquered ribs tonight. I am griller. Wimp no more***.


Baby Back Ribs with South Carolina Barbecue Sauce
Another winner from the Grilling Class at New School of Cooking

For the ribs:

3 racks of baby back pork ribs
3 tsp. salt (I used 2 tsp. of a hickory smoke flavored salt, and 1 tsp. regular)
1 heaping tsp. black pepper
1 heaping tsp. each paprika, ground cumin, dry mustard, ground sage, and chili powder
2 heaping Tbs. brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 325. Remove the thin membrane from the back side of the ribs by separating it at one of the bones and using your fingers to pull it off. It will make the ribs cook evenly and infinitely easier to eat. Combine the dry seasonings in a bowl, and rub all over the ribs. Place on large sheet pan, and bake for 1 hour.

While the ribs are cooking, make the sauce****:

2 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped (I didn't have one, so left this out)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. salt (I used the hickory one again)
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tbs. dry mustard, preferably Colman's
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. ketchup
1 c. Dijon mustard
1/2 c. molasses
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs. cider vinegar
2 tsp. hot sauce
2 c. beef stock (I didn't have any beef stock, so I used chicken stock)

Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Put in the onions, peppers (if you use them. I thought it was great without them), garlic, salt and pepper. Cover the pan and cook, stirring from time to time, until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes. Mix the dry ingredients (chili powder through brown sugar) in a small bowl, and then stir into the vegetables until they are well coated. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well blended. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding water if the sauce gets too thick (mine didn't). It should be thick but easy to pour. Taste and adjust seasoning. The sauce will keep in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to a month.

To finish the ribs, heat your grill to medium. Place the ribs on the grill and cook about 5 minutes on each side with the lid closed. If you want to cook with the sauce, after each side has been grilled, baste the ribs with the sauce, turn and cook for another 5 minutes. Then baste the other side and grill for a final 5 minutes. Total grill time will be 20 minutes, 5 on each side without sauce and 5 on each side with sauce.

NOTE: We decided to baste two racks with sauce, and cook one rack for the same amount of time without because the sauce is tasty but SPICY and we were feeding kids. We passed the sauce on the side. Turns out that both ways were absolutely delicious.

I have no idea what I have been thinking all these years! Guy stuff is totally doable. Maybe I'll try to wire up the DVD player next...

ANOTHER NOTE: The side dish in the picture is fresh corn and scallion risotto. To make it, follow the recipe for Pesto Risotto. At the end, instead of folding in pesto, fold in about 1 1/2 -2 c. of fresh corn kernels that have been blanched for 3 minutes, 1/4 cup of finely chopped scallions, 2 Tbs. finely chopped basil, and 3/4 c. of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Summer in a bowl!


*He knows his way around the grocery store. I know my way around home depot. We both know our way around the nicer restaurants in town and the liquor cabinet in our house.
**Actually, this line is a huge inside joke around here:
Kids (giggling so guy on the phone can't hear) : Daddy making financial decisions for Mommy!? Good one!!
Husband (snickering): Nice! Did he ask for Mr. Graves again, too?
(More snorts and guffaws)
Me (shushing them all, putting on my wispy voice): I just leave all that to him, you know? He's so much better at it than I could ever be. I'll be sure to tell him you called!
(Hanging up quickly, I explode into laughter and we high five all around.)
*** I also cleaned up all the mouse guts on the carpet, and killed a spider with my bare hand. I think equality has been restored on all counts.
****This is a really long list of ingredients, but I gotta tell you, I was so impressed with the result that I heard echoes of my son and the corn dogs as I was chasing people around the house with my tasting spoon. ("Seriously. You HAVE to try this sauce! It's RIDICULOUS! I'm not even kidding!)

An evening in Liguria

What was in the blurb from the cooking school about last night's class:

"The beautiful strip of Mediterranean coast called Liguria is home to some of the best seafood, wild herbs and olive oil in Italy. These raw materials help inspire a cuisine which features exceptional pesto, focaccia and pasta dishes. With summer in full swing here, now is the perfect time to introduce the specialty items and dishes from this marvelous region."


What was not in the blurb from the cooking school about last night's class:

"When the instructor is pairing up the students that night, the oddest couple of the bunch will be an older woman from Honduras*, in a well worn chef's coat with a few strands of hair escaping from the loose knot she's hastily tied up, and an awkward spiky blond surf kid, perhaps 15 years old, with a freckled nose, and skinny, deeply tanned legs peeking out from beneath his baggy shorts. You will share a table with these two. As they begin the steps toward making some of that exceptional focaccia, poring over the recipe, divvying up the work, consulting with each other with their heads huddled close over the dough, watching this unlikely duo interact over the course of the evening will completely make your day."

Oh, and the food will be marvelous, too. Especially that magical wonderful bread.

Focaccia with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Sea Salt

4 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
2 c. warm water
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1/4 c. fruity extra virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling

Topping:
1/3 c. fruity extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. coarse sea salt

In a large bowl, mix the flour with the salt. Pour the water in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast in it, stirring a few times until it is incorporated in the water. Let it rest ofr 5 minutes, then add a 1/4 c. of the olive oil. Start mixing on low speed with a dough attachment and slowly add the flour mixture. Increase the speed to medium high and keep mixing until you obtain a smooth, sticky dough. The dough should be rather wet and loose and will stick to your fingers a little. It's almost more like a thick batter than a dough.

Oil a large clean bowl, scrape the dough from the mixer into the bowl, cover it tightly with oiled plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425.

Oil a half sheet pan and spread the dough with your hands to cover the surface of the pan completely. Oil the fingers of one hand, and dig a few random dimples on the surface of the stretched focaccia dough. Cover it with oiled plastic wrap and let the dough rest in the pan for another 30 minutes, until it has risen and doubled in size once again.

Before baking, top the dough with 1/3 cup of olive oil, spreading it gently with your hands to cover the surface evenly. In particular, make sure it gets into the dimples. At this point, your dough will look very oily, but don't worry, the oil will get absorbed while baking and it will make the focaccia soft and delicious.** Sprinkle the dough with the sea salt and bake 30-35 minutes, or until it turns a nice golden brown and is cooked through. Cut into pieces and serve.

* You will later discover as you devour the results of the class over a glass of white wine that she is Rob Reiner's personal chef. You do not get a back story on the kid.
** It does. I can vouch for that.

Foodie Girls Lunch Brigade – Episode 3

I might be getting carried away, but I think this Foodie Girls thing may have legs (as well as, of course, teeth). First of all, we have nearly cleared that notorious 30 day hurdle that would qualify these meetings as a habit, as opposed to a whim, an odd coincidence, or a delusion of friendship on my part. Add to that the fact that the list of places we want to go next is growing exponentially, as is our international correspondence*. Therefore one could certainly be forgiven for characterizing our most recent foray as “an important business meeting” when asked by one’s spouse what one was planning to do that day, as opposed to the possibly more accurate but less official sounding “another lunch with my friends that you don’t get to eat.”

It is, however, a dead giveaway when this spouse asks where your meeting is and the words “The Oinkster” come out of your mouth.

Busted.

Episode 3 – “Meeting” at the Oinkster


There is chicken on the menu. Salads, too. Even burgers that are reputedly quite tasty. But let’s get real. We’re here for the pork. Here being a converted vintage fast food joint in Eagle Rock that is hand-smoking their own pastrami and slow cooking pig until it falls off the bone to make vats of flavorful pulled pork. Layering these things with tangy red cabbage slaw and a meaty jus that squirts out of plastic bottles in a glorious stream that turns the robust French roll in your hand into a drippy mush of meaty goodness**. Where a Reuben comes on rye bread that must have been baked that day, grilled in some form of butter with loads of that peppery pastrami, briny sauerkraut, melted Gruyere cheese and a killer thousand island dressing in all the nooks and crannies. And you know, before this, I didn't even LIKE Reuben sandwiches.

It’s almost unfair that they also make some of the best french fries in town: Belgian style, cooked twice from thickly sliced spuds, with a side of smooth garlic aioli and house made chipotle ketchup. We hit pay dirt, my friends.

Foodie Girls Final Verdict: The three little piggies went "whoopee! whoopee! whoopee!" all the way home***, and you will, too. It was all really good, but our favorite was the Reuben with a side of those incredible fries.

* Going from zero to one is technically an infinite growth rate, but I didn’t want to brag.
** I believe a quote was "they should serve this with a spoon."
*** Where they will be taking a much needed break and having leafy green vegetables and water for the next week or so.

Foodie Girls Lunch Brigade – Special Edition

Thanks to the wonders of Facebook and the gratifying interest in the antics of our little lunch brigade, we have our first dispatch from a Foodie Girl abroad. A big welcome to HFG1*, chiming in all the way from Europe!

"OK, I have a really cool place. It's in the middle of nowhere in the middle of France in a tiny village with a huge medieval abbey called La Chaise Dieu (literally the seat of God). I was with Sarah and the kids and we steered away from the 3 very boring looking tourist restaurants in front of the abbey. I saw a sign saying "Broc et Croc*", for "brocante" (second-hand store) and "croquer" or "croquante" (bite or crunchy). My translation would be "(Bric-a-)Brac 'n Snack". It was the best of French home cooking served like American comfort food. Suzanne had a Croq Monsieur (ham sandwich with a grilled batter of cheese and egg on top), Clé had spaghetti with Bolognaise sauce, Sarah had steak and fries with bleu cheese sauce on the side, and I had a traditional Auvergne meatloaf called Pounti, made with ground pork, beet greens or Swiss chard and prunes. It was slightly baked and crispy, which is very delicious and highly unusual because it's normally served cold. For dessert, tarte tatin (apple upside down pie).

In addition to the restaurant, there was a small shop filled with interesting antiques and old furniture. The patio was already full, so we sat inside, which was weirdly dark until the waitress came and turned on about 10 little lamps all over the room. Turns out our waitress spent the first 14 years of her life in the US, then went back to France and settled there. She spoke English with a real American accent, and admitted that the never wanted to leave but had to follow the orders of her father."

How much do I want to go to that place now? A lot.

Now, all you other Foodie Girls and Boys out there, don’t be shy. Drop me a line and I’ll get your edible adventures up here, too. And if you are local and want to join the crew or make a suggestion for our next outing, we’d love it. Either way, just e-mail thefoodiegirls@gmail.com or leave a comment here anytime.

* Honorary Foodie Girl #1
** Correction from HFG1, the place is called "Croc & Broc".

Cutting Back

My mom informed me today that she had talked with the kids about drastically reducing the amount of sugar that they eat. Then, she immediately put the new regimen into place. She baked an entire platter of sugar cookies, but pointedly left off the rainbow sprinkles.

The kids took the cutbacks in stride. So much so that my sugar intake was drastically reduced by the fact that there were none left when I got home.

The gourmand of Disneyland

I have, with some basis, developed a distrust of my son's culinary recommendations. So it was with a healthy level of skepticism that I listened to him begin to wax rhapsodic about our lunch options during a recent visit to the Happiest Place On Earth*.

8:30 am
Him: Mom, we HAVE to get these corn dogs for lunch! You don't understand. They are SO GOOD. They are the best corn dogs EVER created. It's unbelievable how good they are.
Me: Really?
Him: I kid you not. You will be amazed. I'm SERIOUS.

10:30 am
Him: I could totally go for a corn dog right now.

11:47 am
Him: I say, we take a break and go get corn dogs.

OK, I think. Let's see what you got, boy. I get in line. The rest of the kids are absolutely convinced they are in for the meal of their lives. My sister, master of the back-up plan, is scouting for alternative food just in case. It is a grim picture, so we are forced to go all in on the corn dog option, completely at the mercy of a thirteen year old food critic who is salivating on my shoes in anticipation.

The sun beats down. The line crawls forward. Strange. This is probably the longest I have waited for anything all day**. Maybe he is on to something after all***. At last, I reach the window and place my bet (I mean, order). 5 corn dogs. 4 with chips. 1 with apple slices.


What appears is unexpected. Deeply browned, misshapen, almost glossy things in plain white wrappers****. Not very Disney to have this level of non-conformity in a food item. We settle in at our table and I take a bite. The crust is almost shatteringly crisp on the outside, giving way to a thin and only slightly sweet honey corny layer around an absolutely top notch, thick juicy all beef hot dog. The ratio of that delicious batter to the dog itself is perfect. No wading through dry mealy cornbread, this is almost like a great fish and chip batter, tender, light and just excellent all around. It is truly a revelation.

My son is beyond vindicated, and his chest is puffed out accordingly.

Him: (between bites) See, I TOLD you they were the BEST!

Pretty cocky for a guy batting 50%. But I gave him the high five he was jonesing for anyway. These incredible corn dogs can be found in Disneyland at a little red cart on the corner of Main Street and the circle in front of the castle, just outside the Photo Palace and the Carnation Buffet.

* I use this phrase while waiting for a ride with my daughter. She looks at me like I am crazy. "Mom, how can it be the Happiest Place on Earth? Have you seen the number of kids here who are crying?"
** Despite it being a notoriously crowded day in August, thanks to our highly efficient strategy of leaving home at 6:45 am, arriving just before the park opens, and hitting Nemo first, going single rider on Indiana Jones, fast passing Splash Mountain and getting lucky with a late closure and timely reopening of Space Mountain, we have not spent more than 20 minutes waiting for anything thus far. The corn dog line took 14 minutes. By the way, another excellent food stop is the fruit stand just outside the Jungle Cruise. Ice cold pineapple spears!
*** I later discovered these have a rabid following on yelp and chowhound as well, but at the time, I had only his word to go on.
**** As you can see from the photo, the white wrapper soon showed tell-tale signs of the hot grease these puppies are fried in.