...art, food, and life...right?

My family and I enjoy traveling together.  We especially enjoy a road trip.  When traveling by car, we enjoy stopping at regional super markets checking the aisles for unique products or by farm stands peeping through lush local produce.  We thought we'd share some of the neat things we found and tell you what we did with them--just in case they should ever cross your eye.  Some items were unique and some were simply above average old standards.

Red Radishes:  we found a bright red bunch of perfect radishes at a road side stand in Maryland.  The flavor was oniony with the right amount of spiciness.  We decided to dice it and make it a part of a marinade for a fresh asparagus salad (2 tbsp each of radishes, shallot, and sweet red pepper; cap full of apple cider vinegar; 1 tbsp of evoo; salt).

Pear Infused Vinegar: we can't recall where we originally found it.  One night when making a dressing, we wanted a break from the usual balsamic or apple cider vinegars, and there she was, a fresh unopened bottle of pear infused vinegar.  The vinegar was slightly sweet with the perfect vinegary bite in the background.  We simply replaced it in our standard dressing making the salad feel like a new treat.

Vine Ripe Roma Tomatoes: while tomatoes do not seem all that special, lovers of the veggie fruit know how exciting it is to come across that perfectly ripe sweet delight.  These beauties needed to be added to something more special than a regular salad, but left raw so as to not mask the taste.  We prepared a salsa with tomato, onion, and basil adding a hint of oil, salt, and sugar and placed it as an accompaniment to grilled chicken breasts seasoned with herbs de provence.  

Lavender Salt: we found this unique treat at CowGirl Creamery in DC on Inauguration Day 2009.  Fragrant and calming, we initially thought we should bathe in this salt.  But, we decided to use a heavy dose of it in boiling water mixed with aromatics for poached chicken from which we prepared lavender chicken salad (lavender poached chicken diced and mixed with onion, celery, and sweet relish bound my miracle whip salad dressing).

Red Beets: at a market in South Carolina, we came across a huge basket of fresh rose red beets.  We peeled them, sliced them thin and marinated them in herb seasoning, a pinch of salt, and evoo.  We then lightly dredged them in flour and fried them in canola oil until the beets were crispy on the outside and warm and fleshy on the inside.  

That's just a few of the fun things we've come across in a trek for tasty treats.  For us, it all about making meals special and memorable.  After all, it is art, food, and life....right? 

 

Vacation is Over!

My family traditionally has taken a week long vacation in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina during the seven days just prior to Labor Day.  Its like a tradition now and its spread like wildfire among other family members.  This year we were 17 deep and I believe next year we'll be even deeper.  During those seven days, we lounge, we chat, we bond, we laugh, we EAT!  I have the fortune (or misfortune depending on how you look at it) of being a part of a family filled with food and wine enthusiasts.  We plan our vacation meals for weeks prior to the trip and bring ice chests filled with special ingredients, buckets filled with special pots, spoons, and knives, and--of course--several mixed cases of wine and champagne.  

This year, my cousin, Kennice, and I were intent on making sure we stuck to our diets--at least for breakfast.  So, we made our way to a small market that had a small organic section.  We stocked up on soy milk and soy yogurt, crudite, and fruit.  On our way out, I was stopped dead in my tracks by a beautiful pork roast lying gently in a sale case on the meat aisle.  It was only $3.24 making it hard for me to resist bringing it home and adding it to the next night's grilling fiesta.  In the basket this pink beauty went and into my canvas shopping bag to join the party.

I'm sure you're shrieking at the thought that I brought home a pork roast.  And it was a real pork roast, not a tofu chunk disguised as such.  It was pork from a real pig, one of the first domesticated animals in the world.  It has a bad rap and for those who love cracklings, trotters, chitterlings, bacon, and pepperoni, the meat can be life threatening when eaten in abundance.  But some cuts can be as lean as boneless chicken breasts.  It takes quickly to most marinades and can stand up to several styles of preparation.  For those foodies that do not have limited diets, its an awesome source of protein and other nutrients making for a decent addition to break the monotony of weekly meal planning.

So, we planned to marinade our pork in a sweet soy sauce and grill it the next day with asparagus, beets, and thick steaks.  Ironically, the pork was to be a lighter option for those that didn't want a super thick steak.  But, the same night we came home with the meat, the family was in a lurch about what to do for dinner.  I went to the fridge to see what I could come up with and there was the roast.  Light bulb: Asian Pork Lettuce Wraps!  

I began by butchering the meat into medium cubes being certain to remove the center cartilage and any additional fat.  I then marinated the meat in sweet soy sauce for about twenty minutes. If you don't have sweet soy sauce, go for a mix of soy sauce and honey using just a tad of soy sauce.  After the meat has a chance to soak up some flavor, I then sauteed it in canola oil until cooked through and removed it from the pan and allowed it to cool.  In the same pan, I added a cup each of sweet sliced onions and julienne carrots sauteing the mix with a tablespoon of sweet soy sauce until they became tender.  Meanwhile, I diced the medium chunks of meat in small pieces.  When the veggies were tender, I added the meat to the pan until everything came together adding a touch more sauce as needed.  The sauce itself is so flavorful that no other seasonings were needed.  We served up the meat mixture on a platter with iceberg lettuce leaves.  

This little pork roast was inexpensive and flavorful becoming our star that night.  Lean cuts of pork, when prepared correctly, are a great addition to any diet.  Note, we said lean!!!!  As for the beets that you probably did a double take on, we'll save that for another post :-)