food and beverage

I don't have to travel often for my job and usually it is a short jaunt twice a year but the beginning of October I had occasion (my boss was delivering Congressional testimony, and I was delivering him!) to travel twice within the space of 3 days to Washington DC. Once I drove both ways, but the second time I decided to take the easy way out and took the train.  While it was a lot of travelling in a little time, the bonus was that I got to spend two nights with my daughter and son who live in Shirlington.

I grew up in Winchester VA, a town that is now a DC bedroom community, but I still love visiting Washington- there is so much to do and see and the pace is so different from where I live now.  And as a foodie, there is all manner of food to experience there. One thing I know- if I lived in DC, I would probably weigh a lot more than I do because with so many choices, I would want to experience (and consume) it all!
So, in the land of 1000 restaurants, where did I eat during my visit? The first night, I arrived on a Sunday evening (after making my way through hellatious traffic), and my daughter,her significant other (boyfriend sounds so juvenile) and my son were debating where we should go for dinner. With choices like Ethiopian, Vietnamese, Greek, French, Chinese laid in front of me, I caved in and told them to decide. The guys proposed a Spanish/Latin American Restaurant in Dupont Circle that Gavin had been to and Olu had heard good things about and so we  piled into Olu's car and headed for Lauriol Plaza.  Even though Gavin told me it was big, I was in no way prepared for the modern urban building that looked like it took up a whole block!  And even on a Sunday evening, the place was packed!  Inside, the restaurant offered multi-level dining,and just being there gave you feeling of fiesta- laughter, clinking of glasses, conversation and music- it felt like home, only louder.  I love Spanish and Latin-American food and the reviews I read while waiting for our table made me anxious to check out the menu. While we got settled, our waitress came and took our drink orders, and  delivered salsa and some of the thinnest, crispest chips I have ever had. My son, who is a former sous chef, wanted Ceviche for an appetizer, but they were out so he ordered some mussels instead. Katie and Olu ordered some sweet plantains to split.  I didn't try the plantains, but Gavin's mussels were cooked to perfection, and the broth made me want to ask for more crusty bread to soak up its goodness. When it was time to order entrees, I was conflicted- I overcame my overwhelming desire to order mole, which I do almost every time I am in the vicinity of Mexican food they offered a special of lamb fajitas which sounded amazing, but I decided on Enchiladas de Marisco,  enchiladas stuffed with shrimp and scallops in a seafood sauce with cheese. I encouraged Olu, who was feeling a bit punk,to order the special that was a shrimp with garlic broth that sounded perfect for someone nursing a cold, but he ordered a pork dish instead. Katie ordered chiles rellenos with cheese, and Gavin ordered the Santa Fe Platter that had a cheese chile relleno, a cheese enchilada and a guacamole taco.

Gavin and I have the best luck- besides the fact that his mussels were an amazing app that easily could have made a dinner itself, his combo was full of cheese and had a complexity of spices that was pleasing even to a former chef. Katie was not very happy with her entree, but mainly because it was not what she expected. It was covered in a tomato-y sauce, but when she told our server she adjusted the bill. My enchiladas were amazing! Since seafood has to be cooked just right I was worried that they might be overcooked, but my fear was misplaced because Lauriol Plaza clearly knows seafood.  The seafood sauce was delicately flavored and complemented, rather than smothered the morsels of shrimp and scallops.  I would have loved to try dessert but I was stuffed to the gills, so we headed home.  A great meal and a real dining experience in the land of 1000 restaurants!  If you are in the DC area- check out Lauriol Plaza, you won't be disappointed!

Ingredients
Dried pinto beans (soaked overnight in water to cover) - 350g
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Onions - 2, sliced
Garlic cloves - 2, finely chopped
Red pepper - 1, deseeded and sliced
Yellow pepper - 1, deseeded and sliced
Chopped tomatoes - 2 400g tins
Tomato puree - 2 tbsp
Fresh basil - 1 tbsp, torn
Fresh thyme - 2 tsp, chopped
Fresh rosemary - 2 tsp, chopped
Bay leaf

Methods
1) Drain the beans. Place in a large saucepan, add enough cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 and a half hours. Drain, reserving 300 ml of the liquid. (I found that I had to add more water to the pan about 45 minutes in to stop the beans drying out).
2) Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and peppers and cook for 10 minutes.
3) Add the tomatoes and their can juices, the tomato puree, the reserved liquid, herbs, bay leaf and beans. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes. At this point you can add some black olives if you like and cook for another 5 minutes. (Serves 4).

The orange colour group provide alpha- and beta-carotenes. Foods in the orange colour group include carrots, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, acorn squash, winter squash, cantaloupe melons, mangos and apricots (but not oranges!).

Of these, carrots and sweet potatoes can be considered "star foods" from a health-perspective. Carrots are high in antioxidants and protect the body from certain types of cancer. They boost the immune system and are useful in treating a range of ailments, from poor night vision to stomach ulcers. I shall write a separate post about the sweet potato another time.

Greek Baklava Recipe - Learn how to make the best Greek Baklava with greek phyllo pastry.

Ingredients

Filling
500 gr walnuts, coarsely chopped
60 gr sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pastry
500 gr fyllo pastry
180 gr unsalted butter, melted

Syrup
230 gr. caster sugar
300 ml water
2 cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons lemon juice
some lemon peel
2 tablespoons honey

Preparation
Mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl.

Liberally butter the base and sides of an elongated or round baking dish. Measure the length of the fyllo against the baking dish roughly and, allowing 2 cm extra approximately for shrinkage, cut to length with a sharp knife.

Brush each layer of fyllo with melted butter and spread over the base of the container as evenly as possible. Once you have used 5 layers of pastry, sprinkle a thin layer of filling all over the surface and add 3 more layers.

Sprinkle a thin layer of filling and place 2 more sheets of fyllo on top. Sprinkle on all the remaining filling, spreading it evenly, and cover with 7-8 more layers of fyllo, brushing individually with butter. Fold any excess pastry on either of the sides over the filling and brush it with butter.

Brush the top layer liberally with butter in order to get it crisp and golden. Trim any excess pastry with a small sharp knife, keeping in mind that it will also shrink. Cut the top layers of fyllo carefully, either diagonally into diamond shapes or straight, which will result in square or elongated pieces. Be careful not to cut right down to the base, but only the top layers. This is done in order to make cutting and lifting the pieces out, once it is cooked, much easier and efficient.

Using the tips of four fingers, sprinkle drops of water all over the surface and cook it in a preheated oven, gas no.5/ 375 grades F / 190 grades C, for 15 minutes; lower the heat to gas no.4/ 350 grades F/ l80 grades C and cook for a further 20 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the syrup. Place all the syrup ingredients, apart from the honey, in a saucepan and stir to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 6-8 minutes, add the honey and simmer for a further 5 minutes until it thickens slightly.

Let the baklava cool down then pour the hot but not boiling syrup slowly all over, through a strainer. Let it stand and absorb the syrup.

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How to make best baklava dessert - so easy traditional baklava recipe. Become a baklava chef & teach others this wonderful recipe.

Ingredients
1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
1 pound chopped nuts
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F(175 degrees C). Butter the bottoms and sides of a 9x13 inch pan.

Chop nuts and toss with cinnamon. Set aside. Unroll phyllo dough. Cut whole stack in half to fit pan. Cover phyllo with a dampened cloth to keep from drying out as you work. Place two sheets of dough in pan, butter thoroughly. Repeat until you have 8 sheets layered. Sprinkle 2 - 3 tablespoons of nut mixture on top. Top with two sheets of dough, butter, nuts, layering as you go. The top layer should be about 6 - 8 sheets deep.

Using a sharp knife cut into diamond or square shapes all the way to the bottom of the pan. You may cut into 4 long rows the make diagonal cuts. Bake for about 50 minutes until baklava is golden and crisp.

Make sauce while baklava is baking. Boil sugar and water until sugar is melted. Add vanilla and honey. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

Remove baklava from oven and immediately spoon sauce over it. Let cool. Serve in cupcake papers. This freezes well. Leave it uncovered as it gets soggy if it is wrapped up.

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Recipe for falafel hot sauce. Falafel hot sauce can be drizzled into a falafel pita sandwich or used for dipping.

Preparation Time 5 minutes
Cooking Time 20 minutes

Ingredients
3/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon harissa or hot sauce
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped

Preparation
In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 15 -20 minutes. Sitting frequently.

Serve falafel hot sauce immediately as a dip for falafel or drizzle onto falafel pita sandwich. Falafel hot sauce is great at room temperature and even cold!

Store in refrigerator for up two weeks.

Try
Falafel Recipe from Scratch
Make Best Falafel Balls Recipe
How to Make Perfect Shape of Falafel?
Falafel Maker
Falafel Nutrition facts

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Khoubiz (Flat Bread) is a staple in Arabic food. This Khoubiz recipe is simple, quick and makes perfect Khoubiz every time! Learn how to make Khoubiz (Flat Bread) the easy way!

Makes 8 loaves Oven temperature: 260 C (500 F)
Cooking time: 4-5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients
6 cup plain flour
1 package active dry yeast
2 cup warm water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp oil

Preparation
Sift flour into a large mixing bowl and warm in a low oven.

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water, add remaining water and stir in salt and sugar.

Remove about 2 cups flour from bowl and set aside. Pour yeast liquid into centre and stir in some flour to make a thick liquid. Cover with cloth and leave in a warm place until frothy.

Stir in rest of flour, adding oil gradually, then beat until smooth, either by hand for 10 minutes, or on electric mixer using dough hook for 5 minutes.

Sprinkle some of the reserved flour onto a board, turn out dough and knead for 10 minutes, using more flour as required. Dough is ready when it is smooth and satiny with a slightly wrinkled texture. Shape dough into a ball.

Oil bowl, put in dough smooth side down then turn over so that top is coated with oil. Stretch plastic wrap over bowl and leave in a warm place to rise until almost doubled in bulk -- about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Preheat oven.

Punch down dough and turn out onto lightly floured board. Knead for a minute or so, then divide into 8 equal pieces, rolling each into a ball.

Roll each piece into a 25 cm (10 inch) round and place on a lightly floured cloth. Cover with another cloth and leave for 20 minutes.

Heat a large baking sheet or flat griddle on the lowest shelf in an electric oven; in a gas oven select the section of the oven with the most heat, probably near the top.

Place a round of dough on a lightly floured baking sheet with one flat edge or on a piece of plywood, spreading it evenly. Shake to ensure that it will slide off easily.

Rub heated baking sheet or griddle with wad of paper towel dipped in oil then slide dough onto it. Bake in hot oven for 4-5 minutes until it puffs up like a balloon. If you would like it browned on top, turn quickly and leave for a minute. Remove bread and wrap in a cloth to keep it warm and soft. Bake remaining loaves.

To bake in an electric frypan (a good alternative if your gas oven does not heat evenly):
Preheat frypan on highest setting with metal lid on, vent closed. When heated, oil base quickly and slide dough onto base. Cover and cook for 3 minutes, remove lid, turn bread over, re-cover and cook further 2 minutes.

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