jonah crab claws @ the ebbit

i love the old ebbit grill and basically everything inside it. a classic and historic landmark in the district serving lines of regal washingtonians from ulysses s. grant to tanya rodousakis. pick your favorite cut of meat or choose from the many seafood delights because there's something for everyone on this menu- and youre sure to love it as time and tradition molded these dishes to perfection.
one of my favorite little treats are the steamed jonah crab claws... i believe you can find them there any time of year but these are a delicious snack or starter plucked from the atlantic coast- delicate and delicious. not terribly expensive the jonah crabs are a sustainable option to go for if you're thinking about whats better on an ocean menu.

sausage and couscous.. lunch in 15 minutes

apologies for the camera phone and tupperware, i wasnt planning on blogging my lunch but its just so good.. we bought sausage at eastern market on sunday and i wanted to use it up today so this morning (at 6 am) I put the sausage in a pan with loosely chopped onions and tomatoes, a little vinegar, olive oil and black pepper.. i let that cook and when the sausage was almost done i cut it into bite size pieces. then i dumped in a can of chick peas and let it all cook on low for a few more minutes.

at the same time i steamed a pan of couscous.

when that was done i combined the sausage with onions and tomatoes to the couscous, added half a finely chopped raw red onion and half a fined chopped raw red pepper and mixed it all together. if i had fresh parsley that would have been perfect but it was great just like this.

i threw it all into two tupperware containers and it turned out to be SUCH a good lunch.. i almost finished eating it though.... and its only 8:45am....uh oh. soooooo goooood.

this be a pitaya

i might have seen them before but never tried it. i bought this beaut at la boqueria in barcelona. it was delicious. its a type of cactus fruit- i can imagine finding them at whole foods... i believe it's of the species Hylocereus polyrhizus, H. undulatus, or Stenocereus queretaroensis. difinately pick one up if you happen to come across it in the produce aisle. slice it and half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. lemme know what you think! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitaya

have you ever seen anything fresher or more delicious?

tomato salads make a perfect meal, salad or snack. mix and match varieties for added flavor... add a little salt, cracked pepper and a few drops of vinegar- red wine or otherwise... throw in some basil, a red onion or even a sliced bell pepper if you like but let your tomatoes dominate the bowl. fill a tupperware and call it your lunch or cleanse your palate after a heavy dinner. they're ridiculously healthy, taste great and are [at least for me] a happy food.

the fishphone

so some of you may or may not be familiar with the "fish card" ... there are a number of different versions put out by various organizations [ http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/mobile/sfw/ ] where you print out a card that you stick in your wallet that has a list of the safer more sustainable fish to eat and the unhealthy and endangered fish that one should try to avoid [rated in categories of green, yellow or red] ... well that was a great idea but now theres something even better, the Fishphone."FishPhone can be accessed... via your mobile phone simply by texting 30644 with the message "FISH," followed by the name of the fish in question. You'll soon receive a response text with the makers of the service, Blue Ocean Institute's, assessment. And if your seafood of choice ends up being of dubious quality or harmful to the environment, they'll offer some better alternatives." http://www.coolhunting.com/archives/2008/10/fishphone.php

this is a great resource and extremely helpful if youre undecided in a restaurant or a grocery store. every little bit helps, especially when it comes to overfishing.

i <3 air france

i absolutely love air france for a number of reasons... most importantly (just after safety) is the food and booze. you get full healthy meals with a variety to snack on including fresh bread and cheese and no charge for wine.. then there's continental. which blows... densely processed meats with a mediocre ranch dressing salad and a diabetically sweet dessert. all plus 5 USD / bottle of wine.

fried potatoes

takes just a couple minutes to do and makes a great side for any meat or fish. either wash the outsides of the potato very well or peel - then cut into slices- be sure theyre all about the same width so they the cooking time wont vary. in a pot or saucepan heat an inch or so of vegetable oil and just when it starts to sizzle add a layer of the potatoes. after a 2-3 minutes turn them till each side is golden brown. remove from the oil and let them sit on paper towels to absorb excess oil. sprinkle with salt or crushed garlic and parsley for added flavor.

tip: try frying hot peppers first then the potatoes in the same oil for a spicier dish.

sautéed green beans

quickly sauté a handful of green beans with some olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt until tender. let them cool and add to any salad for a great taste, extra nutrients and a whole other level of texture and presentation.

look at those leggs. mmm... roasting a bird.

so last weekend when that hurricane was blowing through and everyone was all locked inside, we decided it was perfect weather for roasting a bird (this is after an hour and a half of floating around wholefoods) , so steve picks up a chicken and we go back to my place. this is really much easier than it looks, its enough to stuff 4-6 people and leftovers are delicious. get the bird take out the gizzards and neck- if they gross you out throw them away, if not mix them with the potatoes. cut off any excess fat that'll usually be around the ass (the big hole). brine your bird- give it a good rinse and if you can let it soak in water with some salt for a couple minutes- always brine becasue it'll better clean the chicken and also take out some of the "wild" taste if its free range. while thats sitting, cut up some potatos, carrots, celery, onions any root veggies or tougher greens. season them with salt, pepper, oil, and whatever blows your skirt up (i put black olives this last time.. SOOO GOOD). then toss them all in a pan under a roasting rack with a cup or 2 of water, orange juice or white wine. take the chicken out of the water, rub salt oil and whatever spices you want on the outside, give a little sprinkle on the inside and set it breastside up on the rack. i usually quarter a lemon, orange, or lime and use that to stuff the chicken with garlic so the meat is infused with the fresh essence of citrus. THEN here's the trick my mom taught me. around the asshole there's a flap of skin that kind hangs there. if you cut a slit on each side you can slip the end of the leg into each to close the hole so the bird doest dry out (check the photo above- you can see here that one leg is still in the "slit" but the other leg popped out). then throw it in the oven - i usually put it in for 3 hours on 375-400. and ill turn it over at least once to make sure its crispy all around. take it out, let it cool a bit and for me my favorite way to serve it is to pull off all the meat and toss it loosely all mixed together in a bowl with a fistfull of chopped parsley. and to accompany you have a side dish of roasted veggies. white rice would go well too and maybe a salad or fresh fruit to clean your palate when your done.
GREAT for a rainy day. Perfect when you want to sit home vege out and watch movies OR to prep the day before and serve cold pulled chicken which tastes delicious.

DRINK: prosecco with kiwi

again, the title says it all.. we got a little creative and had a kiwi to use up. turned out to not be half bad. a nice dry prosecco with the sweet tart kiwi sliced inside. let it sit a little while so the the kiwi flavor will have time to infuse the sparkling wine.