nakji

Over in the Nibbles-and-Notes topic, jenc recommended the Hoof Cafe for my recent visit to Toronto. I got there this week. Living in China, I eat a lot of really nice pork, but I was impressed by the quality of meat that was on offer here. We made it in for lunch on Monday, and ordered the ploughman's and sausage-and-links. The links and beans came with fried shredded kale and an excellent pan-fried egg. The beans were layered over toast, and I had to consciously make an effort not to lick the plate clean when we were done. The kale really made the dish fun, but greasy - I'd of liked a bit of sour or tangy to balance out the plate, like a pickled tomato or something, but I'm not complaining. The sausages were spicy, and perfect. Sausage like this is something that's quite difficult to find in Asia, and I always make it an eating priority when I come back to NA. The charcuterie plate was fantastic, and our server fielded our questions about the meat with aplomb and detail which I then promptly forgot to write down. I think the proscuitto was the only thing not made in-house, but correct me if I'm wrong. Perhaps it was the only meat that wasn't local? I remember something about Iowa, at any rate. My husband and I fought over the summer sausage, but I got all the terrine to myself. Even the lure of foie gras couldn't overcome his reluctance to try "pate". He's been a victim of too many crap grocery store pates, but like the greedy sod I am, I encourage his ignorance so I can hog a nice terrine like this to myself. Forgive me; I did it for the foie. For "dessert", we got the side of pork belly pastrami to split. Really, really, excellent quality pork. I also eat a lot of pork belly, of course, but the quality of the meat came across in the tenderness and flavour of the fat. It came with a (I think? I was in a pork haze) brown butter sauce. Again, I would have preferred a big savoury smear of garlicky ssamjang across the bottom the plate with belly like this, but that's just me. We sopped up all the sauce with our forks (about as difficult as it sounds), so we obviously overcame our weird tastes. I wish I lived in Toronto so I could eat my way around this menu.

Curry. I like curries at room temperature.

I don't have a notebook, but I use index cards that I leave stuck to the fridge. When I'm working on a recipe, I use my kitchen whiteboard to jot down what I'm using, and then if it works, I transfer it to an index card.

Whenever I visit Shanghai, I'm usually looking for a fix on non-Chinese cuisines, and end up at places like Wagas, Element Fresh, or Boxing Cat, looking for a sandwich or burger or layer cake. But this trip, I'm on my way out of the country for the next 6 weeks, so I thought I'd try to get some regional Chinese in before leaving. We went to the expat-popular "Southern Barbarian", on the corner of Maoming Nan Road and Jin Xian Road. It won best contemporary Chinese in City Weekend mag, and more importantly, we were able to make a reservation for two at 7.30 on a Saturday night. It specializes in Yunnan food, an area I'm interested in, since Yunnan borders Vietnam, and I was interested to see if there were any dishes I might recognize from Northern Vietnam. The restaurant is located through a commercial building, out the back way, and up a flight of stairs, so you get to run a very Shanghai-like gauntlet of chefs in their kitchen whites, smoking cigarettes and checking their iPhones amidst the wreckage of dirty dishes in the back alley. The restaurant is also currently featuring an exhibit of original North Korean movie posters, so it got serious points for atmosphere. The menu was pretty narrow, and we decided to order their recommended set, since I thought if the kitchen messed that up, it wouldn't be worth coming back to; but if it didn't, it would be worth further exploration. Also it looked really good. (Please excuse the horrible cameraphone pics: my camera was packed) First up, cold dish: charred eggplant with tomato-vinegar topping. Excellent. I'll try to make this myself. Very smoky, with the tomato adding a tart note. Then a puree of fava beans with Yunnanese ham. Kind of bland and I couldn't figure out how to eat it until this came to the table: A crispy/salty potato pancake, perfect for scooping it up. We then got a plate of fried Yunnanese goat cheese, very similar to halloumi or fried saganaki cheese. We piled the charred eggplant on top of that, and the salt from the cheese made for an excellent bite. Like Chinese mezze. Then, chicken wings on skewers, perfectly done. Lightly seasoned with a whiff of sichuan peppercorns and some sweet glaze - not sticky, just enough for flavour. I would have liked these spicier, but they were perfectly cooked. Then we got the first plate of identifiable "Chinese" food; a plate of pork fried with peppers and ginger slices. Ok, but kind of bland. I wouldn't order it again. We were still eating our way through all this, and beginning to lose space on the table when the dumplings showed up: Half were filled with the fava puree, and half were filled with a traditional pork mixture. What made these special was the pastry-like wrapper, which was crispy and.. buttery? And the vinegar cilantro dip. Again, I though the dip was too light on spice, I would have liked more chili. Next time I'll ask them not to pull any punches. I get flustered in Shanghai and start ordering in English and generally look like a tourist. So to finish up, and we were quite full at this point, but persevering, they brought a giant bowl of rice-noodle "Cross the Bridge" noodles, which I had been quite curious to try. The only restaurant in Suzhou serving them closed the month I moved there, so I'd been wanting to try them for a while. Since they're generally described as a rice noodle soup with meat, I was curious to see if they tasted like pho. Short answer: not really. The noodles were round, to start. The broth was chicken, making it closer to pho ga, but without any anise tones. At least in their version. There were a lot of fishy tones from the squid also included. And I was so full from everything, I just couldn't do the bowl justice. The restaurant also has about two pages of imported bottled Belgian beers, including the usual suspects like Chimay, Maredsous, Leffe. I had a bottle of Vedette, which came in the appropriate glass. Verdict? I'll come back and work my way around the menu. The cold dishes were great, and a Chinese cheese dish is rare enough to revisit. The barbecue wings were also succulent, which makes me want to explore that part of the menu more thoroughly. If you're in town, it's worth a stop.

Does anyone cook celery on its own - not as part of a mirepoix or as a seasoning/flavouring agent? Both carrots and celery can be eaten raw, but carrot is more frequently cooked as a dish, isn't it?

In China? Yes. And also for the other reasons mentioned: cost; double the inventory; and I rarely bake. I also like salty food.

Leftover Indian food of any description, but at my house it's usually aloo gobi or baingan bartha. With toast, for breakfast, of course. If I'm really ambitious, I run up a fresh omelette with cilantro and tomato to go alongside.

I never buy unsalted butter either. I just can't be bothered. One thing I enjoy doing when with other Canadians is asking them how they like to prepare their Kraft Dinner. It seems most have an opinion on the issue. Hardly anyone (maybe even no one?) I've talked to follows the exact proportions on the box. Most seem to hew to the dry side; that is, they cut the milk down (or out) and add more butter/margarine. My father-in-law uses two packets of cheese mix for every one box of noodles, orphaning boxes of noodles. Heaven knows where they end up. Another friend uses the whole packet of cheese, but only half the box of noodles. I haven't had it myself since I lived with my parents, but at the time, I liked it the way my mom made it: soupy, with double the milk.

I can manage the thin-stemmed Chinese celery in my local market much better, when needed. I bought some, grudgingly, at Christmas for bread stuffing, and didn't mind it too much. I chalked it up to the stems being more tender and sauteed in butter, but maybe it was just because they were fresh.

Ooh....Ahhhh....(I'm tempted to ask: "But did you inhale?") Does it come out dry or moist? And importantly, what did you serve alongside this? I know a lot of vegetarians who would enjoy something like this at a cookout.

I'd say, eat it often, and in the beginning, eat it with something to temper the spice. So if it's spicy Asian dishes, have lots of white rice on hand; if it's Indian, make some yogurt-based raita; if it's Mexican, I think cheese and crema are used to balance the heat, aren't they? I also had a friend who swore by fresh pineapple with Thai curries. The more frequently you eat spicy things, the less you notice the burn. In the beginning, you'll have to use lots of the tempering agent to get through it, but as you go, you'll need less and less. That's how it worked for me, anyway.

Are those white and yellow kernels, Mitch? I made a great stir-fry with some last month using sweet corn, from the "Beyond the Great Wall" cookbook. It's a nice change if you ever (is it possible?) get sick of corn on the cob.

Star anise! I never thought of that. That's one of my favourite spices, so I'll have to try this combination over the summer. Did you use that with pickled beets, or roast?

I might be willing to concede that I have just never had a good piece of celery. How can you tell it's the "real" stuff?

I've been using Tie Guan Yin for the cold brew this year, but last year I used both jasmine and sencha successfully. Cold barley tea is great, too.

I live a happy and fulfilling life without the long, malicious shadow of celery stalks being cast over me. There is only one area where I can stomach it; in bread stuffing for roast chicken. Otherwise, carrots.

I've made radish kimchi without them, and it tasted fine to me. I'm not sure if it would affect the flavour/fermentation of the kimchi over the long term, as I consumed the kimchi I made over about a two-week period.

Ah, I'd have to go measure, but I don't think so. Usually two or three tablespoons of leaves to the container; I'm not sure what its capacity is. Probably...500ml? I brew "grandpa-style", and refill several times.

When I was growing up, my Dad used to make the full English for dinner sometimes, complete with beans and grilled mushrooms and tomatoes. But my husband doesn't like most western breakfast foods, so I don't ever do it for us. It's a shame though, because it is a great strategyvfor when you forget to take things out to thaw, as mentioned.

God, cheese. I haven't had a bit of cheese that wasn't Australian mass-produced "Tasty" in a year.

When I cold brew, I hit the leaves to cover with a little hot water, to open them up. Then I top the container with cold water and stick it in the fridge until it gets cold. You never seem to get a strong tannic taste this way. I use the same amount of leaves I'd use for a hot brew.

Do you eat it all off the cob, or do you cook with it as well? I'm pretty sure this is field corn, since the examples I've eaten of it in China and Korea are incredibly tough and starchy, without a hint of sweetness.

I think there are some Yunnanese dishes that might use it, too. China's a big country, though, and not everything's available everywhere. I guess I'll have to amend that to not being available in my city.

My cousin does her canned beets just this way - and they're excellent, especially mid-winter, alongside a ham. I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on some beets this summer - the raw beet salad and the beet risotto are top on my list to try.

I plan on bringing back some from Canada when I return. Lots of fresh and dried chilies in China, but nothing like anchos or chipotles, though.