After a weekend full of guests and many meals out, when Sunday night rolled around (all too quickly, might I add) I was in the mood to cook. It had to be very easy, though, I was too tired for anything more. I took a look through my Bookmarked Recipe folder to find a dish that fit the bill, and to knock something off of my never ending list of recipes to attempt. Orange Braised Chicken Thighs with Green Olives sounded perfect. The ingredients would be easy to find and inexpensive, and it didn't require much effort.
Though the recipe calls for skin-on thighs, I went with the boneless, skinless variety because I find they still brown well and you save some calories. I browned up the chicken, then the onions and garlic, and left it to braise in the orange and lemon juices. The only change I made was to add in a smidgen of cayenne pepper because I like spice. The recipe recommended serving the dish over yellow rice, so I bought a box of Goya. I didn't have to use too many tools or dishes and after the initial set-up, I only had to sit and wait for it to be done.
The result was a wonderful comfort food-type meal. The rice cooked up perfectly and the chicken had a ton of citrus flavor. The sauce was a little thin but really tasty and the green olives provided a salty bite through the sweet citrus. Ken had the brilliant idea to throw a little hot sauce over the rice, and it was a perfect finish. I might also increase the amount of spices used next time - I think the sauce could have benefited from a bit of smokiness and some heat. Overall, the dish was hearty but not heavy, and was exactly the type of meal I wanted to eat on a tired Sunday.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Burmese Food - Who Knew?
A few fellow foodie friends and I (say that five times fast) recently started up a dinner club and last Saturday was our first outing. The idea is for the group of us to go out to eat once a month at an interesting restaurant. We want to experiment and try new types of cuisine. With that in mind, I suggested YoMa, a Burmese restaurant in the Allston area of Boston, for our inaugural meal. I found YoMa via one of my favorite websites, Yelp, and was sold by the endless list of fabulous reviews.
What I experienced at YoMa was no less than one of the best meals I've had in a long time. The restaurant is tucked away in a neighborhood off the T lines, and you would never guess the quality of food inside this little place. Burmese food is sort of a mix of the cuisines that surround it - Chinese, Indian, and Thai/Southeast Asian. There is lemongrass, chili, curry, and coconut. The menu at YoMa is huge and it was pretty difficult to choose a dish because everything sounded so darn good! It was a mix of curry and stir fry style dishes, noodles, and salads.
I decided fairly quickly on the Pumpkin Shrimp (here's a photo via the restaurant's website) and was quite impressed by it. The pumpkin was utilized in a savory was like a true squash - stewed in big chunks. It had a potato-like texture but more of a squash taste. The shrimp were large and very well cooked. The pumpkin and shrimp were cooked in a light sauce of crushed tomato, ginger, lemongrass, and cilantro. The dish came with a large plate of coconut rice (jasmine rice is standard but upon recommendation, I ordered the coconut rice for $2 extra and it was well worth it). The rice was sweet but not too sweet, and light coconut flavor melded well with the tomato and pumpkin. One of the particularly Burmese parts of the meal is that every dish comes with a small bowl of toasted spices - garlic, chili flakes, dried shrimp, and probably a whole bunch of other things that I can't identify. The topping adds a an extra crunchy layer of flavor and heat.
Our meal was just wonderful and everyone loved their dishes. I tried a bite of Ken's beef and potato curry and was amazed by the size of the chunks of beef. The service was also good - our waters were constantly refilled and when we arrived, we noticed that one of the staff had drawn a little name card for our reserved table. Talk about a personal touch! I definitely plan to return to YoMa for the pure fact that there were so many menu items that looked delicious and I need to try more things! The food was simple, fresh, and well-prepared, and importantly - cheap!
YoMa
5 N Beacon St
(between Brighton Ave & Cambridge St)
Allston, MA 02134
(617) 783-1372
What I experienced at YoMa was no less than one of the best meals I've had in a long time. The restaurant is tucked away in a neighborhood off the T lines, and you would never guess the quality of food inside this little place. Burmese food is sort of a mix of the cuisines that surround it - Chinese, Indian, and Thai/Southeast Asian. There is lemongrass, chili, curry, and coconut. The menu at YoMa is huge and it was pretty difficult to choose a dish because everything sounded so darn good! It was a mix of curry and stir fry style dishes, noodles, and salads.
I decided fairly quickly on the Pumpkin Shrimp (here's a photo via the restaurant's website) and was quite impressed by it. The pumpkin was utilized in a savory was like a true squash - stewed in big chunks. It had a potato-like texture but more of a squash taste. The shrimp were large and very well cooked. The pumpkin and shrimp were cooked in a light sauce of crushed tomato, ginger, lemongrass, and cilantro. The dish came with a large plate of coconut rice (jasmine rice is standard but upon recommendation, I ordered the coconut rice for $2 extra and it was well worth it). The rice was sweet but not too sweet, and light coconut flavor melded well with the tomato and pumpkin. One of the particularly Burmese parts of the meal is that every dish comes with a small bowl of toasted spices - garlic, chili flakes, dried shrimp, and probably a whole bunch of other things that I can't identify. The topping adds a an extra crunchy layer of flavor and heat.
Our meal was just wonderful and everyone loved their dishes. I tried a bite of Ken's beef and potato curry and was amazed by the size of the chunks of beef. The service was also good - our waters were constantly refilled and when we arrived, we noticed that one of the staff had drawn a little name card for our reserved table. Talk about a personal touch! I definitely plan to return to YoMa for the pure fact that there were so many menu items that looked delicious and I need to try more things! The food was simple, fresh, and well-prepared, and importantly - cheap!
YoMa
5 N Beacon St
(between Brighton Ave & Cambridge St)
Allston, MA 02134
(617) 783-1372
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Farmer's Market Dinner
First of all, I wish everyone a happy football season, as the Patriots played their first preseason game tonight. It's an important day.
Thursday is also the Mission Hill Farmer's Market, or what is better known as two random farmers setting up stands in Brigham Circle. I always forget that it's there until I walk in that direction leaving my office and spot it. Today everything looked amazing. It really is peak season and their vegetables were bright and hearty. I spent a good 10 minutes pacing around trying to decide what, if anything, to buy, then noticed the barrels of "just dug" red potatoes. Truly fresh potatoes are incredibly delicious and much more tasty than store-bought ones. I was also drawn to the huge bunches of bright orange carrots, with big bushy Bugs Bunny-like tops. I bought a bunch of those as well. My total was $5.45 for the carrots and about a pound of red potatoes - what a great deal.
Bugs Bunny would be jealous!
My initial plan was to throw the potatoes and carrots together in the oven and roast them until crispy, but my mind ran with ideas on the bus ride home. I decided to do two recipes - plain roasted carrots, and Barefoot Contessa's French Potato Salad, since I also had dill and scallions leftover needing to be used. The potato salad I'll be doing on Sunday, and the carrots became part of my meal tonight. I peeled them, cut them on the diagonal, and tossed them with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. They went into the oven for about 30 minutes on 400 degrees. With the carrots, I decided to cook up one of the extra ears of corn I bought for my couscous salad this week. I roasted it in the husks on the same tray as the carrots in the oven. It was a cool way to cook the corn but unfortunately, the corn itself turned out to be a dud.
The carrots, though, were incredibly tasty. There is such a deep flavor in freshly picked vegetables - it's like you've never really known what carrots taste like. They don't need much added - the little olive oil to brown them up and simple salt and pepper are enough by far. Last minute, I decided to make a mini cheese quesadilla to top it off. All in all a fine evening of weeknight cooking.
Thursday is also the Mission Hill Farmer's Market, or what is better known as two random farmers setting up stands in Brigham Circle. I always forget that it's there until I walk in that direction leaving my office and spot it. Today everything looked amazing. It really is peak season and their vegetables were bright and hearty. I spent a good 10 minutes pacing around trying to decide what, if anything, to buy, then noticed the barrels of "just dug" red potatoes. Truly fresh potatoes are incredibly delicious and much more tasty than store-bought ones. I was also drawn to the huge bunches of bright orange carrots, with big bushy Bugs Bunny-like tops. I bought a bunch of those as well. My total was $5.45 for the carrots and about a pound of red potatoes - what a great deal.
Bugs Bunny would be jealous!My initial plan was to throw the potatoes and carrots together in the oven and roast them until crispy, but my mind ran with ideas on the bus ride home. I decided to do two recipes - plain roasted carrots, and Barefoot Contessa's French Potato Salad, since I also had dill and scallions leftover needing to be used. The potato salad I'll be doing on Sunday, and the carrots became part of my meal tonight. I peeled them, cut them on the diagonal, and tossed them with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. They went into the oven for about 30 minutes on 400 degrees. With the carrots, I decided to cook up one of the extra ears of corn I bought for my couscous salad this week. I roasted it in the husks on the same tray as the carrots in the oven. It was a cool way to cook the corn but unfortunately, the corn itself turned out to be a dud.
The carrots, though, were incredibly tasty. There is such a deep flavor in freshly picked vegetables - it's like you've never really known what carrots taste like. They don't need much added - the little olive oil to brown them up and simple salt and pepper are enough by far. Last minute, I decided to make a mini cheese quesadilla to top it off. All in all a fine evening of weeknight cooking.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Summer Food
Last week, my office hosted a very nice luncheon to celebrate the end of a summer student program that we sponsor, and surprisingly, the food was delicious. Normally we are forced into using the in-house caterers at the hospital I work for, but since we had this lunch off-site, we could pick whoever we wanted. We used Rebecca, founder of the small Boston chain Rebecca's Cafe (though she no longer owns it), and she told us upon ordering that she would be choosing some of the menu based off what she found that week at the farmer's market. We had poached salmon with mustard sauce, green beans in a light vinaigrette, and this amazing rice salad. The salad was so delicious, very light and using fresh ingredients, including one of my ultimate favorite summer items - fresh corn. As I ate the leftovers that Rebecca very nicely packed up for us after the event, I tried to figure out what was in it. She'd also added radishes, cornichons, and a good heaping of dill. It was exactly what I like to eat.
Fast forward to Monday night, when I decided to use up the box of whole wheat couscous I'd had for a while as a bed for some stir fry in lieu of rice. I made what I thought was a 2 person serving, but actually it was a 4 person serving. I had quite a lot leftover. That's when I got the idea to make my own version of Rebecca's rice salad with the couscous instead - brilliant! Of course, it was just my inspiration, and I added my own twists. Fresh corn was a requirement though, and I cut the kernels off an entire ear for the salad. Then I added chopped scallions (also in Rebecca's), halved grape tomatoes, fresh dill, and some feta cheese. A little salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, and olive oil was all the dressing it needed.
The result was actually somewhat similar to what I'd had last week but definitely my own. I always forget how much I like dill until I use it in something. The corn and tomatoes are at the peak of their seasons and were perfectly ripe. Today was hot and very muggy, and this light meal was the perfect end to a summer workday. I can't wait to eat the rest for lunch tomorrow! And, I topped off my night with a "healthy sundae" - Greek yogurt, strawberries, and Midnight Moo!
Fast forward to Monday night, when I decided to use up the box of whole wheat couscous I'd had for a while as a bed for some stir fry in lieu of rice. I made what I thought was a 2 person serving, but actually it was a 4 person serving. I had quite a lot leftover. That's when I got the idea to make my own version of Rebecca's rice salad with the couscous instead - brilliant! Of course, it was just my inspiration, and I added my own twists. Fresh corn was a requirement though, and I cut the kernels off an entire ear for the salad. Then I added chopped scallions (also in Rebecca's), halved grape tomatoes, fresh dill, and some feta cheese. A little salt, pepper, red wine vinegar, and olive oil was all the dressing it needed.
The result was actually somewhat similar to what I'd had last week but definitely my own. I always forget how much I like dill until I use it in something. The corn and tomatoes are at the peak of their seasons and were perfectly ripe. Today was hot and very muggy, and this light meal was the perfect end to a summer workday. I can't wait to eat the rest for lunch tomorrow! And, I topped off my night with a "healthy sundae" - Greek yogurt, strawberries, and Midnight Moo!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Sunday Treats, Then Healthy Eats
I took a weekend trip up to Gloucester, MA with some pals and had my first experience at Woodman's, a seafood legend in New England. I'd requested some good, old fashioned fresh fried seafood and this was truly the place to go. They are well-known for their fried clams and other goodies, not to mention the pick-your-own lobster set-up out front. I'm not actually big on clams so I decided to go with the fried sea scallops. I couldn't believe the size of my "fried plate!" Each plate comes with both fries and some of the best onion rings I've ever had (why have to choose, I ask you?) and what must have been 20 huge scallops. As hard as I tried, I couldn't come close to eating it all. But combined with that sea air and the beautiful blue sky, it was an amazing meal that was quintessentially New England.
When Sunday rolled around, I certainly wasn't craving anything heavy. I decided to try my Penne with Chicken, Lemon, and Feta recipe again to see if I could improve it. I made the same recipe but added shallots along with the garlic, and mixed in some shreds of basil at the end. As I expected, the new ingredients added that extra umph and it was yet again quite delicious. Tonight as well felt like a light food night, so I went incredibly simple. I bought one random zucchini at the grocery store, thinking I might put it in the pasta, but I'd decided against that so I needed to use it up. Squash is so summer and I had craved it. I just sauteed some sliced zucchini with garlic, olive oil, chili flakes, salt and pepper, then added some chopped basil. I ate it over some Multigrain Pilaf from Trader Joe's, which is made from soybeans and pearl millet, flavored with a slightly Indian flavor. I never knew what millet was until I looked it up tonight - it is basically an ancient grain used mostly in Africa and India, which explains why it goes so well with turmeric and similar spices. I also use it as a rice substitute under stir fry, and that will be the leftover's job tomorrow!
When Sunday rolled around, I certainly wasn't craving anything heavy. I decided to try my Penne with Chicken, Lemon, and Feta recipe again to see if I could improve it. I made the same recipe but added shallots along with the garlic, and mixed in some shreds of basil at the end. As I expected, the new ingredients added that extra umph and it was yet again quite delicious. Tonight as well felt like a light food night, so I went incredibly simple. I bought one random zucchini at the grocery store, thinking I might put it in the pasta, but I'd decided against that so I needed to use it up. Squash is so summer and I had craved it. I just sauteed some sliced zucchini with garlic, olive oil, chili flakes, salt and pepper, then added some chopped basil. I ate it over some Multigrain Pilaf from Trader Joe's, which is made from soybeans and pearl millet, flavored with a slightly Indian flavor. I never knew what millet was until I looked it up tonight - it is basically an ancient grain used mostly in Africa and India, which explains why it goes so well with turmeric and similar spices. I also use it as a rice substitute under stir fry, and that will be the leftover's job tomorrow!
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