the arugula files

Get Ready for Foodie Fight!

This week I'm a blogtestant on www.foodiefights.com.  What does that mean?  Foodie Fights is Iron Chef meets the internet meets the food blogerati.  Basically, people sign up, and six bloggers are selected to battle it out.  The blogtestants get two surprise ingredients that they must use in the preparation of one course.  The blog entries are submitted to www.foodiefight.com and the internets votes.  The entries are also rated by guest judges. 

I love this idea.  It wasn't mine though.  Nick and Dan from Macheesmo and The Food In My Beard (TFIMB) are its creators. 

Guess what the two ingredients are....

Rhubarb and coriander seeds--an amazing combination!

I'm not sure what I'll make.  The possibilities are endless.  

Check out my blogtestants; it's an excellent line up.

Crazy Monkey House

Brake for Bread

Aga Kitchen

Downsized!

Elaine - The Gourmet Girl

Mushroom and Shallot Quiche

You had me at mushrooms, basil, shallots, and thyme.  Seriously.  I can't say enough about this combination.  You can stuff these ingredients in anything--calzones, epanadas, quiche, or throw them on top of pizza.  I sauteed the shallots and mushrooms in a bit of olive oil, added the basil and thyme, made a quick pie crust, cracked some eggs, added some cream and cheese, and this quiche was ready to bake.

Afghan Raviolis

 

I will never make dumplings, or anything having to do with wonton wrappers again.  I'm just not cut out for it.  Wonton wrappers are a basic concept: you make a filling, stuff them, and then steam them or fry them.  What this doesn't tell you is the arduous process of stuffing those dumplings one by one.  It takes time and patience, two things which I seem to lack.  The thing is, the meat sauce I served with these raviolis was simply delicious.  I simmered lamb with coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, and cayenne pepper and then topped it with mint and yogurt.  The sauce was just as good as my favorite dish at Helmand.  It makes me want to make this dish again, but then I think about making the dumplings.  And the thought makes me want to lie down on the couch.

Blog for the Bay: Where to Eat Maryland Blue Crabs

I'm re-posting "Where to Eat Maryland Blue Crabs" in honor of blogging for the bay, co-hosted by Foodietots and Arugulafiles. The population of blue crabs in the bay is threatened by overfishing and pollution. With the help of smart and disciplined fishery management, they are coming back. We must continue these efforts. Sign the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s petition urging the EPA to quit delaying action to help save our Bay.

If you have ever set crab traps, you know that live blue crabs are aggressive and will charge at you when approached.  I learned this after my first and only attempt at crabbing.  I was staying at a summer house in Virginia appointed with some crab traps and a small dock.  Fascinated by the whole catch-my-own dinner experience, I cut up a few chicken breasts, placed the bait in the trap, and waited.  The next day I found one lonely crab in the trap. He was mad as hell.  When I tried to take him out, he snapped, charging at me with the confidence of a Spanish bull.

I've heard that blue crabs hurt when they bite, sort of like a long, mean pinch from your older brother, so I got a set of kitchen tongs.  The crab saw the tongs as his opponent in the ring, so to say, snapping at them every time I reached into the trap.  With help from Marcus, I finally got him out, setting him in a pail while I decided how to prepare him.  Then it hit me, I didn't want to kill this crab.  I couldn't do it.  He was a fighter.  I know it sounds absurd, but he wanted to live too badly.  So I brought him down to the river, turned the pail over, watched him run off the end of the dock, and plop into the water like a fat kid performing the last canon ball of the summer.

Clearly, I have no career in the fishery arts.  Now if I want crabs, I rely on someone else to catch 'em and cook 'em. And for that there is no better place than Cantler's Riverside Inn, in Annapolis, on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Cantler's is a Maryland institution.  For about 35 years, crab men have docked their boats and sold their catch to the restaurant.  Cantler's steams the crabs for about 12 minutes in old kegs converted to steamers.  I wonder what a live crab thinks when they are placed in a steamer and all of a sudden it's raining Old Bay? Don't think about it.

Try to get a seat outside by the river.  Order some steamed crabs and shrimp, and a few beers.  Settle in. Forget about the rest, "like time is not a thing for you to lose." 

More Blog for the Bay:

• Arugula Files research sustainability of Maryland Blue Crabs.
  
• Captial Spice tells of a favorite market vendor, Chris' Marketplace.
  
• The Green Phone Booth's Jess Trev reminisces about roof deck parties and a soft shell sandwich to mark Bill Clinton's inauguration.
  
• Foodie Tots got married on the Bay.  Read more about what it means to her family.
  
• Capital Cooking Show's Lauren was recently introduced to blue crabs after moving here from the Midwest.
  
• Metrocurean used "pretty please with crabcakes on top" to beg favors from her father, and shares her grandmother's crabcake recipe.
• Plight of the Pumpernickel offers tips on how to eat Maryland Blue Crab.
• DCist offers their favorite summertime activity: a trip to the Maine Avenue Fish Wharf for crabs, followed by a picnic in East Potomac Park.
• Endless Simmer sees ulterior motives in our campaign. (Hey, we’re not denying our self-interest. Crabs are yummy!)
• Internet Food Association is stung by old bay and scary magic cards.
• Inspired by Etsy highlights her fave shore related crafts.

Add your blog to the list and encourage people to sign the petition.

Blog for the Bay!

Photo by flickr user zoopmon

Can you imagine DC cuisine without soft shells, crab cakes and crab pickin’? Neither can we!

Calling all District foodies!  FoodieTots and The Arugula Files will be co-hosting “Blog for the Bay” this Wednesday, April 22. Please join local food advocates on Earth Day and help rally District foodies to support clean water in the Chesapeake Bay. To participate, simply post about the Chesapeake Bay (a favorite memory, favorite place to eat crabs, best crab cake recipe, anything!) and include a link to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s petition urging the EPA to quit delaying action to help save our Bay. Please mention “Blog for the Bay” in your post and link to hosts FoodieTots.com and ArugulaFiles.com.

See the Facebook event page or contact foodietots@gmail.com for more details. Links will also be posted in round-ups on FoodieTots.com and ArugulaFiles.com, and will be updated throughout the day. Please help us spread the word and check back on Wednesday for the “Blog for the Bay” round-up!

Baked Fries with Chipotle Dipping Sauce

Nothing beats baked fries.  Wait a minute, what am I saying?  French fries (as in fried french fries) actually do beat baked fries.  French fries are my favorite food, but baked fries are a close second.  Some nights, when I'm too tired to cook, I will cut up a potato into fry size slices, drizzle some olive oil on the slices, and bake them (on a pan lined with parchment paper) at 400 for about 15 minutes.  Usually I eat them with ketchup.  Some times I add a salad and drizzle them with balsamic vinegar.  That makes me feel virtuous.  This time, instead of salad, I made a chipotle dipping sauce with mayonnaise and chipotle spice.  It's quite easy to make, but not so virtuous. 

They're Back!

photo by flickr user bob.fornal

The blue crab population in the Chesapeake Bay is increasing.  Yes, you heard that right, increasing.  According to the Washington Post, the blue crab population increased by 43 percent.  Scientists attribute some of the increase to fishery management, including cutting back on catching females and banning "dredge" fishery methods.   They warned that while the news is encouraging, "blue crabs are a species prone to explosive swings in population, so there is no guarantee that the growth will continue."  In other words: don't crack open the champagne just yet.  The restrictions need to continue, and once we have an upward trend over a longer periods, we can feel better about the future of blue crabs.

Lamb Sausage, Spinach, Orzo, and Feta

I'm one of those annoying cooks who makes a dish, serves it, and then watches the person's reaction like a kid watches TV: I stare, without blinking, totally entranced, waiting for something to happen.  Basically, waiting for clues on whether or not they like the dish.  I can hardly let a few seconds pass before I ask - so, what do you think?  Then I want to talk about the dish, like forever.  Having been on the serving end of my dishes, like forever, Marcus has a routine response.  It's good.  That's it?  It's good?  What does that mean, I think.  Then I try to pull information out of him.  Essentially, he's been arrested at the dinner table and I'm the head of the interrogation team, except he has no right to remain silent.  He must answer my questions. What would you change about it if you made it?  Do you think it needs more salt? Do you really think it's good.  How good, is in your top ten? 

I'm sure it's really annoying, but I can't help myself.  So when I made this dish - with lamb sausage, feta, orzo, and spinach - I asked Marcus how he liked it.  His response?

Too much green stuff. 

So there you have it.  I thought it was delicious, and it's easy to make. 

Local Farmers Market Directory

The Washington Post has a new Farmers Market directory for the greater Washington region. You can browse where markets are located via google maps by day of the week, and click on the location for me information about the market (including hours and website).  It's a neat and useful tool.  Way better than the yellow pages.  Do you remember the days before Al Gore invented the internets? Them were tough times. 

Mac and Cheese with Broccoli Rabe and Cauliflower

Usually by the end of the week I have a few good intentioned vegetables hanging around in my crisper.  Good intentioned vegetables?  Yes.  As in I had good intentions for using said vegetables in some extraordinary dish --a dish that perfectly highlights their natural flavors--but got sidetracked somewhere a long the way.  Usually when this happens I end up adding them to casserole dish, and they become supporting cast members where other ingredients play the leading roles.  This mac and cheese dish is a great example.  Clearly the macaroni and cheese are the stars of the show, but the vegetables add another dimension.