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In Praise (And In Search) Of Spicy Cucumber!

tips — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:48:36 +0000

Much well-deserved hype and love has been thrown in the direction of Old City’s Han Dynasty — and for sure, proprietor Han Chiang himself is the kind of soothsayer this publicist-run Philly food scene could use a lot more of. And we could talk fawningly about the menu and the Cult of Han all day, but, perhaps another time, you and I, over drinks. Today, we speak of one of the most simple yet beguiling dishes on the Han menu: Spicy Crispy Cucumber (pictured). We’re on a drug called Spicy Crispy Cucumber, and actually, you can get it legally.

The dish has, quite frankly, driven us to distraction. At Han Dynasty, the dish hides as a cold appetizer amidst a menu known for its heat. And yes, the cold, crispy cucumber does do a great job of clearing the palate to make room for more heat. But we’d be remiss to those of you who’ve never been to not spell out what it is about the food here in the first place: The trick Han Dynasty does so well is, and what has gotten it so much notice, is that the place melds exquisite flavor with mind-bending heat in the most elegant fashion we’ve ever tasted. And as watchers of Man Vs. Food already know, elegance is usually a rare thing indeed to come by in the universe of Heatniks. So the cukes break it up. But they’re also sitting in chili oil, bub. Magically tangy, a little sweet and hotter than it lets on chili oil.

Last week, we tried this recipe for Sichuan spicy cucumber at home. For a stopgap injection of what we now crave weekly, it wasn’t bad. (Pretty fly for a round-eye, even.) But it didn’t do the trick. It only made us want more. So it was back to Han for lunch today. And ‘lo, it was good. “You guys work around here or something?,” said Han. We said yes.

Previously: Handy Nasty: Chinese-izing American Food

Han Dynasty, 108 Chestnut St. (215) 922-1888

From The Vaults: The Frugal Gourmet Does Philly

tips — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 20:25:56 +0000

Boy, does this ever take us back: The late, great Jeffrey L. Smith — aka The Frugal Gourmet — was, of course, a staple of the local PBS Saturday afternoon lineup, and our moms loved him. (That is, er, until that unpleasantness, which ended his career — but even then, people still loved him.) In the above episode, recently unearthed on YouTube, The Frug (as we liked to call him) schools us on how to make scrapple and pepper pot soup. Talk about keeping it real!

After the jump, part two.

Name This Holiday Cocktail!

tips — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:24:12 +0000

Hey guys, so, see that last cocktail on tonight’s list for Philebrity Salon: Jazz Xmas, tonight at 700? We want you to name it. Here’s the recipe:

“1.5 oz silver tequila
3/4 oz chocolate liquor
1/2 oz coffee liquor
Aztec chocolate bitters
Orange bitters
Fresh ground black pepper
Fresh ground nutmeg
Hot Coffee
Shaved pitch-dark chocolate garnish”

What have you got? Tell us in the comments, best answer by 6PM drinks ‘em for free tonight. GO!

Three Options For Turkey Time

BrendanW — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:17:19 +0000

By now, everyone probably has their Thanksgiving game plan set in motion, so what better timing to look at the many different approaches preparing the Thanksgiving centerpiece: The Turkey. There are many factors that go into turkey prep such as kitchen space, timing, and of course, recipes. Here are some unconventional options for turkey prep that could save time and effort on that all important day of the fowl.

Brining a turkey is a great way to combat the greatest enemy of the thanksgiving meal: A dry bird. The idea is to submerge the uncooked bird in a salty, spicy bath for at least twenty four hours before cooking. More than infuse the bird with flavor, allowing the bird to sit in the brine bath creates some sort of moisture equilibrium within the bird as it cooks. Ask Alton Brown about the details, but the result is a truly moist bird. Also, if you follow his technique in cooking the brined bird, it doesn’t take as long of a time to cook, freeing up your oven for those yummy side dishes. The only downside is that you shouldn’t cook your stuffing in the bird using this method, it musses up the moisture.

Have a fowl fry! Deep-frying a turkey is another option. You really can’t get more American than this. You can bet that if the Pilgrims had the option, they would have fried the shit out of some turkeys as the Indians shed silent tears. But if you’re not morally opposed to deep frying a Thanksgiving tradition and dropping around a hundred bucks, this is truly a time saving option. Deep frying a turkey is perhaps the fastest way to prepare what is classically the part of the meal that takes the longest time to cook. The fryer frees up oven space and a could allow your family more time to gather around the television and bask in the wholesome light of football.

You could also grill the bird. This is going to be a little more hands-on than the other two options of cooking, because in order to cook it fully without burning, the grill needs to be kept at a low temperature for a long time. For those of you rocking the classic Weber grill, that means multiple changes of charcoal. Even if you’re cooking over propane, it still takes some serious planning. On the upside, grilling a whole turkey is really cool and much like the other techniques, could save precious oven time.

That’s our three cents. Take them for what they’re worth or even mix and match. For instance, A brined bird would do well on the grill. One final thing to consider is that your thermometer is your best friend; don’t rely on those button popper deals on the turkey. Happy turkey cooking, Philadelphia!

If you cook up a bird of your own in an interesting way, take a picture and we’ll share it with the rest of the Phoodie universe. Send them to phoodieinfo@gmail.com.

How To: Green Beans With Apple Cider Redux

BrendanW — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:33:54 +0000

Here in the Phoodie Test Kitchen, we’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and we’re going all the f out. By “all the f out,” we really mean that we’re trying our best to find a happy balance of tastiness and easy preparation. Since the sides of Thanksgiving are the best part of the meal, that’s where we’re going to start. Sure, over the years turkey has come to embody the holiday but sides are the true stars of the show. So in the name of delicious/easy to prepare Thanksgiving sides, Phoodie presents to you, with the help of the internet, Greenbeans in Cider Reduction.

Here’s what you’re going to need:

· 2-16oz bags of frozen green beans (or a couple heaping handfuls of freshies)
· 1 small yellow skinned onion, finely chopped
· 1 1/2 cups of apple cider
· 1/2 cup of cider vinegar
· 1/4 cup of maple syrup
· a splash of extra virgin olive oil

The green beans can be prepared in the microwave if you so choose, you lazy philistine. (If so, microwave on high for 5 minutes, mix and then cook again for about seven minutes or until they reach your desired level of cookedness.) They can also be blanched or steamed, it’s up you; you’re a big boy/girl, just make sure they’re cooked.

The fun part is the reduction: First heat a skillet at medium low and add the E.V.O. and the onions. Keep the onions moving in the pan, it should take 10 minutes for them to caramelize.

Raise the heat on the stove to medium high and add the vinegar and cider. Mix the sauce until it’s reduced to 2/3′s or until it’s syrupy. Remove from heat and mix in the maple syrup.

Now it’s time to get your beans. Salt and pepper them to taste and then add to the skillet with your reduction.

Now all there is to do is serve, enjoy and try to get someone else to clean up!

Thanks to foodnetwork.com for adding a little zazz to the sauce.

Make Sure Those Leafy Greens Are Washed

K-Fai — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:31:43 +0000

It’s not just bad meat that’s to blame when you’re howling in the throes of food poisoning. According to this transparency from GOOD Magazine (data from the Center for Science in the Public Interest), the riskiest FDA-regulated food is unwashed leafy greens (meat, poultry, and processed egg are regulated by the Department of Agriculture). Remember the Dole baby spinach tainted with e.coli in 2006? More than 200 people died. And last year’s tomato Salmonella scare? The list of these ten foods (eggs, tuna, oysters, berries, etc.) accounts for nearly 40 percent of foodborne outbreaks.

For more, check put this Howcast video on how to properly wash leafy greens. This is not an animation from a Wii game.

Roundup: The Free Library Festival’s Books For Phoodies

KellyC — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:48:03 +0000

This Saturday, April 18, The Free Library Festival is hosting a number of chefs and food writers with new releases. Here’s the low-down on their appearances:

Christina Pirello: This Crazy Vegan Life
12:00PM, Skyline Salon

On Saturday afternoon, the Emmy Award-winning host of Christina Cooks and author of Cooking the Whole Foods Way and Cook Your Way to the Life You Want, will be presenting her latest release, This Crazy Vegan Life, which offers readers a 28-day nutrition and fitness plan.

Molly O’Neill: American Food Writing: An Anthology: With Classic Recipes
1:00PM, Skyline Salon

Longtime food columnist for the New York Times Magazine and host of the PBS series Great Food, Molly O’Neill has brought together in her newest work great anecdotes, recipes, and essays from some of our favorite chef-y (like badass heartthrob Anthony Bordain) and non-chef-y (like transcendentalist heartthrob Henry David Thoreau) people alike. If you’re a fan of great food writing (and clearly you are…), this can’t be missed.

Liz Vaccariello: Flat Belly Diet!
2:00PM, Skyline Salon

Editor-in-chief of a magazine for healthy people (what?), Prevention, Liz Vaccariello is here to turn Philadelphia’s collective fat belly into a collective flat belly with a day-by-day guide for a healthier life. (Maybe get a snack beforehand.)

Sheila Lukins: Ten: All the Foods We Love and 10 Perfect Recipes for Each
3:00PM, Skyline Salon

Co-founder of The Silver Palate and editor of both The Silver Palate Cookbook and the food section of Parade magazine, Shelia Lukins’ ever-growing list of cookbooks has just gotten a little longer with her newest release, Ten: All the Foods We Love and 10 Perfect Recipes for Each. The book comprises recipes each for some of America’s most beloved foods, ten for each, including some from top chefs like the aforementioned heartthrob Anthony Bordain and Tom Colicchio.

How To: Make Rainbow Cakes, ‘Cos Funfetti Ain’t Got Shit On This!

BrendanW — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:35:31 +0000

That’s not so say that funfetti doesn’t brighten up an otherwise rainy Monday gloomfest,\. but for heaven’s sake, we challenge you to find a more cheerful confection. The best part is that we have the recipe and we’re sharing it with you now. If we band together, Philadelphia, we can make this gray city a lil’ brighter just one cake at a time. It’s not that difficult, and just imagine the heartwarming memories that baking rainbow cakes with your bf/gf/child/roomie can provide; dabbing a lil’ cake batter on their nose just so, playful flour fights, or even mixing colorful cake batter a la Ghost. Ahem. Anyway, we dug around and this seems to be the best way to go about it. Be it from a box or scratch, the same concept applies, just try to keep the original batter as white as possible so the unnatural coloring is as radiant as possible.

You’re going to need a package of food coloring, cake in its batter form, a cake pan for every layer you intend to make and definitely an oven.

Decide which color you want as the base of that particular cake layer and dedicate around 2/3 of each layers’ batter to this. This will make for the trippiest-looking results.

From there, split the remaining batter into five other colors, making sure to dedicate extra batter for the bottoms of your other layers.

Dollop your base layer into the center of your cake pan in a kind of circular batter puddle. Pour the other colors into the center of the base puddle, making a kind of bulls-eye of concentric batter circles.

From here, bake it as you would any other boring single colored cake.

If you are going for a layer cake, (which you totally should since you’re going through all of that effort anyway) consider going in reverse order of your previous layer to maximize prettiness. The same concept can also be applied to cupcakes, minus the layers of course.

Be it for Spring, Easter, or coming out event, the extra effort that goes into a rainbow-cake-bake will be made up for in smiles (or food coloring induced seizures). And we’d be remiss if we didn’t hat-tip The Omnomicon and Nikkita here, for truly, they are the Tigris and Euphrates of Rainbow Cake knowledge.

Because It’s Been Roughly 19 Minutes Since We Last Posted About Jose Garces: Jose’s Crab Ceviche Recipe

tips — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:48:27 +0000

For more, visit chefskitchen.tv.

Flagons Of Grog Be Damned! Spirits Fit For George Washington’s Pimp Cup

BrendanW — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:56:48 +0000

“You guys trying to get a buzz-on or what?”

Whilst digging through the dreary depths of the Phoodie Archives, (picture the library scene from Ghostbusters) we stumbled upon a scrap yellowed parchment on which was a recipe for the Rum Shrub, a cocktail that apparently tickled the fancy of the First President of the U.S. of friggin’ A. According to weirdo historical re-enactors at Old Sturbridge Village, George Washington was known to wet his wooden whistle this limey concoction. The drink definitely stands the test of time. Whatever it is about letting it stand for a week before serving does a lot to mellow the boozie taste, as well as the quell acidity of the lime juice. Here’s what you need and how it’s made:

Rum Shrub

You need:

4 cups dark rum

2 cups fresh lime juice

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 1/2 cups water

Mix well and let stand 7 days. Another great American once said something about a little patience…, and besides, it’s not like you have anywhere to be anytime soon.

Chop a cherry tree and serve over ice. Enjoy!