Artichoke with Fragrant Tomato Broth

Artichoke - sans mayo or butter?

You bet.

Heat about a quarter cup of olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat, add 4 cloves chopped garlic, cook for a few minutes but do not brown. Add about 6 cups of vegetable stock along with a  10 oz. can of diced seeded peeled tomatoes and juice, a cup of white wine,  a half teaspoon each of dried basil and thyme, and a bay leaf, sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Add trimmed organic globe artichoke (or two), bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cook covered. 

When the artichoke is almost tender, remove the bay leaf, add a half cup of rinsed capers and some chopped fresh basil. Adjust seasoning and finish cooking for about 5 minutes. Serve the tender artichoke in a soup bowl over the fragrant tomato broth. Ladle more broth and garlic and capers over the artichoke. Very flavorful,  and lower fat than some recipes...So I'm submitting this dish to Giz & Psychgrad's Tried, Tested and True 2 Event at Equal Opportunity Kitchen. 

They say, "We are asking you to submit your health-promoting tried, tested and true recipes. This can be any sort of dish - appetizer/soup/bread/main/dessert - your choice. But, it should be a low calorie dish, one that you've adapted from a higher fat to be a healthier choice, a vegetarian option, just to give you a few suggestions. Please don't feel restricted. Just think about a submission that's healthy and tastes good - that you would feed to someone you love knowing that you were promoting good, healthy eating." I think this dish fits the bill.

To Your Good Health!

Pineapple Peanut Coleslaw Alfresco

Summer is here! YAY! Time for alfresco dining. 

One of the side dishes that was a hit at this alfresco meal was 

The Pineapple Peanut Coleslaw.

Nothing fancy, but this combination of ingredients is a winner.

A small can of crushed pineapple is drained.

Napa cabbage is thinly sliced. 

The crinkled leaves give a good texture to coleslaw.

Sliced scallions and cilantro are added.

Equal parts of mayonnaise and sour cream are blended together with pineapple.

Add peanuts and toss. Season with salt and pepper.

Let's eat!

Where's the beef?


We're looking forward a long summer with plenty of grilling and outdoor dining ahead. 

How 'bout you?

Black Cod Ponzu Yuzu

Fresh Black Cod, also known as Sablefish, from the waters off the coast of Vancouver, BC. Black Cod flesh has large velvety flakes with a sweet, rich flavour due to its high Omega 3 oil content.

I pan sear the Cod in half olive oil/half butter with a hearty splash of Ponzu Shoyu Yuzu over medium high heat. This ponzu contains soy sauce, mirin, vinegar, sugar and yuzu juice. While cooking, the sugars in the ponzu caramelize to make a delicious crust. 

Yuzu is a citrus fruit originating in Eastern Asia with tart flavors reminiscent of grapefruit and mandarin orange. Serve the fish over Ponzu Yuzu. Tempura vegetables and shrimp, with steamed rice on the side, make a great accompaniment.

You may recall some photos of my favorite Hispanic market, El Supermercado? Another of my favorite neighborhood markets is the Mitsuwa Marketplace. This huge store provides vast selection of Japanese groceries and products. Inside the shopping center, there are more than 20 specialty shops and a fabulous Restaurant Row offering authentic selections.

Excellent fish...

and produce
and desserts.

I'm addicted to the dinnerware...

all of it!

The best place in the Food Court for Ramen is Santouka.

Many...

...Beautiful Displays

A Wide Selection of Sake and Beverages

Great Bakery and more...

Mitsuwa Marketplaces are only located in Southern California, Chicagoland, and New Jersey. But the good news is that their products are available online too.

We are so fortunate to have such a variety of fabulous ethnic markets so close to home.

Udon - Beef & Shiitake

Japanese Style Noodle Soup

Udon Noodles in a Beef Broth

Shiitake, Roast Beef, Bean Sprouts, Scallions, Chiles

The Udon Noodle package instructs, "Use anything in the refrigerator to create your healthy gourmet meal or snack in minutes." Well, I don't know about anything, but here I used my own beef broth instead of the flavor packet, and added shiitake and roast beef.

Udon is a thick, firm, chewy Japanese noodle made from wheat flour.

Heat beef broth then add sliced shiitake. When the shiitake are cooked, add a splash of soy sauce and mirin, and a touch of sugar. Turn off the heat and add the garnishes and beef.

Garnished with bean sprouts, scallions and fiery chiles. This fast, savory soup is different every time, depending on what is on hand. Ladle into a bowl, sprinkle with more scallions, and for more heat, top with Asian hot chili sauce.

Utensils include chopsticks and a soup spoon.

The origin of udon in Japan is usually credited to Kūkai, a Buddhist priest, who traveled to China around the beginning of the 9th century to study Buddhism. When he returned, he also brought back the knowledge of udon soup to his farmer neighbors in the Sanuki region of Japan. (from Wikipedia)

itada kimasu

P.S. If you like Beef Noodle Soup, you might want to take a look at this post on Pho Bo.

Toasted Seaweed Crusted Salmon, Lemon Tamari

King Salmon, Crusted with Toasted Seaweed

Lemon Mirin Tamari Sauce, Wasabi Butter

Whisk together lemon juice, mirin, low-sodium Tamari and olive oil for the sauce.

Fresh Wild King Salmon from British Columbian waters is crusted with a mixture of ground toasted seaweed, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes, sea salt and fresh ground pepper.

The salmon is sautéed in olive oil over medium high heat for about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Place the salmon over the sauce and top with wasabi butter.

Does this sound familiar? In April we prepared a beef filet in a similar style, which was awesome. And it is equally good with salmon.

I recently received an email from Emily at Marx Foods. They're hosting a salmon recipe contest: WIN A SUMMER OF WILD SALMON. The creator of the winning recipe will receive 15 lbs. of wild salmon - three 5 lb. shipments, once in July, August and September. Each shipment will contain a different type of wild salmon, varying by species and river origin. Doesn't that sound like fun! Salmon should be the star of the dish, but the recipe can incorporate any variety of salmon-fresh, frozen, smoked, canned, pickled, etc. The contest deadline is June 20. There are about 100 recipes already submitted and posted on their website, and many of them sound terrific.

Avocado Cucumber Salsa

Avocado Cucumber Salsa over Panko Crusted Petrale Sole

• Avocado - diced
  
• Cucumber - peeled, seeded, diced
  
• Spicy green chile pepper - finely chopped
  
• Cilantro
  
• Red onion - finely chopped
  
• Lime juice
  
• Olive oil
  
• Salt and pepper

To equal amounts of diced cucumber and avocado add green chile, red onion, cilantro. Gently mix with a generous squeeze of lime juice and a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fish, shrimp, scallops, chicken? Or with a finer dice, great with chips, too. 

The recipe for Panko Crusted Petrale Sole here.

Mike's Produce Truck

On my way home from work, I just pull over to the side of the road and shop for all the vegetables for my fresh salsa.  Now that's my kind of Fast Food! 

Today marks the One Year Anniversary of Taste With The Eyes. 

Having a food blog has been and continues to be a whole lot of fun, a learning experience, a terrific creative outlet,  a source of pride, and a way to make new friends. Thank you all.

Chianti Classico & Carpaccio

Carpaccio is named for Vittore Carpaccio, the Venetian Renaissance painter known for his use of brilliant reds and whites. Giuseppe Cipriani, owner of Harry's Bar, invented this dish in 1950, the year of the great Carpaccio exhibition in Venice. It was inspired by the Contessa Amalia Nani Mocenigo, a frequent customer at Harry's Bar whose doctor had placed her on a diet forbidding cooked meat. (Interesting diet, no?)

Marchese Antinori is produced from the finest grapes grown in the Chianti Classico wine region of Tuscany. Deep ruby red with predominant cherry fruit flavors. It is a full-bodied, rounded, delicious red wine. 90% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and other red grapes. This is hands down one of my favorites, and a good value too.

Thinly sliced raw beef is drizzled with olive oil, garnished with capers and freshly ground pepper, topped with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano.

V. Carpaccio, The Marriage of the Virgin, 1504-08, Oil on Canvas

Do you agree with Cipriani, isn't the raw beef dish reminiscent of the painting?

Yellow for Bri

Organic Mixed Lettuce Salad, Mustard Vinaigrette

Jacques Pepin's Vinaigrette in a Jar

2 tsp chopped garlic

3 Tbs Dijon-style mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/4 c red or white wine vinegar

1 c extra virgin olive oil

Put all ingredients in a jar, screw on the lid, and shake very well.

"I make dressing in a jar all the time at home, just like the recipe here. In less than a minute, I have enough for several salads. And if I happen to have a jar of mustard that is almost empty it's even faster, I just add oil and vinegar, salt and pepper, and shake," Jacques Pepin. From Jacques & Julia Cooking at Home

Yellow, through the work of the LiveStrong Foundation, has come to signify the fight against cancer.

Briana Brownlow is one of 5% of women under the age of 30 diagnosed with breast cancer. At the age of 15, Bri lost her 41-year old mother to the disease. In August 2007, she started Figs with Bri - a food blog where she shares her creative experiments with wonderful local organic ingredients. A month and a half ago, her worst fears came true. She learned that her cancer has returned and metastasized to her lungs, her lymph nodes and several areas in her bones and is at Stage IV. (from Jugalbundi blog)

The folks at Jugalbundi are hosting a fundraiser to help Bri, a fellow food blogger, with medical expenses. This month the CLICK food photography event theme is YELLOW for Bri.

Godspeed, Bri.

Lychee Martini

Exotic, alluring, and intriguing...

It's made with vodka and lychee juice or syrup. 

This sensual elixir is perfumey, 

with a taste reminiscent of rose petals and citrus.

Some recipes call for additional ingredients such as lime juice, sugar, lychee liqueur, or Cointreau but purists simply go for good vodka and lychee.

Have you tried a Lychee Martini?