foreignmama

Squash Pancakes

Often times I create stuff without a recipe - many times out of necessity, others out of inventiveness - and then I always forget what I've done. And if I take a note of it, I will invariably lose it. So here I will register the ones I like most, as they happen (isn't it a log, after all?)
These squash pancakes came out of the most fun company event I've ever attended. In order to celebrate a funding we've received (I work in a technology start up), we went to Parties that Cook, where the guests have to wear aprons and get to work out their inner chefs. They divided our company (and respective significant others, what amounted to around 20 people) in two teams, we were given similar ingredients and the challenge of coming up with dinner - no recipes allowed. And to the winner, the glory!

We've all got steak and butternut squash, my team got jasmine rice and the opponents got Arborio rice (one down for me - I am a lot more risotto than sushi). Our chef helper (each team gets a Culinary School graduated, expert chef to help out) suggested we go Asian, and as for the squash, we do pancakes. Now, that is something I would never have thought about, but I was assigned the squash, and there I went. As me and the CEO's wife were scooping out the flesh of the previously roasted gourds I kept thinking how was I going to transform that goo into pancakes - when a sweet, greasy childhood memento came to mind.

I run to one of my colleagues, who happened to be a great cook and on my team; "Do you know how to make latkes?!" He didn't, but he had a super-duper-cellphone, and looked up in the web. He went straight to Epicurious, but no results. Cooks.com had the recipe though (later I discovered Epicurious did have it, but we were searching for latkas - which is not how you spell the name of the dish. Luckily, other spell-dumb people like us had put up a recipe for the wrong name as well. We can always count with the wisdom of crowds!)
Anyway, I got an at-a-glimpse latkes basic idea and adapted to the squash - after all, we were not supposed to use recipes. All I needed was really a starting point. The first problem was that the grated potatoes and carrots - as in the original latkas - are a lot firmer than smashed squash. So we put just one egg to about three whole squashes, and kept adding flour until it was firm enough to get into the hot oil. Salt to taste, plus one teaspoon of each of the following: cinnamon, cardamom, ground clove, all spice; fresh ginger grated and squeezed (you throw away the fibers after squeezing the juice into your food - a trick I had just learned in the spot from the chef in charge) ; a half teaspoon of ground black pepper and a pinch of cayenne and nutmeg. One whole grated onion. That's about it.

You warm some Canola oil, just enough to cover an almost full ladle of the stuff, and drop as many ladles as your frying pan can handle, with at least an inch of space between each pancake. Keep an eye on them until they start getting crunchy and crispy on the bottom, and then turn them around. I don't like frying stuff, and I never fry anything at my house, but somehow I remembered, from the deep of my South American heart, the vision of my grandma in her kitchen frying risoles, kibehs, coxinhas and other greasy yummy Brazilian stuff. And they all came out good (thanks to the non stick frying pan as well - do not even try to do this in a regular one). Everyone like them. Our team did not win the contest though - the chef/judge thought our beef too spicy. Maybe we were just too hot for him to handle.

Tetley, the Piglet that Sleeps in a Teacup

They are the cutest little things ever: Pennywell piglets born in a Devon, South West England farm, are amongst the smallest in the world. Check out the BBC story and video here. Or watch them right here, courtesy of YouTube:

Only in San Francisco; only in the Mission

Where else you can walk out of your home on a sunny afternoon, decide to take your son to the nearest outdoor space, walk into the green emerald lawn and stumble upon a colorful stand offering "Sex Advice & Lemonade" (good thing my kid is still illiterate; I was not in the mood to explain things yesterday). After you find a cozy spot in a large bench between the popsicle vendor and the bulldog wearing a tutu, you figure you'll have to move because the smell of cannabis in the air in that side of the Dolores Park playground it is a bit stronger than you can handle.

And, on leaving the park, you have a chance to see a picturesque group of 20 or so enthusiastic dancers in the sidewalk rehearsing for the upcoming Thrill the World, a worldwide attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the Largest Simultaneous Dance with Michael Jackson's “Thriller.” Thousands of people in cities around the world will learn the “Thriller” dance and perform it at the exact same time on October 27/ 28, 2007.

They invited us to join the choreography, but Tetti did not get into it.

This is nothing really; the other week at Dolores Park they had a Stripper Bake Sale with some gals from the Lusty Ladies - and yes, they were all in professional attire. Tetti really liked their snickerdoodles. Besides the free sidewalk entertainment, the other great thing about living in the Mission District is the concentration of great eateries.  This weekend our son had a last minute invitation  for a play date, and, with such a great chance of childless time and no reservation on a Saturday night, hub and I just decided to try our luck on 18th street, begging for a walk-in table for two at Delfina. Sometimes we get lucky doing that. That was not the case, though. Or perhaps it was, because we decided to give a chance to the new kid on the block, Farina, which features cucina tipica di Genova. I have been reluctant to try it because I heard mixed reviews and it is definitely pricey - not that Delfina is a bargain, but at least it is for sure excellent. I don't like to take pricey risks.

The restaurant's architecture and the interior design are super slick; we got seated by the window, with a view to the lively Women's Building with its mural. Nice. The menu was promising, even though they were out of the pancetta wrapped quail, which was the item that  got my mouth watering for starters. They served an assortment of house backed breads, and as I waited in vain for some butter or olive oil, I figured we were supposed to eat it dry. Hhhhmmm. Not a good sign.

I turn to my right side, and I see the waitress pouring Parmesan cheese onto someone's gnocchi. What? They do not offer freshly shaved parm? Oh, oh, maybe we should give up on that place. But now we are here, and we are hungry. We order a salad and also give the Foccacia di Recco a chance. And Farina lives up to it. The foccacia is crunchy in the borders, incredibly fresh (did they mill that flour in the morning or something? Unbelievable!) and chewy in the middle. Pretty much perfect.

For primi and secondi piatti we shared a lasagna with pine nuts, mushrooms and bechamel sauce and a fillet mignon with roasted leek and asparagus. Ah, I had a glass of the Valpolicella (forgot the year though - forgot to bring my Moleskine to the restaurant; as I claim before, it was barely planned). The salad was all right, I just get annoyed when I am served tomatoes still cold from the fridge (is it too much to ask them to be room temperature?). The homemade pasta in the lasagna was very light and one of the best I ever tried. By the middle of the meal I was pretty happy; that was a good sign. Our neighbors were two Italian ladies, and one of then told me it was her first time at Farina too, and she was very cautious when trying Italian restaurants because most of the time she feels she could have done better just cooking for herself at home - but tonight she did not regret her adventure. I agreed, although I still felt that a saucer with a bit of extra virgin olive oil at the bread moment would have improved a lot the experience. She left with a smile and recommending me to pay a visit to A16. Will try to go - but it is hard for me to leave the Mission...

Back to Farina: The ambiance is festive, the place is child friendly without losing the sophistication, and stylish, but never snub to the point of making one uncomfortable. An Italian Nonno keeps walking among the tables, over viewing the action, picking a dropped scarf here, playing with a baby there, pointing discretely to the buss boy a nearly finished meal... according to my waitress he is one of the owners, the one real deal Italian. Cute. Sweet. Feels like a big, San Franciscan family reunion of foodies.

For dessert, we ordered the Panacotta with Strawberry Coulis; it had a cleverly placed blueberry in the middle with a crystal sugar wavy toothpick crossing across it. Pretty good, but did not have the tiny vanilla seeds that I so enjoy seeing when eating something custardy like that. It was just ok. Maybe its problem was more to have come paired with the sinful, divine warm milk fritters with dried oranges and citrus sauce. The dessert was a synthesis of the whole experience: couple of things excellent, some stuff ok, details missed. An overall very satisfying experience. I will come back. As soon as I recover from picking that tab...

No More Biting!

Last night, after trowing a tantrum because I did not let him watch more TV than he is allowed, Tetti started complaining about everything he thinks is wrong in his life: "Why don't we have a backyard? Why don't we have a puppy? I need kids neighbors!" And he went on and on, between sobs. Until he asked "And I don't want you and Daddy to bite me anymore!"

Oooops.

It's because he has the most delicious cheeks in the world. And I always loved biting them, even though on the other hand I am always telling him to not bite other kids... So I said, ok, fine, you have the right to claim ownership of your body.

But this morning, when I was helping him brush his teeth, there it was, irresistible, his left cheek (or bochecha, as we say it in Brazil). I asked for only one little bite.

"No. No more biting! Only kisses."

He is growing up to be a tough guy.

Congratulations, Doris Lessing!

It is always so nice to see a woman writer win a Nobel Prize (you can learn more about that here). Doris Lessing is one of those authors that I've always wanted to read, but never got around it. Even ordered books from my neighborhood library, they stood there in my bed side table, and, as usual, since I became a mom, never got opened. Now I have one more reason to try again. I can totally relate to her life story, a foreigner everywhere she went. Any first read recommendations? Which Lessing book should be my first?

Review: Esalen Cookbook

Right now my house smells wonderfull. It's the Banana Coconut Bread I am baking. The recipe I took from the "Esalen Cookbook: Healthy and Organic Recipes from Big Sur". The book was written by Charlie Cascio, who worked as the head chef and kitchen manager for the Esalen Institute for many years. It features healthy, wholesome and intriguing recipes for dishes such as Artichoke, Yam and Blue Cheese Scones, Moroccan Lamb Stew, Pecan-Encrusted Chicken, Orange Essence Raisin Bread, Sponges of Love Pancakes, Esalen Granola, and Grandma's German Goulash.
Right now my two favorites are this Banana Coconut Bread (who is the cover girl for the book) and Marion's Living Muesli, a cleansing delight that includes soaked seeds, groats and nuts, fresh fruit, lemon juice and maple syrup.

The book also describes how the kitchen at the institute works, from growing vegetables on their organic farm to letting the wild imagination of the staff come up with the most creative concoctions; it is so nice when cookbooks tell stories besides giving recipes. And the photography is truly inspiring.

Click here to read an article by Charlie Cascio, "The Compassionate Kitchen: The secret to cooking up a culinary masterpiece? It’s all about the love, baby!" In the same page you will find the following recipes from the book: Quinoa & Veggie Soufflé, Roasted Butternut & Curry Soup and Chocolate Wacky Cake.

Boasting moment: I have to tell you that I actually worked for a couple of hours in a kitchen commanded by the very own Cascio, when I was doing community work at a dance camp, and he actually asked me for help in setting up a kids vegetarian dinner menu. Of course I suggested my "Baked Tofu Marinated in Toasted Sesame Oil and Soy Sauce". He smiled, and served it that very night. Needless to say I was red with pride...

Bilingual Baby Names: Ana and Joseph

Nowadays, in our global, international world is all the more important to find baby names that, if don't fit in many other cultures, will be at least easily understood. Our first pair of international names is Ana and Joseph.

Ana comes from Hebrew and Latin and in both languages means grace or favour; in Japanese, though, it reminds the name of an apricot, and in Malayalam is the masculine for elephant. Nice variations are Anna, Anita and Anahita.

Joseph comes from Hebrew and means "the one who will grow" (sounds like a good start to me!). There are many written variants, but the spoken form is always mostly recognizable, making Joseph a good bet for an international baby name. We are all about global compliance, so here are some variations: José, in Portuguese and Spanish, Giuseppe, in Italian, Joe in English. Yosef is the original Hebrew (In the Old Testament, Yosef was the 11th son of Jacob and the first son of Rachel).

A great resource for finding baby names is the site Baby Names World. They offer 24 thousand baby names, personal name advisors, meaning of names and scores and statistics on baby names popularity.